bob_the_d

unfortunately, it's a merger. they're messy. there's damage. it's normal. i've experienced some turbulence with the daily operations just like everyone else has.

personally, i'm giving it a few months into the new year (maybe even a half or full year) to see how the new program rolls out in practice. we can theorize all we want but my humble opinion is that until it's put into practice it's hard to tell what life will be like. i think a lot of the problems we're experiencing now (at least my observation) seems to be that it's because two large airlines that have been capacity cutting and that's heavy on elites are merging and there will be some headaches for a while and it will take time for things to level out.

well i don't know if it will or if it won't, but either way it'll take time to see.

that's not to say you should put up with that kind of treatment. the OP's story sucks, yes, but if it's that bad maybe it's time to jump to another airline, like a lot of other people said, that better suits your needs.

in my eyes, the new UA that's coming out is a different beast than the legacy UA or CO ever were. we're all human so it'll happen, but i don't think it's productive to get angry about things about the new UA that don't fit us. i think it's better to determine if it's a good fit for you, and if not, then to decide which airline does. that's what's on my mind.

none of the airlines and FF programs are perfect out there, each one has severe headaches nowadays. there's less chairs in F these days and more people, when the music stops and the doors shut, everyone's going to want that chair. i say just find the airline that gives you the best shot at that. honestly, as a high paying B fare customer, if your spend is big enough i'm sure that protesting with your wallet will get your voice heard the loudest. just my 2c.

nmenaker

one should definitely give it about half year at least since many of the changes won't officially take effect till likely end of March, 2012

granny2

I empathize with you, but look at my situation. Annually, I take 4 trips to see my gkids 5000 miles away. So I'm in the lowest level of Premier, but I pay for my tickets with my small pension. Most of you business travelers get your fares paid by your companies and you keep the freq flyer miles to use it for upgrades and other benefits like taking your families on vacation using miles. Others who own your companies, claim these trips on your taxes. I repeat...my trips are paid from my limited income and I can't claim it on my taxes.

Now, United it taking all my benefits away. All I'm getting is 1 bag free. This is all I get for loyalty and for letting United have a huge chunk of my pension. Well, I will probably take my loyalty somewhere else.

I don't think you business travelers should complain. If anything, people like me have a reason to gripe.

deirdre

Aloha and welcome, granny2. I can certainly understand your frustration. I'm going to be a wee Premier myself.

mre5765

Before we throw 2Ps under the bus, how about we go back a few years to the pre-UDU era when e-500s were used. In that era, as a 1K, regardless of fare, I never missed on upgrade when using a CR-1, and my e-500 upgrade rate was better than my UDU rate. In the pre-UDU era, everyone was happy except for a vocal minority of elites who felt that the F cabin should never go empty even if they didn't want to spend an upgrade instrument.

The 100% solution is to dump CPU/UDU/EUA and use e-500s. Let 2Ps confirm E+ at time of booking. Hold back a few E+ aisles and windows for 1Ks who purchase B and Y (not that it will be necessary, because without UDU, a 1K who buys 48 hours or less before departure and burns a CR-1 or e500s, would still clear).

While I am 1P for life, I've no illusions that I will have 2012's 1P benefits (which are sharply reduced from 2011's 1P benefits) for life. So I am very sympathetic to 2Ps as wells as high spending elites who buy high fares and get steerage treatment. As soon as you adjust your mentality to throwing a lower tier elite under the bus, you will find a higher tier elite equally as willing to throw you under the bus.

Collectively we (GS, 1K, 0P, 1P, 2P) should be throwing GMs and non-members under the bus.

halls120

^^ x 1000

andrewwm

Certainly true that informed flyers/Flyertalkers benefitted the most under the old program. If you knew how to manage your upgrade balance, one had a much better shot of an upgrade on the mid/transcon flights.

However, somebody is getting those transcon upgrades today, and its probably the flyers that previously didn't know how to use their upgrade instruments (or didn't know very well how to use them).

It remains to be seen whether group 1 or group 2 is/was more profitable for United. I'm going to guess it's probably group 2, so we're stuck with it

Starman

I admit a bit OT, but how will the 1P, 2P nomenclature change next year when there are 3 non-1K Premier levels rather than two? How will Silver, Gold, and Platinum be abbreviated?

LarkSFO

same as this year, in my opinion, with the addition of 0P (zero P)

0P = Plat / 75K EQM

eponymous_coward

More like throwing them to WN, VX, AS and B6- airlines that try to give a better coach experience as a baseline than something out of a Dickens novel, complete with "Please sir, may I have some more?" At which point you can complain about RJ "barbie jets" and service cuts.

The vast majority of the American public doesn't fly 25,000 miles a year (my mom flies a few times a year, but she doesn't even come close to elite status anywhere... thus she flies WN). But airlines would be bankrupt very fast if ALL they could depend upon was business travel/frequent flyers. What drives the ability to have 4,6,8,10 frequencies a day on a route? The people we mock as "kettles".

Certainly treat loyal customers better- but I'm convinced that part of the reason the legacy airlines have floundered collectively since deregulation is they've taken from the masses to kiss rear ends of elites, and this is a pretty compelling reason to go towards an AS or WN- feeling that your business is valued even if you don't generate 6 digits of mileage every year.

Baze

How would the airline have any way of knowing if a ticket was company or personally paid?

SFO777

Sorry but you get what you deserve in my book. Why you even think that $1,600 RT Y was remotely acceptable?
Make a connection, book/fly First and do it for less, even if it's not on UACO.



Similar last minute F fares on DL thru ATL/MSP/DTW.

bldr1k

Yup - I don't disagree. Unless you are GS, last minute travel on United is expensive and may even reward you with a center seat.

aisleorwindow

Sorry guys, but the "you should've taken a connection" suggestion is simply not reasonable in my case.

I have no time for that, and even if I did, I certainly wouldn't be willing to sacrifice my precious time at home, or at least on the ground.
It is not worth a few hundred bucks to either myself, or to my company.
YMMV.

SFO777

Spoken like a true (OPM) company man.
I find it hard to believe that many people would accept a middle Y- seat for 3+ hours (7+ hours on a RT) for $1,600, and could not find the time to save $300, fly more comfortably and earn more EQMs. YMMV indeed.