A-List and Companion Pass! If WN fits your schedule, your patterns are ideal for WN!

Sigh... looks like the same spin I got when Delta and Northwest merged.

Cuts to bennies that people liked, and the line drawn btwn the CO (DL) people and UA (NW) people.

Going down that dark road, again...

The way I look at it is, the more benefit they cut the easier the decision for me to fly other airlines. As a 90% intl 1K flyers on my own dime, losing CR1 not the end of the world to me. The new program as mentioned by others already allows me not to make a concerted effort to fly UA metal next year just to earn the CR1s (usually I gave them to my family anyway). Most of my flights are on 744 and the E+ is no better than typical OZ Y seat. With SWU upgrade on routes I flew is next to impossible (failed 4 H fare upgrade on ORD-HKG and SFO-HKG/NRT) already. And W fare on other routes (SYD/MEL) usually cost $1k + over the lowest economy ticket. I might just divert the other 50K miles to other *A program or other alliances.

The kicker is I have never seen a thread with one sided negative responses like this before. Even Glenn Tilton had a few cheerleaders from time to time :p

As the old saying go, be careful what you wish for. You want change, now you get one and you might not like it.

I'm a 150k to 200k mostly Intl 1k. So the changes looks good to me.

Fewer 1Ks competing for UDUs and Int'l UGs because of the higher EQS requirement.

Get at least 8 CR1s and maybe more (even though I usually don't use them all).

Understand this is not a good deal for the domestic 1Ks. Also not sure I understand the rationale for UA to do this. Maybe domestic yields are pretty good so they're focused on trying to keep the Int'l FFs happy.

As an international flyer, AA is better.
8 VIPs v.s. 6 SWUs.
In addition, there is no W fare requirement.
It means I don't need to gamble.

@:-) Here's an idea @:-)

Why don't we gather a bunch of 1Ks who are willing to switch our business to AA exclusively if they match us to executive platinum? Or at least let us do an Executive Platinum challenge?

The other Bliss and I are both 1Ks and were actually thinking about writing to AA to see if they would match us, or at least do an exec-plat challenge. We knew that AA didn't match to ex-plat but figured we'd give it a shot since there are 2 of us giving them ~250,000 miles of flying.

If there are more FT 1Ks who are willing to do the same, we might actually have a shot, because if we have enough people, it'd almost be like a small business and AA has been known to grant ex-plats to certain small businesses. @:-)

These enhancements are meant to thin out the elite travelers. Just wait for certain fares to not be eligible for mileage credit, certain booking channels that won't qualify, and any other certain items to be left out. I see further "enhancements" coming. Read this as the UA ways as known are slowly disappearing. Wow, what an enhancement!

I got downgraded last week from IAD to ORD for no apparent reason. I had seat 2A, but when I checked in I got a Departure Management card. The gate agent told me that the fare I was on wasn't upgradeable and gave me seat 12A. There was no irregular operation to speak of. I contacted Customer Relations, will receive the $250.00 voucher, and am still wondering why UDUG isn't working like it is supposed to. I have had bad luck with that enhancement, especially when an irregular operation has taken place on other trips.

Discussed in more detail in this separate thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/conti...presplats.html

I join.

This is the tip of the iceberg. It amazes me that so many apparently can't see that. 1k agents with no prodding have told me "a lot more changes coming". Those are the front line employees who can see the tsunami of infuriated 1k's about to hit them.

75k EQM's to get any CR1's? In my case that would be October. That is a huge devaluation. Why the silence on E+? It can only be because the CO bean counters are busy with their spreadsheets and plan on doing something cute like making E+ a separate cabin on intl routes.


We have been best in classed by CO and it will only get worse.

I for one welcome our new Continental Overlords :)

One of the reasons I switched from Mileage Plus to OnePass a couple of years back is because 75K is a lot more attainable for me than 100K. I eked out 1K for a couple of years but that was with a lot of DEQM and much more business travel than nowadays.

This gives me more as a 75K flyer than I would have gotten as a old-UA or old-CO 75K flyer. If I can't keep up even that level, I don't see it taking anything away.

If I were routinely a 1K for ages, then yeah, it blows.

Given the dropoff in business travel and discretionary international travel from the Great Recession, I think this change makes a lot of sense by giving more to the folks nearer to the middle of the bell curve.

