united 1k flyer

Your probably right but like anything united manages to find a excuse for not adding a benifit

uastarflyer

How does WN survive?

A $300 or whatever change fee is ridiculous. Like with award fees at least tier it by status.

Aussienarelle

It is interesting. I am on a closed FB forum for parents of students at Great Lakes. There is a mass exodus for Christmas and people talking about different airlines. I put in a good word for United due to baggage allowance for military, pre-boarding (for carryon) and use of the United Club before flights. Soundly beaten down by the bad experiences many of the sailors have had with United not waiving change fees for when orders change.

WN won hands down as the favored airline by most folks due to lower fares, baggage allowance and no change fees. So WN gets a ton of business from people that some on FT call "kettles". Not a term I would use, but it does seem many "kettles" make for a profitable airline.

My sailor is coming home UA as he is my MM companion so is 1K for the flight.

I have told him he can access the UC at ORD (which is a benefit I do not get) although am concerned about his ability to enter the UC due to the posting by that parent of their daughter unable to access the UC on Veteran's Day. He has graduated A school and is awaiting transfer to his first C school and the mass exodus hopefully meets the UA definition of access to the UC at ORD.

As a 1K I would love to see the removal of change fees.

jsloan

I have a hard time understanding the market now for flexible/unrestricted fares, except for the /FLX fares that sometimes come up at a $50 surcharge each way. Why spend $1500 RT when you can spend $400 and pony up an extra $200 if your plans change?

That said, I agree with you that UA is unlikely to grant a full AS-style waiver. A certificate system, where a GS/1K could have a limited number of waiver coupons to use, would work, because most people wouldn't use those on business travel.

Also, anecdotally, there seem to be plenty of reports of 1Ks and GSes getting change fees waived just by asking. Formalizing the system might cut down on the number of "one-time exceptions," but it would also make it available to people who would never think to ask (or feel comfortable asking, for that matter).

Aussienarelle

Oh I am one of those who never ask. Think I will do so going forward. It would be nicer though to have something like 3 changes a year allowed for a 1K. It is rare I want to do so but in March wanted to spend an extra day with my newly graduated son and had to do three SDCs to get an extra 24 hours with him - just lucky there was more than one flight a day.

zombietooth

The SATO office used to get the change fees waived for change in orders. Has that changed?
We also used to get baggage fees completely waived for up to 5 bags @ 100 lbs each on orders, or 3 bags @ 70lbs for personal travel.

UA used to treat me fantastic as a sailor, especially when in uniform, although I liked the USO clubs better than the Red Carpet Clubs (as they were called in my day) because of free international phone calls and other free stuff.

Anyway, I did my A-School at Great Lakes in the winter (it's crazy cold there with the icy winds off of Lake Michigan), and you are right about the rush to O'Hare over the holidays.

You might try proactively contacting UA about UC access for your sailor on orders.

Good Luck!

Oh, and to respond to the title of the thread:

There is really nothing that UA could do for me as a 1K to keep me onboard. If UA ends-up selling me the cheapest J-cabin tix internationally, or domestic F on transcons, they will get my business. I fully expect UG's to get harder and will no longer play the expectations game. UA will need to "Show Me The Money!" to keep my business.

UA_Flyer

LOL! This is most interesting statement I have read for a long time! ^^, It could be interpret as you are asking UA to pay you to fly them.

I am sure UA is adopting the same expectation on its customers : "Show me the Money" before consider offering any benefits you are asking for. If you don't fly me why do I bother.

polarbears

Email the 1kvoice address instead; much more likely that the comments actually make it through to the appropriate manager.

JimInOhio

I'm not following you on this UC proposal. United should raise the annual fee by 100% but cut your fee by 100%? Sure, I'd benefit from this, too, but I can't see any logic behind it.

united 1k flyer

They would raise the fee to get into the United club to about 800 then comp all 1ks a free united club membership. I mean United is severely lagging behind in this space. Both delta and American offer free club memberships to their highest tier and United does not. Maybe for the club card they could charge a co pay around 15 dollars to get in.

adams828

Allowing more flexibility for SDC would be nice - maybe either 36 hours, or into 1-2 lower fare buckets? There were more than a few times that SDC saved my $ss - either getting out before inclement weather, or being able to get on an earlier flight home. That and IRROPS handling meant way more to me than a free snack box/drink (anyone need some drink extra chits??) Of course I say this as a 1-time, and now with the even higher $ requirement, probably never again 1K.

jp12687

not sure I track that logic from. A business point of view.

mr8

or just stop selling access to the clubs and make it 100% status based. *G including UA*G.
The ever increasing PQP req should gradually thin out the numbers AND the annual $X,000 bump in PQP should more than cover the $450 fee they were charging.

canadiancow

Unless you know the true access numbers, this is too speculative to be a useful suggestion.

I once sat at the entryway to an AC lounge (I needed to use their desk phone), and about half the people who entered were using A3 and TK *G status. And this was on an airline where native status and domestic business entitle you to entry.

i don't think that was typical, but I have no reason to believe that status-based entry to the UC would make it less crowded than UC memberships. If you don't fly enough to earn status, a UC membership is unlikely to be worth it over day passes (or just going to a bar).