Fastair's analogy
 

Fastair. I enjoy your posts and particularly your analogies. They always make me think, but this time you have missed the mark.

The introduction of the next generation phone did absolutely NOTHING to reduce the capabilities of your (older) phone, nor did it mean you suddenly received anything less than you had originally paid for. The phone you bought does all the things it always did and is the same value for money that it was the day that you bought it and the day before the next generation phone came out.

What has just happened to MM flyers is NOT analogous to that at all. The introduction of a tier between 1P and 1K HAS caused a reduction in benefits (i.e., what we "paid" for); there is now a group (of indeterminate size) of flyers who will receive upgrades and other benefits (priority standby, etc) before we will - benefits that were loudly touted by the company selling them to us (your employer;)).

Note here that I am NOT arguing nor am I willing to argue the point about whether your employer is permitted to make this change. As you point out, we all know they are permitted to. I am just doing as you ask - using "terms that are appropriate" and "quoting the facts". "Demotion" and "reduction of benefits" are terms/phrases that comply with both of your requests.

If you really want to use the phone analogy you tried to use it would require that the new generation phones stole bandwidth previously available only to users of the first generation phones. Then the phone you purchased would suddenly not deliver the service that you had bought it for. Then you would have something to complain about - just as we MM flyers have something to quite rightly complain about now.

Lurker :)

But, he does NOT keep all the roles and benefits. There is another group placed ahead of him per the changes announced. He is now third in line; as before the change, he was 1P or second in line (ignoring GS).

Call it what you like. The fact remains, "a rose by any other name is still a rose."

Your analogy is not on point. Again, "a rose by any other name is still a rose." Clearly, there was a demotion in the MM status.
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Allow me to further confirm that the answer to your question is yes. There is one more level between you and the top, so anyone in business would view this as a back-door way of demoting all the direct reports to the new execVP.

I agree with you 100%

Thanks for the insightful post.

The only thing I would add would be to express a desire for United to revisit this demotion. Retaining "lifetime" (to quote United) PE (second in line ignoring GS) was the basis for many of us to stay loyal to United. I feel misled considering what we were told we would have "for life" if we achieved 1MM on United.

Maybe the demotion was an oversight that will get corrected if enough MM flyers write to United about the issue.
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What an excellent analysis of the analogy presented. Thanks -
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I have to think that if I was a MM, I would be disappointed with the change that puts another elite level ahead of yours. For everyone else, what is the problem if we know what the goal ahead of time? I think waiting until 2012 makes sense because CO allowed DEQM this year and UA did not.

Pray tell??

Copa had a few offers out there but there was nothing on CO metal in 2010.

PARSING: Updates to the Mileage Plus program and how they may benefit you.
 

There have been very strong reactions following UA's unveiling of how the merged UA/CO FF Program is shaping up to look like. While the strong reactions are understandable or even predictable, we should remember that the FF programs simply had to be reconciled, so that "change" was inevitable. The recent announcement can thus be viewed as the result of the brainstorming session that this "change" required. We got informed on two aspects of the merged program that will follow the transition year (2011): (a) Elite qualification Requirements, and (b) Upgrades. I am currently a UA 1K and would like to provide my take on what the merged program might look like and who the winners and losers are.

1. Elite Qualification after 2011 for Merged FF Program
On Dec 31, 2011, OneP and MP miles will be combined. The total EQM would determine the members’ elite status for 2012-2013, which it appears would retain the current MP nomenclature:
A. 1K if total EQM = 100K or more BUT EQS requirement went UP to 120
B. 1P if total EQM is at least 50K but less than 100K
C. 2P if total EQM is at least 25 K but less than 50K

Implications for current MP elites: Except for those who qualify for 1K by EQS, the transition to the merged program should have minimal effect on most current MP elites.

Implication for current OneP Elites: More miles (25k more) will be required to reach the “top” elite status (1K) in the merged program compared to their current program. It seems that OneP members aiming for the top will need to work harder than they are used to, to maintain 'top' status. Overall effect: Slight short-term set back but this will level playing field going forward (i.e., it makes qualification rules the same across the board, which was an important goal).

