HoyaSFOIAD

Perhaps you’re a little more fired up about this than I am, which is understandable in current times. Looks like we’re going to have to agree to disagree here - although only partially, I do agree with you, as I noted, that some form of acknowledgement to GS would have been nice. Also, I don’t know who’s routine you are referring to in the “poor executives routine” comment, but it sure a heck isn’t mine.

UA_Flyer

There are many passionate and thoughtful comments expressed, particularly since the announcement on the extension of the M+ elite status and reduced qualification criteria for each elite level.

After reading all the comments, I believe we are lumping three separate issues into one major discussion:

1) Form (or lack of) communication to the GS members. GS is outside of the M+ program.

2) Speculation (or needing some form of indication) whether qualification criteria will be reduced for 2021

3) Views on whether GS should get the same extension for an extra year as other M+ elite levels

I think on 1) the communication piece, as one of very early batch of GS members going back to close to the beginning, my experience has been that the communication to GS members are infrequent and are very targeted. Because the exclusivity of GS and changes to GS membership each year, it is hard to send out mass broadcast emails in the past. I am sure with the improvement of technology, UA is able to manage an up to date list now, but most of the communication is through personalized phone calls and emails or through dedicated web pages. It is not surprising that each individual GS member has to reach out the GS agent through dedicated email and phone number. I agree UA could do a better job in this regard.

On 2) - Indication on whether GS qualification criteria will be changed.
On this matter, I think UA has been consistent. We have been speculating every year in this forum about annual qualification criteria. UA has never said or indicated anything publicly since day one. It is always looking at travel trend for the year and then decide qualification criteria for the following year. Why do we expect anything different now? We have, over the years, come up with "urban myths" such as hub-based qualification $ level, $50K for initial qualification or requalification, higher than $50K for initial invite or lower than $50K for requalification, average cost of BIS, etc, etc, etc. I must admit, I have never figured it out despite being a GS member for a long time, but it is fun to speculate. I do know I did make GS in 2009 based on spent in the year of financial crisis (2008) when my spent was a lot lower than normal, if that is any indication for the current situation.

On 3), whether to extending GS status for an additional year
This is the one that is more passionately expressed. I feel this is tied to 2). UA needs data to analyze. I did say I have been a GS for a long time including a period when it was called something else (the concept was the same but benefits were different), and I do remember Post 9/11 my 1K was extended for an additional year, but my other equivalent GS status/benefits were not (this was 19 years ago, so my memory may no be correct), but I had a lot less travels even before 9/11, and had no travel for the remainder of 2001 after 9/11. I was just happy to maintain 1K for a token of flights I took for the entire 2001. Based on that experience, it may seems a blanket extension was not considered back then. Now, UA is a different airlines, most of the people who managed the program are likely gone and UA was a leader back then versus being a follower now.

ironmanjt

That's what I thought too - but curiously my email to GS (normally answered by GS) was replied to by MileagePlus.

united 1k flyer

GS= no more next year

Boghopper

To be fair I might have been overdramatizing for a bit of fun. On further reflection I can see from their perspective the risk of a message to gsers might cause more uncertainty than it relieves. Most of that world is not the high maintenance PITAs you see here (including yours truly, although I’m not a gs. my wife is but is far too busy to get involved in any of this nonsense) and those folks might react to an email with more questions than they had before they read it. One wrinkle there is that some significant number may be under the impression that their GS status has been extended. That was the headline, and only in the text below did it say it only applied to 1k and below. My wife forwarded it to me saying it was nice they were extending her status (and posted it on Facebook too).

On the other hand if UA just modifies the criteria for a year (or doesn’t), they many be throwing a lot of babies out with the bath water. They have spent a lot of money building their current gs portfolio, and if they have any interest in keeping it I think flying stats this year would be just about the worst possible way to calibrate the annual culling if they have any interest in long term customer profitability. For example, my wife’s company is Chinese so they were done with flying to China before the end of January and there’s no sign yet of when they will resume. But the company is actually making more money now than before, and will likely be gangbusters for years hence. So next year will be right back to 60 or 70 or 80k or whatever, but maybe not on United. The fact is that UAs competition have a better product across the board, and pretty much the only reason she’s on them is the loyalty program and the fact that I like the MP program for family trips. But we’re eyeing some destinations that star alliance doesn’t reach well, so it may be time to diversify the portfolio.

I don’t buy that extending a year is going to result in some massive surge in gs members. Every single gs I’ve met is a multi year member, so based on my very limited sample size the churn is low. And I think there’s zero risk of creating an expectation given this year’s very special circumstances. After all, they’ve already done it for every other single elite (assuming there isn’t some even higher double secret status I haven’t heard of).

but as I’ve said before, these are business decisions, and left to my betters.

Boghopper

GS = Go ^%>#<<^#<

greenpau

This has always happened from time to time, usually based on volume they are facing. The least inspiring responses come from that source. GS is actually administered and controlled by the Premium Services group within the MileagePlus org, and the frontline delivery handled by the MPSC ... so technically it is part of MileagePlus.

