cranford

not one to start threads frivolously, i do note that the quite reasonable thread asking that SWUs be useful on all fares, has become unwieldy and sometimes intemperate. Yet many things emerged in that thread. The most significant to me, is the recurring theme that once SWUs were valuable and now they are not. People often talk of their SWUs expiring. Other people point out that there is no value to them, personally, to bother maintaining 1K status.
There are a number of reasons why SWUs have become of little worth. It is not my point to articulate why. It is merely my point that it should be pointed out to UA MP, that if people cant use them they wont bother flying to get them, or more significantly, they wont bother banking anything other than the first 50,000 with MP and then after that they will be very tempted to court another program within the alliance. Elite fliers are kept onboard because they get something that matters to them.

RichardInSF

I am now buying Z/consolidator biz fares but taking the airline that offers the best fare and service. I have a bias for *A for another 6 months because I am using up my UA miles on a family trip next April and might want to change dates/routings on short notice without penalty. But the extra 25% EQM bonus for Z is not enough to put me on UA unless fares are competitive. Nor will I pay Z on UA for an old 777 seat.

So UA did get me to pay more money by making SWU's worthless. One problem: so far that money has been largely going to AC and SQ, not UA. What a triumph for UA revenue and loyalty management!

iluv2fly

I don't think it is necessary to have another thread on this issue when it is being vetted elsewhere in the forum. Let's keep the discussion in the existing threads.

Thanks for your understanding.

iluv2fly
Moderator, UA