Front cabin on premium t-cons is marketed as business.

I think they market the premium transcons as “Business” to set it apart from other domestic front cabin service and to make lounge access rules easier. Business routes (premium transcon and short-haul int’l) get lounge access, domestic First, in itself, doesn’t.

Yeah I see that now, too. If you search a flight ahead with Prem Plus (looks like only dreamliner?) on transcons, there's Premium Plus and Business now. So I assume it's 40 pointsplus points to upgrade to lie-flat now on the dreamliner flight (but still 20 on the others?)

They're just setting up to devalue in the future. Now that it's a point system they can simply increase the redemption cost.

Which may not be a bad thing. Would you rather have 2 successful global upgrades in a year or 12 upgrade attempts that fail on the battle field with the certificates expiring the following year?

-James

So far I am enjoying my successful use of 8 out of 9 GPUs for this year - just waiting for my last GPU to take - so will be very disappointed if my upgrades drop from 8 (or 9) to 2 for TPAC and TATL. On the other hand my two (2) RPUs continue to recycle....and I am not even trying to use them on hub to hub.

Sure. But if all they wanted to do was devalue, they could have left current system in place and reduce GPU/RPUs handed out. AA did just that a few years ago with SWUs.

They already did reduce the RPUs being handed out this year.

-RM

Leaving the current system in place and devalue would be way too easy and felt more in impact; multiplying every RPU and GPU by 20/40 would allow for more ways to devalue, and potentially less impact in perception but when in reality just as bad if not worse.

Agreed. They can next change the 40 points international UG to 50 in a dynamic system, or they could make Australian and New Zealand UG requiring more points. It would be hard to do this with GPUs.

...or perhaps institute co-pay on W fares :O

-James

It is entirely possible to use your upgrades today. I'll use all my RPUs and GPUs this year. But my RPUs are mostly wasted on shorter flights, often operated with regional aircraft, where the difference between E+ and J is marginal. I really like the idea of being able to use them as additional GPUs.

And for people who can't use their GPUs today, if they reduce the number of upgrades out there in the future, it probably won't help much. That flight to LHR on Sunday night is still going to remain PN0 PZ0 because they can sell the seats.

I have no problem using my 8-10 global upgrades per year, mostly to Europe. I fear a future devaluation that not only means I have fewer upgrades I can obtain for the points I receive, but also a lower success rate at that lower level. The reason is clear UA intent, in my mind, to further reduce the overall number of upgrades they give for instruments in favor of paid upgrades, even TODs. That is why I am less optimistic than some that these are changes ‘I am going to like.’

I'm most interested to see what the redemption rates will be for the "skip the waitlist" option, which is how I will likely be using my pluspoints.

Will end the year with around 200,000PQM, which means an additional 160 points on top of the 400.... should be good for at least a skipped waitlist on a cheap TPAC G fare for my wife and I. All of my other TPAC / TATL is in paid J these days.... happy to see the G fares now able to upgrade into Polaris. :D

Skip the wait...

I wouldn't be surprised if you tried to estimate a miles-pluspoints ratio, that the skip the wait "upgrade" will come dangerously close to the cost of outright buying a biz award