It took me about 3 seconds after reading full details on the new qualification requirements to realize I was done with UA.

For me, $24K for 1K just does not compute. YMMV.

After a YEG-RAK AC J itinerary, and a six-segment domestic trip on UA, I am at 4,600 PQP and 12 flights, which means Silver Status, baby!

Not sure where I'd be on the old system, as I can't recall what sort of PQMs I'd get on partner airlines, but I wouldn't be at Silver after three weeks. :-)

Edit: I did the math, and it turns out I would be at 24,481 PQMs. So with the PQD waiver, I would have been very close to Silver even under the old system. Colour me surprised.

One RT on an LH ticket on LH/LX metal and I'm already at 3658 PQP. It definitely would have been lower had I purchased it on UA ticket stock for the same cost.

They change the game, we just have to change our strategy.

slightly faster this year than before for me. Gold by the end of January. Platinum in March and 1K in April or May (which would be similar to prior years).

You're an interesting case. You're basically describing a route like SFO-LHR (5500 miles each way) on a $450 RT fare.

Historically, if you flew this pattern to achieve 1K, it would look like this:
1. Fly 9 RTs/yr
2. Fly 3 of those 9 trips in J using GPUs
3. UA pockets ~$4K from you annually
4. The GPUs are worth more than $4K
5. It's a no brainer UA wants you gone, as you're costing them money.

But, you're only flying 1/2 the above and achieving Gold. So you're not getting any upgrade instruments. Your math to UA looks like this:
1. Fly 5 RTs/yr, to achieve Gold
2. UA generates $1600/yr from you

The reason you're so interesting is UA is basically challenging you to leave. They're saying, you don't have many other choices, so we think you'll stay. If your route is London, who else can offer $450 RTs? Not the LCCs as that's too low for them to make money on such a long route. Not the ULCCs, as they're dropping like flies. Only UA can offer such fares because their corporate sales in J allow the route to be profitable.

So I'm curious, will you stay with UA or leave. If you leave, who will you go to and why?

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I�m happy so far. Will end January with ~5000 PQPs. It�s working out well for me as a domestic flyer. Plenty of expensive trips, say, EWR-CMH.

I suspect you need to check your calculation. I can't think of any TPAC routing that would generate an additional 19,000 PQP. To get that, you'd basically need a RTW trip in F.

Depending on travel patterns, this hypothetical Gold could be very expensive due to *A *Gold benefits such as lounge access on UA cheap international coach itineraries.

My last HNL-SFO yielded 129 PQP. Glad I�m not playing the PQP game anymore

My only hope is lifetime status now. At least, that's what I tell myself.

My dreams will likely be crushed when they enhance the lifetime program too.

Once again, FTer's seem to take these things far more personally than the airlines intend them. UA isn't "challenging" anyone. I'm sure they are hoping the existing loyal low fare flyers foreign-based flyers will stay loyal, but they are certainly well aware that a number will leave and are willing to accept some loses and have factored that into the change. Only UA will know if the loses were within the ballpark of their expectations. If they follow-up with changes next year that loosen the requirements, it's pretty safe to assume they guessed wrong. The lower fare flyers who don't fly enough to earn status will likely continue to do so and they constitute a significant percentage of the passengers on these flights. By the way, DL still has an MQD exemption for foreign address holders and still uses miles (MQM's) for qualification for 2020. So they would be a rather obvious choice to switch to for those low fare foreign-based flyers looking for someplace else to earn status.

poorly worded. Should have stated if one leg (of all three round trips) was on a partner. On UA 2 PQF and 2845 PQP and 24 hours vs 3 PQF 7324 PQP and 12 additional hours on ANA.

That still sounds off, but at least it's closer. Anyway, it's off-topic for this thread. I'll just assume you've checked pap-calc.com and leave it at that.

Indeed.
One TPAC vacation on UA (upgraded W fare, $750) in bulk, and a return from vacation in early January on LX/AC, and I m sitting at ~4000PQP for about $1200 spend. Under old system, would be about 23,000 PQM (and PQD waiver)

The year will be partner flights, and UA bulk tickets upgraded using Pplus. Looking at 2.5-3PQP/$.
54 segments may prove to be the real challenge

Not really. On my last 4 trips in paid J I haven�t used a single lounge as the connections were tight enough to spend zero time in them.

Just having lounge access doesn�t mean you�ll actually be able to use it.....