Aug 3, 2019, 1:19 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
GS Qualifying for 2020 Discussion
This will be a discussion thread, for discussing the needed qualifications and timing of notification.
2019 GS Timeline:
- First requalification notifications came out on 6 Dec 2018
- First-time notifications started about 3 Jan 2019
- Numerous reports that all regular notifications will be out by 11 Jan 2019
- Initial successful reconsideration appeals reported 15 Jan 2019
- First reports of challanges15 Jan 2019
If you have received notification about your 2020 GS status, please post in
Global Services 2020 Notifications (ONLY) -- "no discussion" (and as title suggests, this is just for notifications, use this thread for discussions / queries
and
Form Link to collect this years qualification (or rejection) information
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...rm?usp=sf_link
You can view the results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...rm?usp=sf_link
You can view the results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing
To find your PQDs if >than $12K
Go to
MileagePlus activity since my last statement and it is in the "Account summary" table at the top of the page.
Note this is not just the UA operated PQDs (which is commonly believed to be what matters for GS) but rather your total PQDs.
Definitions
BIS is actual scheduled flight distance (Great Circle Mileage Distance -- GCM) between airports with 500 mile minimum for elites. This is the standard used for Lifetime miles also. Those flying mostly sub-500 segments sometimes prefer to not use the minimum rule.
The definition for CPM is a bit vaguer, especially since CPM is used in multiple different situations.
Believe for the purpose of this thread, GS qualification, folks are using
PQD CPM = UA PQDs / UA BIS
Note there is no direct evidence UA uses this CPM number for GS Qualification but it is a number FTers like to use.
As for BIS, UA does not report this number your account and it needs to be manually tracked.
One way is to make use that PQMs are based on BIS but there may be a multiplier / bonus for high end fares. If always in 2x PQMs, you could divide by 2 to get BIS.
Last year's thread
GS Qualifying for 2019 Discussion / Questions
GS Qualifying for 2020 Discussion / Questions
Jun 17, 2020, 4:26 pm
#1381
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA !K
Posts: 20,061
Jun 17, 2020, 6:06 pm
#1382
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: LA,NYC
Programs: AA-EXP 2.8 MM,UA-GS 1.3 MM,DL-PL,HH-DM,LH-SEN,Bonvoy-GL
Posts: 296
Jun 17, 2020, 6:15 pm
#1383
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO / LHR
Programs: UA GS 2.2MM / UC / AS Gold 75K / Bonvoy Plat / Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,028
Sorry for not being clear. It was an invitational video conference (using MS Teams platform) UA held yesterday with supposed SFO Frequent Travelers. There were ~100 on the call. You could submit questions but not speak - all lines were muted.
Jun 17, 2020, 7:18 pm
#1384
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,836
Jun 18, 2020, 8:36 am
#1385
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO / LHR
Programs: UA GS 2.2MM / UC / AS Gold 75K / Bonvoy Plat / Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,028
Funnily enough, it wasn't - two of my colleagues also got the invite - one is a 1K and one is a Plat ... seems like they were going for some kind of cross-section of Premier travelers from across the ranks. Some of the questions were very basic it seemed staged ... "are you increasing cleanings of aircraft?"
Jun 18, 2020, 11:08 am
#1386
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: SF
Programs: UA GS, 3MM, Titanium Elite for life
Posts: 149
Jun 18, 2020, 2:31 pm
#1387
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAH/EWR-LGA/MIA
Programs: UA Global Services 3.2 MM, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 2,504
Assuming GS stays for 2021 and there is no automatic extension for 2020 qualifiers, who thinks $25K will be the new $50K for 2020, at least for re-qualifiers? I vote yea.
Jun 18, 2020, 2:45 pm
#1388
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,095
I think it is gonna depend highly on how much overall demand is up, in order to match the desired fraction of UA pax who get GS status. Obviously highly speculative, but my guess is average spend per frequent flier gonna be down more than 50%, so I would consider $25K probably a ceiling for "new $50K".
Jun 18, 2020, 3:04 pm
#1389
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: UA LT GS | UA LT Club | Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,250
In Q4, I think it'll be a 6 month auto renewal for all GS (till mid '21). At that point they'll look for ~$50K in prior 18 months to extend GS till end of '21.
Jun 18, 2020, 3:06 pm
#1390
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Washington DC
Programs: United 1MM, Marriott Titanium (Lifetime Platinum)
Posts: 320
I agree. The reality is that international business travel is still effectively at a complete halt (and has been since March or April). The EU is opening up to travelers again, but they are explicitly still closed to travelers from the US and Brazil (due to our COVID infection rates and growth curves...I'll stay away from politics)....if you fly in there from the US or Brazil, you still have a mandatory quarantine period. Until that gets lifted/adjusted, a massive amount of United's International Business Travel will still not start up again. Worst case, we effectively have one quarter's worth of open travel (Jan-Mar) and one might see the $50K number down to around 12.5K. My guess is it will end up somewhere between 12.5 and 25K depending on how travel opens up/happens. I could easily make a business case that United will say something like "traditionally using the $50K floor, we have X number of GS qualifiers....we will set the floor at $ZK to have the same X number of qualifiers for 2021 when we think travel will return to normal." The problem is that right now they have no idea when business travel is going to get back to normal (or even start moving up again for international). The result is that (unlike Delta and American) United is keeping everybody wondering...because they don't know and (cynically) because that will get people to spend as much as they can, even on domestic trips, in hopes of meeting the (unknown) threshold.