At the moment, many MPSC agents have been redeployed to Reservations, Customer Service, and Refunds because the volume has become so high. At the same time, some workers across all groups have taken short-term COLAs and / or reduced schedules, so it’s to be expected.

As for the other points in the thread, I agree they could handle communications to HVFs better, but this has never been a strong suit.

Right now in Willis/Corporate the mood is very bleak and anxiety is peaking - many friends are down to 2-3 days/week or on leave. They’ve been formally told that they will come out of this a significantly smaller airline, and that in fact the world of travel will be permanently shifted by this situation. They’ve also been told that the PPP and government loans are simply not enough to tide them over much longer with such high fixed monthly operating costs and no revenue. Ergo, there’s just too much going on here for them to even think hard beyond the blanket extensions out there, but it will be surprising if GS escapes the long-term cuts that will be needed overall.

Back to an earlier discussion on this upthread, Bondar was specifically brought in with a mandate to right-size and redistribute benefits, and reduce the cost to serve ratios for MP overall, among other things. These have been rolled out aggressively in 18 months - too early to tell if they will continue the clip or retrench.

It would seem very poor strategy to scale back HVFs who are likely to return to the revenue curve sooner, and I have little doubt they will just follow Delta later in the year rather than lead.

wanderingkev

Not sure how long you have been affiliated with program , while it has morphed into a marketing program, in the first several years
it was very much under the radar the real benefit being awesome IRROPS service ,dibs on food and other forms of help when it was needed. There was (that I can recall)no visible additional structural cost with GS, cars, check in , phone number did not exist, boarded in line with BG1 ,you got the 1k member pack the only thing I recall as an identifier was VIP printed on the BP.Always got the upgrade when requested at booking.
I have no idea what the entry point was , I know looking back that I never spent less than $90k and was usually $115-$125k and that was in 2003 to 2008 dollars. The only place you would ever come across more than 2 or 3 members was typically on the SYD to LAX/SFO route . On most TATAL , TPAC typically 1 or 2 - GS based on FA feedback. The decision to make it a marketing campaign brought a lowering of the bar for entry and benefits that individuals could chase and with that the surge in ranks and costs. The service level has been wound back in recent years, I could see the program returning to something similar to the original model (and would support), much higher level of entry and hopefully a return to customer service levels that it once had for those spending high dollars .

shelby101

My Theory is:
If it is the top spenders and not an absolute dollar value, then the top X% will probably be lower than prior year just as all the other qualifications are lower.
i.e., if last year the $ was $55,000 to make GS, this year the top 1% spenders may be $45,000. ( just an example, not a guarantee value)
It is top spenders that are invited to GS and my theory is that changes annually based on that top 1% spend or 2% or whatever the cutoff is.
My 2 cents on the subjects for what it is worth

fumje

Thanks for the added historical perspective. I meant my characterisation to describe recent years only, but you are right (and probably know better than I) that it originally was more of a take-care-of-VIPs 'soft' service, rather than a program status tier with mostly defined benefits.

If there isn't a broad economic recovery, I also wouldn't be surprised if it returns to something more like what it originally was.

Weatherboy

If GS goes away, what becomes of the 4MM benefit?

mduell

Post-COVID: What MM program??

spartacusmcfly

I think UA is doing the right thing. They are basically putting pressure on GS to fly later this year and spend the $8-10K they typically spend per J ticket. I believe the Pandamec will play out over three phases:

Phase 1 - No one is comfortable flying. Current phase -- will continue into June.

Phase 3 - Vaccine is created, distributed and administered to ~4B people globally. This phase will start at the end of Q1 2021.

Phase 2 - This is the eight-month period between Phase 1 & 3 -- basically from July to Feb. During this period UA wants to pressure GS passengers to fly. Remember, most GS passengers have tremendous access to airfare budgets and could adjust their schedules to fly as needed to rack up 3-5 J flights during Phase 2 -- especially if they felt their GS status was on the line.

UA did the smart thing. An elite set of benefits should come with an elite commitment to loyalty -- especially when it is needed most, like it will be in Phase 2. Time to step-up GS community!

Boghopper

playing chicken doesn’t have much point when the other party has other roughly equally desirable lanes to drive in. But there are of course plenty who will just book united anyway as before. But if that’s what GS gets them, why keep it?

ironmanjt

On the three phases, I think most people are coming around to agree with that, however, Phase 3 is going to take a lot longer - you don't vaccinate 4 billion people in a month.

Only thing I'd add is: United isn't going to try and "encourage" people to travel in Phase 2 - a phase when they want to get essential businesses open again, but still keep anything optional on hold. If airlines expect government assistance, they're not going to be encouraging people to do optional things. I'm one of those GS with the budget to travel plenty this year, but we're already saying only mission-critical travel related to COVID response will likely be allowed this calendar year.