It's posturing
 

It's posturing. Folk here are desperately worried about E+, among other things, and feel that if they don't over-react to changes announced so far, it will embolden management to seek a path toward equivalency with other airline programs. What makes E+ so important is that it's a physical manifestation of the differences (between UA and others), not something that can be so easily eliminated or reinstated. It's that thing we must hold onto, symbolic of UA being better than the rest.

In the spirit of the "Best of Both Worlds" post, The line must be drawn here, no farther!

I can't wait they are going to "re-introduce" only ticket book through .bomb get 100% EQM, everywhere else 50%

Unless it is an award ticket or opaque fare (priceline name your own price), I don't think there are any fare wasn't eligible for upgrade on domestic segments. I would not be happy in that case.

+1

I feel very bad for the 1Ks that fly from some of the UX only routes from DEN or SFO..

You may be a bit paranoid. I'll re-read the email I got from UA, but I don't recall anything about UDU only working after you fly 25K..

Well i am dissapointed about the CR-1s and will miss them. I would intentionally make sure I have 10k a quarter in the past to make CR-1s so I guess that is no longer a priority.

I don't think its worth really switching to AA for me as I am out of WAS, but Mrs. Mbenz is loosing 1K for 2011 and making Exec Plat on AA so may be an interesting transition year for us. If the international upgrades work out well for her I guess I should look at switching...

I think 1P+ is a stop-gap for 2011, I wouldn't expect it to survive under the new combined program in 2012. They didn't even bother to give it a name :D

+1
I read about "elite changes" on UA site this morning & have to recieve email...but hey, we have FT to keep us updated on the breaking news! Just glad I don't fly by segments - would be pretty unhappy having to log additional 20 (+100) in 2011 to keep 1K status.

I'm in! Was going to do the AA Challenge next year anyway, so maybe start a separate thread to enroll more 1K's?

And it'll be called an 'exciting new enhancement offering greater value' :rolleyes:;)

I am with you.

Expect more cuts. Or more "enhancements", CO loves that word.

Just like DL/NW merger.

CO bean counters are busy with spreadsheets regarding E+, 3 class int'l, NC/XC/NF/XF availability, and upgrade buy-ups, such as offering $69 to take the last F seat.

To them, today's short term gain is everything. They used to run an airline based at IAH, EWR and CLE. You know.

The worst has yet to come. Call me pessimists.

Let me be one of the first to call for the resignation of the new Head of United/Continental Airlines.

Reason: Lack of Vision

Randy, I can see a Job opening!

My guess is it's to give MP members something similar to OP Plt and will probably go away in 2012 as suggested.

Now I wonder what other airlines are going to do to promote stealing elites away after this news. Biggest disappointment they didn't answer was about million miler. Since we know accounts will merge together I wonder how the MM will work as if I should worry about keeping to UA metal.

Just my luck...I figured 75,000 miles would be a milestone with the merger so I made sure I hit over it this year. Actually took a mileage run to do so. And now I find out that it means nothing until January of 2012.
Just my luck.....

Could be interesting to see whether Smisek's smiling face will get any reaction out of passengers when he does his recorded talk at the start of flights from now on. I tend to doubt it--FTers and similarly informed MP members are after all just a small slice of the passenger pie--but we'll see...

I am making that assumption because they haven't said anything. Of course they might change MMF - I even said that in my post - but none of those possible changes matter until they are announced.


This is what is so surprising by those who say, "the changes could have been worse". What, you think the changes are done??

It's obvious that the vast majority of 1Ks are going to have a severe reduction in CR1s. Everyone knows this, whether it's FTers or UA/CO. Personally, I see the reduction in CR1s as simply a step towards eliminating them... again. I look at the action also as UA/CO trying to gauge the reactions of its elites when these benefit reductions occur. We'll see more soon.

I am very unhappy that my CR-1s will be cut from 8 per year to probably 6. Aside from these tangible changes it is disturbing in that it is another piece to the pattern of sticking it to UA 1Ks.

I would be willing to join AA with a status match being that I am an ORD based flyer. The real problem for me would be the loss of E+ as it is a huge deal for me being 6"2. If UA cuts E+ and AA did an exec. plat. status match I would be happy to hand them my 120K miles per year. And doesn't AA give 8 SWU's per year vs the 6 UA gives us now?

UA needs to do something to balance out all of these negative decisions towards us. I hope AA realizes the opportunity they have, especially in this huge ORD market, that if they will just show us a bit of love, it could cause a big swing.

