Perhaps, but your reasoning here is a bit tautological: Because they made the change, it must make economic sense. It may very well be the case that UACO thinks it does, but that doesn't make it so.

Yea....just think of the cleaning/extermination/disinfecting bills...it would be way more that $79 to let a non elite sit there, when we elite got it for free. Keep all riff-raff out of F, as it lowers the experience of those that didn't pay any more for it than the GM paid for his Y seat...sure, he paid more with the $79, but we are elite and should not have to suffer the insult. Oh wait, we paid for it with our loyalty..and that is worth more than money on a product that is going to spoil. Spoilage=good, extra money=bad!

Sarcasm aside, what makes it worse to collect $79 from a GM than giving it away for free to someone who maybe achieved 2P for flying one rt every 2 months on a 3 segment leg? (I realize that I am arguing indirectly against me, an employee getting it as the $79 dude would get it before me, for my loyalty, but cash is king.) $79 today is money in the bank. Give away a product when people are willing to pay for it? Let it go unused when people are willing to pay for it?

Maybe UDU should be eliminated, and all of status should again get a limited number of coupons, thus putting a value on the product again.


By the way, I think that $79 price point was too low, they could have made more my selling it segment by segment at the gate, provided Y wasn't empty and there were enough people on the flight that might have considered it. It is was empty in Y, then $79 is $79 more than they would have gotten.

Many people have been saying for years that airlines should start moving to revenue-based rather than miles-based FF programs. They can't do that without upsetting the whole apple cart--too big a change.

What they can do is continue to tier out benefits so they reward higher-and-higher value customers. That's what this is. Instead of 8-and-done CR1s, now you have effectively unlimited, for your higher-value customers. But folks who fly exactly 1k get the shaft to make it balance out.

The SWU change for CO flyers is the same, in reverse. Instead of 4 usable on all fare classes, now there are effectively unlimited (if you fly enough) but only on higher classes. Again, no problem for guys who are flying all over the world on Y/B fares, but it comes at the expense of folks who buy dirt cheap international economy fares and want to upgrade.

This is probably the wave of the future in FF programs...more benefits for the truly high-value flyer at the expense of what we might call "marginal elites."

I guess to CO/UA I'm one of those "marginal elites" since I'm a high-frequency rather than high-mileage flyer and while I fly a variety of fares, they're only occasionally full Y. Some years I exceed 120 EQS; others I finish up between 100 and 120. Rarely do I hit 100 EQM.

I'd like to stay with UACO, but I need to figure out if I'm willing to buy 5-20 segments a year or if I'd prefer to switch to a carrier with whom the 100+ I already fly a year will get me top tier.

I will let ColoBill1 share what he heard today from a very credible UA source... And no, it wasn't a Pilot, GA or FA...

So chime in Bill and tell the FT community what you heard this morning!

I don't know about others, but I use CR1s on all my domestic itineraries. They have more juice, so why not? Why limit them to p.s.? Why not Hawaii? Why not a mid-con?

Obviously I don't fly too many domestic itins yearly so I can "afford" to be "reckless" with them.

No, in my case, it's more like threatening to go to Air Canada.

CR1's were used this year when my wife was with me, for DEN-ANC and back, as well as OGG. While the UDU's may have worked out for both of us, I prefer to not "wait and see" when the wife is with me.

Well played - great itineraries to choose! ^

But next year, it will be more difficult due to lack of accrual of instruments until hitting 75K EQM.

1. p.s. flight.

2. If there were a space, you can confirm right after purchasing the ticket.

3. If UDU/companion upgrade goes to CO way, CR-1 is a good tool for your
companion.
CO abandon companion upgrade requires you to abandon your companion (lower elite or non elite) first unless you want to get lower upgrade priority.
CR-1 may be used on the one who is abandoned to upgrade (maybe) ahead.
Even before you fight with those non elite who pays 69 USD and sit in F.

You don't feel it's important it's because you have never had CR-1 and you don't know how good it is.
CO dose train their elites well.

Roughly 20 of my short segments, this year, were over $1/mile, because they were booked short notice. Another 30 were at least 50 cents a mile. And the next 20 were well above Mileage Run levels (well in excess of .04/mile). Yes this year I picked up probably 30 cheap United segments. But hey they set the price not me. And they did quite well on at lest 40 flights. I think there are a lot of road warriors like me who are looking for an airline that appreciates our annual travel spend and wants to be our partner. I wish United could step up to the table.

how is it easy? do you have our head in the clouds?

It probably has more to do with the 4-mileage based tiers than anything else. If CO has 30-60-90 (25k/50/75) and then you have 100k or 100 segs, there isn't much of a leap from 90 to 100 segs, but 120 makes more sense in that scheme. That's all it is, I wouldn't read too much more into it. If UA keeps Plat with its current benefit structure, then there's not much difference between plat and 1K aside from SWU, which someone flying little UX segments won't benefit from much anyways.

WN is admittedly a better choice if you're an intra-California flyer. WN has the LA area locked up and has better coverage out of ALL three Bay Area airports. I was a WN California segment warrior a few years ago. A-List was awesome.

Nothing like showing up to SJC 20 minutes prior to departure for security and still making it on the plane in your A20 position. ^

UA jacking up the segment requirement is an admission that they believe that all (or majority of) their 100-EQS-qualifiying customers are cheats, simply trying to cheap their way to 1K by frivolously adding segments.

These changes, and future changes all hinge on an inherent mistrust of the customer - that is the real CO influence shining through.

They are like Best Buy, who admitted they viewed some of their customer base as devils and others as angels.

CR-1 just rolled out for CO elites, maybe? You haven't had time to experience not to abandon your companion upgrades?

I have decided to go to AC, have 700,000 miles with UA and will use them up but will go to AC, do 35,000 miles or perhaps a little more, be an Elite, be happy with what I get and forget about all the nonsense and worry with UA. After so many years with UA, it's time to say good bye.