I don't think I had ever heard of that program, but I don't think I would have had the courage to aspire if I had -- before the UA merger I was averaging probably 25-30 flights annually [the CLE hub helped to keep that count down] and excited to keep my OnePass Silver (but I also felt it had more actual benefits than todays MP Silver -- maybe that's just my perception); my travel really picked up in 2012/13 and bar a brief period where I rapidly climbed Silver->Gold->Platinum immediately after the customer-facing merger I've (easily) held 1K since, but with the exception of one of the mid-twenty teens (2016?) where I spent $49,000 on UA metal I've never been close enough to the spend assumption to have a realistic chance of GS

I remember my father in the 70's and 80's doing A LOT of international flying - I think most of it with UA and he got a plaque thanking him for traveling some huge number of miles - not sure if it was 1k/year or 1M (which I think was a big deal at the time?)....dont know what happened to it after he died. However, in the late 80's he did a lot of CLE-China trips in addition to everywhere else, always paid up front (or upstairs.....ah, UA Royal Pacific 747 service.....) and that was around when they first started the UA MP and they were shoveling points at him.... the point was, I am not sure what "status" he had, but I knew that he had direct phone access to a UA Regional Director who was able to help with anything.... I recall him, in the late 90's/early 2000's somehow gifting me Premier Exec (or whatever the highest level status was at the time) for a few years when I was doing a bunch of travel (but not that much to earn on my own). The guy also took my calls when I had some issues that needed help......

I recall taking a trip with him and my mom, CLE-SFO-Beijing and we were escorted everywhere through the airports, security, boarding, immigration (in China) and baggage claim - not sure if it was a UA thing, but it was nice

See https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ore-ffp-s.html
Lots of these 100K, 500K and 1M plaques on ebay

Further confirmation of March 2003 is the first mention of "Global Services" on FT was March 2003. Note by 2005 there was already mentions of degraded GS preqs

Slightly early mention found, Jan 2003
In the first https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...tc-merged.html

How many Lifetime GS?
 

I’m a bit behind you with 4.6 million, but also quite enjoying lifetime status. Curious if anyone knows how many Lifetime GS members there are? I’ve asked before, but no one seems to know.

There's no way UA will let it leak out. But I join you at 4.6M, so there are at least five of us!

This is hugely competitively sensitive information so anyone with even a remotely reliable idea of counts at any given status level or type (million miles, corporate grant, individually earned) would be insane to disclose it. Much like "if you remember the 60s you weren't really there" anyone who claims to have sharable numbers probably doesn't.

Continental treated me far better as a CO Star than United ever did as GS. But I imagine the population of CO Stars was super tiny compared to the GS program even in its infancy.

There was a post last year or so ago where someone claimed to have worked in the GS program for United and gave some stats around it, can't find the thread, but remember it was quite interesting to read about.

Am I one of the five? I think I can count about 10 in the United Forum.

Lifetime GS since 2017. Other than the two Covid hit years, I am still paying (flying) enough to requalify GS each year.

Gotta love that the "what does it actually take to receive a GS invitation?" debate started on FT in week 1 of the programme in 2003, and continues unabated with no definitive conclusion in sight, or indeed, expected.

Thats a false argument.
UA GS treated me FAR better that the merged program thereafter. CO cheapened it.
It’s a matter of period of time, not UA/CO.

Yes, I'm also thinking of iluv2fly, Tom S, etc. There's a list of those who self-identify in the annual FT requal spreadsheet. I can't seem to find it quickly but I'm sure someone will :)

The initial program was definitely not communicated well among the line employees. I remember being told there was no way I would get on a flight as standby, but I told the gate agent "put me on the list anyway". I immediately jumped to number one, and she was shocked. Of course, this can certainly happen today, but it was fairly common for me right after the GS program started.

So true.
I was on a flight and the FA took the dinner order from the passenger next to me and as I was about to tell her what I wanted, she walked away and took others' orders. She came ack to me later and told me what I as going to have. I told her I was Global Services. She said, yes, I see that. That means you are an employee and get what's left. I later went to the galley and explained what GS was. She had no clue.
I called GS and explained what happened. They admitted that they did not properly communicate with all employees what GS was.

I thought my FA thinking it was a Lufthansa thing/status was funny, but that one takes the cake :)