Cargojon

I see what you did there lol.

Seriously uf they up the PQD thing I am outta here. As it sits I'll have a tough time making Gold this year due to employer cytbacks and requiring lowest fare purchased.

LaserSailor

People booking flights 330 days out are exactly the people the new FF programs are aimed to cull benefits.

chavala

Not sure I understand that. Could you elaborate?

CO_Nonrev_elite

While it doesn't apply to me personally, I agree with the above. There are many people that are flying loyally 3,4,5 days per week on routes that are all leisure or have direct WN competition etc, and as such the fares are never high. These folks may fly way more than 100,000 per year, yet come nowhere close to the 12,000 spend. Therefore despite their absolute loyalty, they get nada.

Then you get one person with zero loyalty who has to buy a few expensive tickets and United rolls out the farm for them, despite the fact they give no loyalty.

Furthermore, a high majority of GS members get it comped and have zero loyalty, yet the massively out rank those with loyalty.

dmodemd

It was a real stretch for me to be able to hit $12K this year and 100K miles ( I hope I will make it...) but next year I may be switching to SEA-SLC runs later in the year so likely to go to AS. I will need to know before 1/1 so I know where to place my spend for the first part of the year (and status match). If UA raises it anything more above $12K I think I will be out for next year. I can still do SEA-IAH on AS if I know that's where I will need to run most of the year, unfortunately the outbound flight timing does not work for me.

PremExecSNA

That was a 20 percent increase for 1K PQD last year. How many other products see a similar increase year over year?

I would hope UA doesn't raise it any further. The "changes we are going to like" have not justified the higher prices - and my upgrade clearance has decreased dramatically. This is the time UA needs to take a breather and do better before squeezing customers any further.

halls120

They can raise it all they want for all I care. I'm done chasing status on UA - or any airline, for that matter. When you keep moving the target like United has done, it becomes patently obvious that they aren't using MP to engender customer loyalty.

Sterndogg

I was going to post something on the Oscar's new customer feedback site but have refrained...sentiments have been echoed here already...in my state I fly 60% work (cheapest fares possible) and 40% leisure. While I'll hit 100k-125k BIS miles this year won't come close to spending $9k this year so won't even be Plat this year. I know it complicates things even more but too bad there isn't a threshold of if you fly X miles over each tier but spend Y you still have a chance of Plat, 1K, etc.

I guess spending $25k on UA branded cards is that avenue to avoid the PQD up to Plat.

rankourabu

Of course its fair. You knew what you signed up for.

Just as its not fair someone spent $11998, and flew 120k miles without the benefit of OPM/expensed flying, and ended up only Plat.

Only system that would be fair is if the actual spender got rewarded, not the flyer.
A client buys you a ticket - a client gets the credit for the PQDs

lhrsfo

Life's not fair. The rules are the rules. And FT exists to help us play them.

Bruin1K

Yes, I don't understand either.

chavala

That's because it makes no sense

spin88

People who are buying fares 330 days out are buying deep discount tickets (actually that is usually a month out).... that is who the system is designed to cut out...

Delta has much stronger pull from the product, and also has some very cheap fares to complete with NK (and ValueJet) so they wanted to hive off these folks from the top tier elite status.

United copied what they did, but because UA's yields are now lower, and UA has (or had) a longer stage length, the UA requirement tripped up more folks, and of course flying United already involves large amount of suffering....

transportbiz

This is the reality.

tcp1

I know this isn't a popular opinion on FT, but this needs to be underlined.

I'll make 1K next year even if they up it to 15k, but I don't care. It's been so diluted it's laughable.

I'm gonna come out with an unpopular opinion: The GS program has gotten way out of hand. I'd personally love to know how often the average GS travels. I'm gonna guess surprisingly low.

(My apologies in advance to 4MM and actual frequent flying GS's..)

What used to be a super secret very small loyalty program has blown up to the point where every corporate travel booker is GS, even if they only fly a handful of times a year. As if AA/DL weren't cheaper, they wouldn't go with them. It's payola, basically.

Maybe I'm bitter. Fine. This is my 3rd year coming up as 1K. $21k PQD by EOY (of my OWN money, not OPM) and 151k PQM; $45k on the stupid Club card.. (Don't get me started on the clubs - I've seen more hospitable 7-11s) And really it's not been much different than my years as Gold. Gold is the most valuable tier by far IMHO - basically getting you an E+ subscription.

What do I get? Phantom RPUs and GPUs that never work, Unicorn CPUs, and the ability to check the bag I never bring. A meal choice when the FA decides to bother and the cabin isn't 75% GS. A BG1 line an eighth of a mile long. And precisely jack when I'm stuck in Coach. Awesome.

My wife is a Silver and she'll be $500 short this year - she asked if she should do a quick run. I told her to spend a day at the spa instead; she'll get more out of it and it'll help her more on her holiday flights.

I'm on a DEN-IAD flight right now and according to the FA I'm the only 1K in first, which I stupidly took the $189 buy up for because I hoped to get a meal and some rest. Apparently we have nine GS's aboard today up front - and the pmUA FA is waiting on them hand and foot (got one across from me wanting to "sample the wines".. eyeroll..) whereas I've had to ring my call button twice (and I never use my call button) to get my drink refilled once and my tray taken away after 45 mins.

Sorry for the rant, but UA should just drop the charade and say it's GS or Kettle, put a stake in Mileage Plus and let it be done. This is my last year worrying about status and my last year caring whose logo is on the outside of the plane.

I have the money to spend to make my travel experience better. I want to. I fly weekly. But United could care less. Fine. The feeling is mutual.

The idea of loyalty is gone; so be it. Time to get with the times.