Jun 18, 2020, 3:45 pm
#1391
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 11,513
My understanding of United's model for GS is that is that it represents roughly the top 1% of United's Premier flying population notwithstanding adjustments to the secret sauce.
"The top 1%" can be measured by revenue, by yield, by some combination of both, be measured across one year, across recent consecutive years, be based upon manual review, be based on automated review, etc.
2021 GS will also probably showcase some form of UA's Premier top 1%-- the revenue from that 1% will just be leaner than in previous years.
"The top 1%" can be measured by revenue, by yield, by some combination of both, be measured across one year, across recent consecutive years, be based upon manual review, be based on automated review, etc.
2021 GS will also probably showcase some form of UA's Premier top 1%-- the revenue from that 1% will just be leaner than in previous years.
Jun 18, 2020, 3:59 pm
#1392
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: ORD / PHX
Programs: UA LT 1K 3MM (former 12 yr GS), Bonvoy Amb/LT Plat
Posts: 1,340
My understanding of United's model for GS is that is that it represents roughly the top 1% of United's Premier flying population notwithstanding adjustments to the secret sauce.
"The top 1%" can be measured by revenue, by yield, by some combination of both, be measured across one year, across recent consecutive years, be based upon manual review, be based on automated review, etc.
2021 GS will also probably showcase some form of UA's Premier top 1%-- the revenue from that 1% will just be leaner than in previous years.
"The top 1%" can be measured by revenue, by yield, by some combination of both, be measured across one year, across recent consecutive years, be based upon manual review, be based on automated review, etc.
2021 GS will also probably showcase some form of UA's Premier top 1%-- the revenue from that 1% will just be leaner than in previous years.
Circumstances for each HVF are so different this year (domestic/INTL/location/flight availability/health risk/etc).
UA won’t be that simplistic/arbitrary. I think they’ll extend - likely the full year, maybe only 6 mo.
Jun 18, 2020, 4:16 pm
#1393
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 11,513
Jun 18, 2020, 4:18 pm
#1394
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: UA LT GS | UA LT Club | Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,250
There is another strategy I've been pondering that could be interesting.
1. In '21 give GS to anyone who has been GS in the past 3 years.
2. There are awkward routing dynamics in the marketplace today. From SFO to Montana I'd normally fly UA so I can bring several sets of golf clubs. Just not willing to take the connection risk right now, so hello Allegiant with the beautiful 2hr OAK to Montana non-stop.
3. Flooding the market with GS would create tremendous loyalty from that pool
4. I'm not sure there's an 'overcrowding' downside as so many GS will fly less next year.
It's not an intuitive strategy, but I think there may be merits...
1. In '21 give GS to anyone who has been GS in the past 3 years.
2. There are awkward routing dynamics in the marketplace today. From SFO to Montana I'd normally fly UA so I can bring several sets of golf clubs. Just not willing to take the connection risk right now, so hello Allegiant with the beautiful 2hr OAK to Montana non-stop.
3. Flooding the market with GS would create tremendous loyalty from that pool
4. I'm not sure there's an 'overcrowding' downside as so many GS will fly less next year.
It's not an intuitive strategy, but I think there may be merits...
Jun 18, 2020, 5:22 pm
#1395
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA !K
Posts: 20,061
There is another strategy I've been pondering that could be interesting.
1. In '21 give GS to anyone who has been GS in the past 3 years.
2. There are awkward routing dynamics in the marketplace today. From SFO to Montana I'd normally fly UA so I can bring several sets of golf clubs. Just not willing to take the connection risk right now, so hello Allegiant with the beautiful 2hr OAK to Montana non-stop.
3. Flooding the market with GS would create tremendous loyalty from that pool
4. I'm not sure there's an 'overcrowding' downside as so many GS will fly less next year.
It's not an intuitive strategy, but I think there may be merits...
1. In '21 give GS to anyone who has been GS in the past 3 years.
2. There are awkward routing dynamics in the marketplace today. From SFO to Montana I'd normally fly UA so I can bring several sets of golf clubs. Just not willing to take the connection risk right now, so hello Allegiant with the beautiful 2hr OAK to Montana non-stop.
3. Flooding the market with GS would create tremendous loyalty from that pool
4. I'm not sure there's an 'overcrowding' downside as so many GS will fly less next year.
It's not an intuitive strategy, but I think there may be merits...
"You get GS! You get GS! Everybody gets GS!"
David