Not after UA first sent the email saying they're kicking you out.

because us lowly GS in “upper middle” management may have no say in the contract but we have complete jurisdiction over who we book with and can take $100k a year away from United easily based totally on personal choice

Ethically, yes, as long as company costs/efficiencies are not compromised. The company I worked fired people who obviously weren’t looking out for the company’s interest first.

I’m still irritated by the demotion and I have a few additional thoughts after having a few days to reflect on my new situation. Just got off my typical IAH to EWR flight tonight and was sitting next to another GS individual who unlike me did get renewed in GS for next year. Interesting part was he spent less than I did last year on UA metal but had a several “big” international trips. He had also never been part of a corporate program (unlike me where I was part of a corporate program until 2021 when I moved to a different company that doesn’t have a United corporate program - I just do my own travel now). I clearly think that the corporate travel program / GS relationship has changed.

I am convinced that the fact that I fly regularly between two United hubs (IAH and EWR) hurt my renewal chances. United knows that I’m not going to abandon UA on that route that I take very frequently. My other domestic round trip flights will probably be United since my home airport is IAH. In reading other comments in the thread, being in a UA captive hub seems to hurt your GS chances especially if you are doing a lot of domestic travel like I do.

The flaw in UA’s logic though is that I typically take four personal transatlantic trips in business class per year with my wife (and sometimes kids). In trying to maintain GS status, we’ve stayed loyal to UA despite them being more expensive and having a subpar soft product. Why should I spend $70k on United metal per year to be 1K? I’ll hit 1K in about six months of just my regular domestic travel. With UA’s seemingly new criteria on GS qualifications, I’ll know that 1K is now the best I’ll ever get each year so I’ll move my international travel to other carriers. I’m not sure why UA thinks that is a winning formula. I also can’t figure out why they would have a challenge now of $18k of UA spend in 4 months to get GS when I beat that amount every four months last year? Like I said before, I won’t do the challenge because I find it insulting and also tells me that they may change things again further next year.

I simply find it all a bit galling that I travelled more with UA than ever this year and didn’t get renewed. The moving of goal posts without any telegraphing of a change is also poor form in my opinion (I do understand that the actual requirements are never posted but there have been some pretty standard spend levels over the years that have been awarded GS). I have been very loyal to United for my own travel (taking weird connections to get to non-United hubs) and always sending my wife and kids on United. This move destroyed the loyalty and will be a net loser to UA at least from my wallet.

there may be other shoes yet to drop. Back in my days at mega corp (over 100k employees) the travel booking system had in policy and out of policy options. And out of policy had to be justified. And too many out of policy led to a meeting.

it’s just business, baby. United may have decided that the tantrum will pass and most will adapt to their diminished status. Now is their big chance to disrupt the status quo ante, when business travel is recovering and they have a little leverage.

They may be ultimately banking on the fact you are in a captive hub or that DL and AA are also tightening up 360 and CK approaches.

I’d be surprised if Corporate Travel Managers weren’t told about changes at the time new contracts were inked in Q4. We will see - it all comes out in the end.

SFO-based, $75k PQP, 95% United Metal, Downgraded to 1K despite NOT being part of any corporate travel program, so I don't think that corporate accounts are the only story here...

I’m interested to find out. My hunch is that the corporate travel is part and a more complex assessment of profitability. Maybe cpm captures it, maybe Pqm/segment. My data point is a 1k got promoted with 56k, 50 of that in four r/t on us metal.

the company doesn’t care at all if I fly at 6 PM to Zurich out of Newark or fly at 6 PM to Zurich out of Philly. I think almost all corporate flyers have the discretion to set their own departure and destination and carrier of choice. This is very easy to do while still staying in policy and in fact booking a more diverse set of Carriers can usually save the company money if you are willing to take a connection etc etc. (the policy allows priority onto a direct flight even if a connecting one is cheaper— but the connecting flight is of course in policy too). If I want to connect on my time and save the company some money I can essentially push business to whatever carrier I want.

in our case the contract managers are going to see big shifts in carrier choice I predict, and they will not make the spend thresholds they need to achieve the tier discounts or whatever they thought they would have.

For my fellow demotes figuring out their post-GS strategy, I’m intrigued by the aim of hitting 1K in 2024. If anything I think I’ll go for Gold (for *A and Y+ at booking) then enjoy free agent life. The marginal benefits of 1K (like PPs that are extremely hard to use) don’t seem worthwhile.

Curious if others are considering similar approaches and how this fits into the game theory behind UA’s GS thresholds.

I've had more time to prepare for the carnage than most -- already have lifetime *A gold so I'm a total free agent now -- UA really messed this one up IMHO -- they had a chance to really differentiate in the industry with HVF's -- instead they followed the race to the bottom -- a decision I think that will haunt them - but then again that is what Kirby does....

I’m also non corporate flyer who lost GS for 2024. I book all my own travel and have gone out of my way to fly United iron. When I talked to MP on Friday they said they would email me details on the “challenge”. Most likely I will complete it by early March then stop prioritizing UA. Doesn’t make sense to completely cut UA out of my traveling. If at 86k PQP I cannot get GS renewed and I’ve read people with over 100k PQP losing their status, why waste money/time with a company that clearly doesn’t value my business.

Unless you really use / value GS features -- like upgrading award tickets -- I can't imagine giving UA another penny of your business as they clearly don't care....

It makes no sense to play these stupid airline loyalty games at this point. Loyalty requires consideration for both parties. It's clear that United systematically holds a very dim view of even its most active flyers. I say that as someone that still has GS.

It would be worth pinning the thread so when the inevitable “is it worth spending 2x on UA J to help my chances at GS” posts appear the reference may be given.

A little bit off topic but somewhat relevant: I’m on a trip right now dealing with the hassle from the cancellation of an AI flight despite being in a flexible J cabin and having *G. On backup flight with *Indigo* being treated like the princess I am. Maybe it won’t be so bad for all you former GS out there on Spirit and Frontier