[Anonymous]

[svjensen]

All,
In 2010 United makes important changes to its upgrade policy. It discontinues 500 miles upgrade awards but automatically adds all elite members on an upgrade list for a given flight. This is great. However, this does not apply to transcontinental United PS flights. This renders, for instance, my 1K status worthless (I travel 250k on United each week from LAX to JFK). All elite status holders will not receive upgrade benefits for their travels on United PS, rather have to pay for upgrades with their miles. This is the biggest slap into the face of high paying business fliers. Moreover, they announced the change so late in the year that it is impossible to switch airlines to earn status in time for next year.

Contacting 1K Voice only lead to lukewarm responses and the comment that I could write a letter to their CEO. What a sad story for an airline which calls itself the friendly skies.

Please let me know what you experienced.

[David]

If you’re really willing to pledge alliegences elsewhere, I suggest contacting (for example) the Executive Platinum customer service desk of American Airlines to see if they will do a status match. I have done so (successfully) in the past and followed up with a faxed or scanned copy of my previous years’ (as many as I could find) elite membership cards. If you can’t find any sympathy through this desk, it is worth calling the corporate sales department where each manager has a real incentive to bring high-value customers such as yourself over from the compeition.

Good luck!

[Senator]

Hi,

You can also keep you UA 1K, and fly CO to EWR from SJU or SFO. The addition of CO in Star is good for UA travellers as well. If I am not mistaken, UA 1K has 2nd priority in complementary upgrades after CO Platinum holders. CO tends to use the 757-300 (24 First) or 737-800/900 (with 16-20 seats). Unless you are always on the dirt cheapest fare, you should be able to secure complementary upgrades with a high frequency even as UA 1K.

I have not been on the PS service so I can not comment. The coast-to-coast service on CO is really good, and I would always pick CO over UA for US Domestic service.

I guess the real issue is JFK vs. EWR. Depends on your ultimate destination.

[gordo66]

He can also fly EWR-LAX with CO and recieve upgrades.
He can also match his UA status to DL plantinum or diamond, then he will get unlimited domestic, canada and mexico upgrades 5 days before the flight. DL uses the 764 between JFK and LAX with the new lie-flat seats.
AA also uses between JFK and LAX 762 and 763 with good F class seats (but not as good as DL).

[Thetallone]

I did know that the unlimited domestic upgrades DID NOT apply to United’s Premium Service from jfk to sfo and lax. I have been upgraded with unlimited domestic upgrades on flights from jfk to lax, so I don’t understand why all of the sudden, my flights from jfk to sfo are not. This makes no sense to me. I write a travel blog and have actual visual proof of being on the unlimited domestic upgrade request list when flying from jfk to lax on United premium service. Check it out: http://hilarioustravel.blogspot.com/2010/08/shittalkn-mushrooms.html

[Author]

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