2. Upgrades in the Merged Program
1. The current MP nomenclature (UDU, CR1, SWU) has been retained
2. UDU and SWU would remain pretty much as they are under the current MP, except that 1K qualifiers will now have the option to request all their 6 SWUs upon qualification rather than to wait until Jan 1 – a net plus.
3. Requirements for earning CR1s has changed significantly: Any remember who reaches 75 EQM automatically qualifies for 2 CR1s, and then every 25k EQM thereafter the member will qualify for 2 additional CR1s, with no limit the number of CR1s that can be earned [1Ks are guaranteed 4 CR1s or 50% of current max]. Whether or not this a positive or negative is highly personal. For this Intl traveler who still has 5 CR1s in the inventory and is likely to lose them, this change in the CR1 earning requirement is just about right. We should remember that UA does not seem to be too fond of CR1s, as they had already axed them following UDU only to bring them back after 1Ks complained...
4. 1P Elites who reach 75K EQM will have UG priority over regular 1Ps: This essentially creates a new elite class (call it 1P+) between 1P and 1K that (a) receives 2 CR1s and (b) has upgrade priority over 1P. This is where we might find many of OneP’s current PE...

In summary, the merged program did not devalue 1K as much as many have claimed. In fact, most 1Ks should be very pleased because their benefits, other than the dubious value of CR1, have not been affected. I qualify by EQMs and not EQSs so I cannot fully express how detrimental the increased EQS requirement might be. For me nothing changed. Current MP 1Ps might have been demoted with the insertion of the 1P+ status, but the plus side is that they can look forward to making that status rather than 1K, which might be out of reach.

Rather than looking at the inevitable changes and just concluding that they are all bad, it might be worth it for each of us to examine them and see precisely how "good", "bad" or "unchanged" our own situation might be.

For me, I feel that I am now member of a great airline that offers me more options for seamless long distance travel across 5 continents while still enjoying the perks of being a UA1K4EVER!

That would be terrible - those SWUs would expire much too early!

Hence UA forces me to keep posting my EQM to MP in order to have my SWU for a longer time :( . Creepy!

What's so "dubious" about confirmed regionals? We're going to need more than ever before if the new UA continues YBM insta-upgrades and putting mileage UGs from kettles/lower elites among higher ones. And they're mighty nice as well for those of us who fly PS, want to confirm lower/non-elite friends & family in advance, etc.

Also, most of us have interpreted that SWU deposit date is NOT elective - that would be a benefit if it was. Instead, you pass 100K, you get them, whether or not you want them at that time.

Welcome to FT! Ahem... can I sue for handle infringement? :p

Firstly UA1K4EVER welcome to FT. A fascinating first post and choice of handle ;)

I beg to differ with you on a couple of your summary comments:

I am not sure we know that yet

I have not read anywhere that 1ks will have that option at all. I believe SWUs WILL be deposited as earned

Sort of true. IKs based on travel in 2011 are guaranteed no CR1s until they fly a FURTHER 100k miles in 2012. Whereas, under current rules, they would have been guaranteed 4 CR1s at just 40k (spread evenly over 4 quarters). AND they would have the first of them at only 10k flown. I'd call that a devaluation.

I am unsure whether many here would agree with you that the CR1s were (are) of dubious value. I certainly value them highly.

Oh I'm pretty sure everyone on FT is doing that! :D

Again, welcome to FT and thanks for a thought provoking reiteration of the new state of affairs with your own read on them.

Lurker :)

Over 1,000 posts, and zero responses from UA. Drop and flush.

It bears repeating that us "peon" 1K seg flyers need to band together and get the word out. There's a small, grassroots effort going on with Facebook. Please join us.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=...08582889210782

Welcome to FT!

Finally, a voice of sanity and logic prevails...couldn't agree more but then I'm in the same boat (ie qualify via EQM's) and I feel for the road warriors who qualify the hard way...

That would be a further 75k miles in 2012, no? And actually, it's not "flying miles" at all -- the plan is to give out two for reaching 75k EQMs and then two more for each subsequent 25k EQMs earned.

What did you expect? There have been clarifications/answers to specific questions from CO Insider, but I don't think most people here are looking for answers or clarifications. Did you expect "United PR" to come with justifications for the changes? I can give you those if you're looking for PR speak. And in fairness, they did respond to the flood of criticism by modifying the announced changes.

It would be interesting to see how many people here are likely affected by the segment change. In that private forum chat, UA/CO reps apparently indicated that they believe it only impacts a small number of people. Why not start a thread here and ask segment flyers to post how many segments they'll fly this year, how this change will likely impact them, and what their plan is (but not debating the actual change itself, that's what this thread is for). Just a thought.