LAX

While I will maintain 1P at least through next year, I usually only fly enough to qualify for 2P. I personally consider E+ access at T-24hrs as essentially no E+ access, so I plan to move over the US after my E+ access comes to an end. In all honesty, US is really not as bad as most people think it is, but at least I will have access to exit row as a low level elite (I know it's not for everyone). Plus, it will allow me to stay within *A. So, what is your plan? Stick around to play E+ lottery or move to another carrier where your business is more appreciated?

LAX

z28lt1

Part of it will be wait and see in the first few months. If I can still almost always end up with non middle E+ seat, I may stick with UA, but as of now the plan is to pick the most convenient airline for each departure. I Can get some credit cards to make up for most of the benefits if I'm regularly flying someone else.

UAL1200

I think you hit the spot with that assumption. E+ has now gone the way of UDU/CPU and is now a game of chance. The worst bit of all is that the product itself is staying the same.

I hit 2P early next month, so I get to try out the old program a bit and being ex-IND I have a better-than-usual shot at UDU. I really dont like the changes in Silver, but I plan to stick with UA till at least mid-2012 and test out the new program. After that, I will either move to AA/AS or shoot for Gold...depending on how well the new program fits me. My 2012 travel plans should hit 50K, so I will either get UA Gold, AA GLD, or AS MVP, but if AA/AS have status match programs I may be more inclined to move.

LASUA1K

I'm silver but only a few miles away from MM!! In ten years of flying, I've been 1K 6 years a few Prem and a few Executive..

My loyalty means nothing to UA... I started flying WN a few years back! UA drove me to WN with Barbie Jets. Now i love WN and like UA..These new rules are awful! Silvers get the boot! As a silver I'm at 16K spend this year...Does UA care? I will now buy the cheapest fare available...loyalty is gone!

fivesixseven

I'm out.

bse118

MM is lifetime premier gold in the new program. So if you're truly only a few miles from million miler status...

Jorgen

I'll be 1P for next year but I'm probably a natural 2P. I'm thinking Air Canada. That way I get *G benefits after 35,000 miles (which I do easily). And all I have to do is to make sure one of my yearly international trips (Australia or Europe) is on AC metal, which isn't overly onerous.

There's also Aegean, but that seems too good to be true, like there must be a catch somewhere. *G benefits flying 20,000 miles a year without ever setting foot on an Aegean plane?

Realistically I'm not sure if I'll even be living in the US by 2013. Hopefully I'll be back in Australia, in which case Virgin Velocity here I come!

FightingIlliniUAL

The process to getting an E+ seat as a 2P reminds me of checking in on Southwest. Furiously try to check-in at 24 hours...

tc_jedi

I was thinking about doing a status challenge to try to match Premier Executive. Now I wonder what the point would be?

If I successfully challenged to Premier Executive, by flying 17.5k or 22 segs, would I even have status come January? The conditions of the match say that I'd retain matched status until 1/1/2013.

source: http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6867,53424,00.html

oly_flyer

With no advanced E+, I'll be flying AS/DL much more next year. Better schedules, more direct flight and as a MVP (20,000 miles) I'll be able to reserve exit row seating on AS(not just 24 hrs before my flight) and get preferred seating on DL. No reason to stay with UA. Also, I usually fly LH TATL, so flying 4 round trip flights on UA is not going to happen. It was fun while it lasted.

wcj1

+1 on this part. Maybe it will be ok, but I am not feeling overly confident.

In the meantime as I book tickets, I am going to start paying more attention to the other carriers' flight times and ticket prices. Maybe keep a running tally on the side. Lately I have noticed DL has been much more competitive on price for where I fly, but I would like to consciously track it for awhile to make sure that is true. I would still keep status on some airline, but if the E+ change does not work for me, I will move to the airline that has the consistently lowest overall prices for my routes.

aacharya

Speaking here as an ex-Silver/2P, but striving for Gold/1P these days:

Is it really a factor that E+ is not available until check-in? Are E+ seats
that taken up prior to the flight? Or is it that many of you are flying the
same elite-heavy routes (EWR-SFO) where even Golds/Plats have to take
a non-reclining exit row a month out?

Just curious. I feel your pain with the luggage loss (we were saved), and you avoided the crushing loss of RDMs, but I just don't see (besides
anecdotally) how loss of E+ at booking really will matter**, especially when I see so many threads here about E+ poachers.

**Besides the obvious that UA/CO doesn't care about retaining 2Ps.

84fiero

I'm 1P this year and just requalifed at 2P. I'm not sure it's worth a push for 1P (sorry, "Gold") next year as it would require some MRs on my own dime. Yeah Gold would be a slight improvement in RDMs but I can get greater RDM bonuses elsewhere and I'm not comfortably that Gold won't get shafted next year by UA.

E+ when I travel with my wife & kid is a huge deal as now I only have to pay for 1 person. The new setup isn't worth it and I can already get a free bag with my OP credit card.

I think I have 3 possible options:

1. Credit *A flights to US. I know their 1st tier only gets 25% RDM bonus, too, and yeah it's USAir. But with the way they print miles (aka, "Official Consolidator of *A Premium Cabins"), I may be able to rack up RDMs faster with things like the Grand Slam, etc. I mostly use UA miles for international *A awards anyway. Then decide on a case-by-case basis if an E+ purchase is warranted on a certain flight.

2. Delta: One factor is my work flights will mostly switch to DL for the coming year which helps. I am Gold Medallion from a status match and could probably qualify at Silver at least, maybe to Gold if I push it. Gold gets me 100% RDMs which would take the sting out of the SkyPesos factor. Plus DL services my home field with mainline as opposd to Devil's Chariot with UA.

3. AA: Thanks to BA Visa and Citibank, we have and will be taking a lot of int'l award trips on AA and OneWorld. It would be nice to have status. May have some work trips on AA. Not all that familiar with their elite program though.

4. ???? maybe some other option... I don't want to do WN as I really want my miles to go for international trips and I haven't seen that WN is all that cheap for my needs anyway. Another *A carrier besides US??

ORDSteve

This is disappointing news indeed. I figure our best hope is that E+ space opens up late thanks to upgrades clearing. If I wasn't well on my way to MM status I would seriously consider bailing. Priority security line access is about the only 2P perk left.

One potential unintended consequence of this is you might see people asking the gate agents for a last second seat change. I know many agents don't like being "bothered" but I hope they get used to the new policy result.

TakeTheATrain

I was thinking about Aegean as well for Star Gold, but United Economy booking codes W and below only qualify for 50% of EQM/RDM, so up to 40,000 miles needed.

http://en.aegeanair.com/milesandbonu...-miles/#UNITED