This was a regular fare and the agents had no idea or customer service skills, so they just made up an answer. The ticket wasn't an award ticket or bought through an opaque channel. I wasn't too thrilled at all.

Let me ask a question for the 1K's. Excluding PS, do CR-1's really make that much different for upgrades? I mean aside from GS you're already at the head of the UDU queue. So if the CR-1 would clear, wouldn't the UDU probably clear as well? I mean I realize it allows you to prioritize some flights versus other flights marginally, but what's the real value here?

Just for the record, I'm not terribly happy about the changes, but I would like to know why people are so upset about CR-1s'.

Sorry, beat you to it several months ago.

It certainly seems to justify my decision not to put any more money "United's" way. I did warn people about Smisek, and trust me, this won't be the last time you all complain about him. This is only the beginning.

However, as a self-funded flyer, I can put my money wherever I choose...

:rolleyes:

I'm in TOO! I spent the last hour reading the AA forum while in the RCC.

My biggest worry
 

The loss of CR1's is terrible, and I'm not happy about this announcement; however, my biggest worry is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The culture and values that the Tulip represented are gone. It was a HUGE symbolic loss to the UA community. And now the evidence is in - Jeff will chip away at the frequent flier benefits over time. Some spreadsheet guru is looking for that optimal marginal revenue/marginal cost point, and the only way to find it is to devalue until the number of folks leaving your program is measurable.

Here's my suggestions...either:
A) Make SWU's good on all fares
B) Compromise and give 4 CR1's @ 75k (and 2/25k after that)

I'm glad I have EXP on AA still. I've only flown them twice this year, but if I need to re-jump ship, I'm ready to go.

Depending on route/aircraft type they can be ALL the difference.

+1

They will only match up to Platinum unless you get high enough in the organization. Delta only to Gold, BTW, unless you find the right person. I am in. I am GS, 1.5MM, and bring 35 1k's/GS's with me with an annual spend of over $1M in addition to my measly $35-$40K spend this year. UA was on my bad side since the GS renewal process unfolded this summer and today the trend continues. Honestly, why wait, an airline that does this to its loyal customers is headed for bankruptcy again anyway and this time I doubt they will recover.

PS....still don't see anything offering assurances that UDU's will continue.

In my case, they are for my family, if you are a solo traveler, UDU will take care of it in most cases. But if you are travel with family, there is almost 0 chance you will get upgrade under the same PNR. With CR1s you can split your PNR and upgrade the ones with no status ahead of time and UDU to upgrade yourself. US-HNL is a good way to use CR1s for your non-status family member if you can find NF space at booking.

CR-1s are incredibly helpful when you need to book yourself and a non-status companion on separate PNRs due to using an eCert. I can't use UDU, I'm not going to use a SWU (especially for the SEA-ROC my friend and I just booked), so CR-1s are the only logical currency.

Looks to me that CO/UA is shafting both sets of their 100k flyers. This CO 150k flyer isn't seeing much to like about 2011.

We are moving towards CO way.

Without CR1, you kiss good-bye for upgrading companion, family members.

Even yourself is in danger of missing upgrades under UDU for certain routes, e.g. BOS-LAX/SFO. It has been reported that CO bean counters is allowing people pay $69 to get the last F seat while elites sit in back so CO can collect some additional revenue of tens of dollars.

Then there are p.s. routes JFK-LAX/SFO that require CR1s unless you pay miles. Loss of 8 CR1s means loss of 120,000 miles, almost a saver C award ticket to Asia.

These are the reasons why people are upset about this "enhancement" after Jeff takes over.

I would consider this. AA has pretty good flights out of HNL anyway. I'm very disappointed about losing 2 or 4 CR-1's as I don't hit 150K EQM's per year. United :td::td::td:

Um, no. I don't give 2 about CR1s. I care about the fact that UA has, after 5.25 (hundred thousand) BIS miles in 6 years, decided to up the ante on me...by 20%.
I'm one of those poor souls that requals on EQS every year. All for business, and mostly on Express. I've suffered plenty enough.
Now UA is telling me the following year I need to fly 20% more just to get to where I have gotten in the past? Um...something is wrong with that.
I've been super loyal to UA for over 6 years...and now...this cr@p. I'm not feeling it.

And sorry you think we're whining. But if we remained silent, don't you think UA would try to take it a step further? I know they have in the past...and most likely will again in the future.