To me (as a 1K), increased effectiveness of the UDU program is not currently a concern. I often get the upgrade via UDU and generally use CR1's only for sponsorship as I don't fly P.S. routes. However, I still don't see any benefit in this announcement for a 1K who has regularly logged 110K-140K EQM each year as I have.

:td: To reduced CR-1 benefits
:td: To SWU being deposited at 100K
^ To 75 EQM Upgrade Priority over 1P
:confused: To 120EQS threshold for 1K

Agreed re: United PR's job being hard. Not agreed regarding "there are a lot of whiners on FT expecting that, for whatever reason, we deserve to know things before the general public does." If you read closelt, you will see that the idea of FTers finding out before the general public does not come from FTers' sense of "entitlement" but rather from United PR's own chosen language in his OP, saying that he wanted FTers to be "among the first to know." I think most of the FTers' point is: (1) if you're going to cut benefits, ugh, fine, but don't add insult to injury by calling it an improvment, and (2) if you're just going to make a general announcement of the devaluation, fine, but don't add insult to injury by calling it an advance announcement or saying that we are among "the first to know." After all UA elites have already been e-mailed, people reading flyertalk are not going to be among the first to know.

The fact that you can rob someone blind without his/her knowing doesn't change the fact that you are robbing him/her blind. I think it's safe to say that the majority of UA elites who are aware of this change, especially 1Ks, will be incensed by it.

Yet another reason to consider moving over to AA. We lose half the CR-1s and get raped up fares we can use a SWU on, yet my 100k on AA would get me 8 SWUs with no fare restrictions. Thanks for nothing UA.

First, United PR is just the messenger, albeit the designated messenger to bear the backlash here. You can't blame the messenger for the content.

Second, I am happy to see that UA didn't lower 1K to the 75K threshold of CO.

However, after that, I agree this is a devaluation to the majority of existing and future 1Ks. I could accept it due to merger/business reasons, if UA hadn't called it a benefit. By calling it a benefit and taking away benefits, they are basically calling us stupid. Way to treat your customers UA. :rolleyes:

75-99K may be winners but 100K certainly not. Even worse than loosing 4-6 CR-1s is having to wait until 75K to get even the first two.

Hmmmm. The CR-1 is a retrograde step (albeit a small one) towards further rewarding EQM rather than revenue. After a certain point, EQM and profit just don't correlate that well. More power to the serious mileage runners who may end up doing OK out of this, but doesn't the new company want to reward those spending $20-30k to achieve 100k EQM more than someone who might spend $7k to get 150k EQM?

And its not as if CR-1s are valuable enogh that they are going to be much of an incentive to reach the next EQM threshold...

As a 1K-Lite, who really only does about 60-80k BIS, the 75k tier is a ^ for me. I can do better than 1Ps, without slaving away to get 1K as a personal traveler, and I can get a pair of CR1s. I realize that there will be more people competing with me at 75k for upgrades, but it should be fewer than if we stuck with only the 1P/50k level.

Overall, this is an enhancement for 1P+'s and a devaluation for 1K's.

And echoing others here... if E+ goes away, I'll drop my UA miles to 25k per year and fly WN on the short hauls. I mean really, there's nothing differentiating UA and WN at that point. (Let's be honest, it's not worth flying an extra 50k on UA metal for the rare/occasional upgrade.)

170 replies in 2 hours and 9 minutes. I'd call this a hot topic.

Add me to the legions of disappointed
 

I hope United PR is reading this thread. It is particularly galling to get an email touting benefits, only to find that I am:

-- down 4 CR1s
-- have to fly 20% more segments to qualify on that front

In addition, it is frustrating not to know whether the CR1s will last a year from when deposited or the entire upcoming calendar year.

Do they even engage with their elite flyers before they make changes like this?

Time to start another AA vs UA thread?
 

I received my email at 11AM EST.

Add me to the list of disgruntled 1Ks. I will get 4 less CR-1 and also get less UDU based on less flying in the early parts of the coming years, making my "benefits" ony kick in each Fall.

BTW, what is the difference in the chart here (http://www.united.com/page/article/1,,53656,00.html) between 25K EQM and getting UDU and 50K EQM and getting UDU? Is this referring to a UDU priority tier.

HEAR THIS UACO: I am leaving you if you drop E+ (and may still leave if you make me work harder for CR-1)

Well, this is not good news at all. Million Milers just took a blow with 1P status now having another tier on top of them. 4 CR versus 8 for the same amount of flying and all your upgrades starting to age towards expiration from the moment that you do all your flying. I think UA has made a mistake here. With UDU's, some 1K's never get upgraded and CR1's were the thing that gave them a taste. For GS members, I used CR1's when I didn't buy up on transcons or Hawaii trips, and now there are fewer to use for such situations.

Lest we forget the free soft porn modeling shoot with every flight? Possibly UA and TSA are getting their definition of enhancement from the same dictionary??

More to come....now there is threat. I knew this merger was going to suck and now the trend is becoming apparent.

this is BS. This is why i opposed the merger from the start.

next up bye bye E+.

United falls back to mediocre.

No more connecting flights to maintain status. on to one world and AA

Looks like 1ks are definitely receiving a serious devaluation of prior benefits. Unlike what is stated here occasionally, CO ffs are not really getting a good deal right now. Yes, we are getting 6 SWUs instead of 4, but the new ones are fare class restricted while the old ones were not. Yes, we are getting 4 CR1s, but I assume that we will lose UDU on transcons that will be run through PS. The way I see it, CO Plats don't gain much of anything, and UA 1ks are losing a bunch of benefits.

Like an earlier poster, I believe the really sticky topics are still to be announced:

- E+
- Upgrade priority (YBM Ups, sale ups, mileage and copays etc)
- Mileage earnings rules (EQM/RDM)

These are the key issues on which we have not heard any specifics. If the new UA implements COs YBM ups, mileage up priority, and sales ups, then you better believe that upgrade rates for UA 1ks will fall through the floor. Take my word for it...I have been living through this devaluation on CO over the last few years.

Obviously, E+ is the main reason I'd ever want to fly the new UA. Without it, I'd be a big fat pass on flying US. Given Smisek being in charge, I am personally fearing the worst.

While I hope this is true, I am now officially concerned that E+ may actually go away.

Also, who knows what kind of play UA will make regarding awards, but I don't see them aligning it for the "best of both worlds". If this first announcement is the norm, award redemption will blow :td:

No. Since the merger, UA has become very cocky and thinks they don't have to do as much to retain loyal customers. Guess again Smisek!

E+ goes and UA will be facing bankruptcy again in no time. Why would I not fly Southwest where they grasp the concept of customer service??