I received the following question from Peter and he (and I) would love additional feedback beyond what I provided. First, his question:

I fly 200K – 250K for business (mostly China) and try to divide it between UA and AA to keep my top tier status with both. I will turn 40 soon and don’t want to spend the rest of my life in the air. That brings me to the question which FF program should I stick to when I cut down my “butt in seat miles” to about 100K-150K/year.

I prefer StarAlliance because I can use miles on more airlines to destinations that I like, but AA is getting better (customer service, meals, planes, …) and I have access to Flagship lounge, I get SWU on any fare and my domestic upgrades clear 80%, UA only about 50%. I fly LAX-PVG a lot and both airlines have great connections.

If you would pick one program, which one would it be?

I think it’s pretty difficult to narrow down a succinct “this airline over the other” answer, as each person is different and might value certain benefits of a frequent flier program and airline more heavily over others.

Here are the main considerations I replied with and asked Peter to ponder:

Lifetime Status: If he is closer to a lifetime status tier with one carrier over another, I recommended focusing his 100-150k per year on that carrier. Given the likelihood that all U.S. airlines will add a revenue requirement to attain elite status each year (a la Delta), I think it’s an important consideration to lock-in some status now, even if it’s not top-tier.

American-US Airways Merger: As we’ve seen with the Delta-Northwest and United-Continental mergers, frequent flier programs change. American is indeed very generous currently with SWU applicability on all international coach fares and has a pretty good record – based on trip reports – of excellent service (which has been my experience compared with United). Will a Doug Parker-run American destroy some of American’s allure and generous frequent flier program perks?

Alliance Strength: Peter admits Star Alliance is his preferred global alliance and I have to unapologetically agree. Star has the greatest number of truly premium carriers and I certainly value my United miles greater than my American miles for worldwide redemption opportunities.

Service Matters: American’s AAdmirals Club, particularly at LAX where Peter seems to be based, is far stellar to the United Club. Here’s a look at the Flagship Lounge, for example. And in my experience, more of American’s flight attendants seem to have a truly genuine desire to provide exceptional customer service than United’s.

I think it’s almost a “wait and see” game with how American evolves in the merger with US Airways. But if I were Peter, I’d definitely focus that 100-150k on a single carrier for top-tier status. Would it make sense to split it? What are your thoughts?

Related posts:

What the New American AAdvantage Program Might Look Like

Why an American-US Airways Merger Worries Me

How the American Express Platinum Card Can Pay For Itself

American Flagship Check-In and Lounge at LAX

I believe it was Matthew over at Live and Let’s Fly who first coined the term “upgrade phobia” – a condition of nervously worrying about whether your upgrade will come through, constantly checking your position on the list, etc. And I have admittedly been deeply phobic most of the time, which results serious disappointment when an upgrade doesn’t come through.

I’ve been fortunate to maintain an incredible upgrade percentage the past few years, primarily due to selecting off-peak times and days and/or only booking flights where I could confirm an upgrade at ticketing.

But with changes in my flying patterns and upgrades becoming harder to come by – in some cases simply due to the way airlines offer and process them – I will be flying coach a lot more often in the future.

Here I was yesterday (below) at number 17 on the upgrade list out of 49 with a fully booked and checked-in cabin from Washington Dulles to San Francisco:

Upgrade List IAD-SFO

I resigned myself to knowing I’d never clear and definitely felt a little depressed about it… until about an hour into the flight. I sat there in my perfectly comfortable exit row window seat and gazed at the gorgeous horizon and setting sun and had that feeling of pure joy and relaxation I seem to have lost track of recently. Sure, I have always loved the view and experience of flying, but the game of needing an upgrade has been putting a veil over my experience the past few years.

It’s an addiction, really, and my flight yesterday reminded me how the resulting emotions the phobia brings clouds my true passion for flying in the first place – simply flying.

Flying is awesome and it, in and of itself, is what I love to do. Chasing the high of earning top-tier status and getting upgrades these past few years really suppressed some of my natural joy.

My goal on United this year is simply to hit million-miler status (I’m 4,100 miles away after counting what I have booked, but not yet flown) and I’ll be dropping from Premier 1K status down to Gold for 2014. Upgrades will definitely be rare after that and I was happy yesterday to have been woken up from the (over-entitled?) behavior I’ve been demonstrating.

I hope to stay in this current mindset and avoid relapsing into old phobic behaviors. If I get an upgrade, great. And if not, simply love the experience of flying.

Related posts:

Looking Back at 2012, What’s In Store for 2013

My travel goals on United have changed this year due to several factors, including a move to a more expensive cost per mile (CPM) originating airport and the increasing likelihood that all U.S. airlines will add some type of elite status revenue requirement to their frequent flier programs.

My goal on United this year is to simply hit million-miler status and forgo my annual obsession with achieving Premier 1K status. With what I just booked today, I’m only about 4,100 miles away and I’m certain I’ll hit it mid-year.

And as I’m getting older and my time at home is more important to me, I’m looking to do it in the most comfortable and efficient manner. Often, that means spending more, as I did on my recent first class trip from Boston to Tokyo.

Also, I don’t want to waste all of my Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs) on domestic travel this year, so I searched today for the best deal on another international trip where upgradable coach-to-business seats were available at the time of booking. United, if you don’t know, requires the purchase of at least a W-fare to upgrade most international flights and I thought I’d share some of that research.

Keep in mind the fares below are exclusively for a specific time period (April 10-17), and there are often many other factors which affect the disparity between the cheapest coach ticket and upgradable fare. But I still think it’s a fascinating reveal of sorts, showing how widely the differences can vary.

Cheapest vs. Upgradable United Airfares

What stood out to me was the rather insignificant fare differential on the San Francisco to Sydney flights. Last year I paid nearly $900 more for a roundtrip W-fare to upgrade my LAX to Sydney ticket in July, a fairly off-peak time-frame for U.S. to Australia travel. Los Angeles came in at a difference of $574, but still a bargain over what I ended up paying.

And one of United’s easiest routes to redeem a GPU on (San Francisco to Seoul) ended up being the highest fare differential in the markets I checked.

I was also a bit surprised that the ultra long-haul Hong Kong flights from Chicago and Newark didn’t have a greater disparity, but then again… buying only a W-fare on those routes would do little to beget an upgrade.

I found a route that worked for me and I’ll happily rack up upwards of 13,000 butt-in-seat miles to add to my lifetime status in BusinessFirst comfort, paying a $350 premium for the W-fare. I’ll have a full report on my return.

What’s the most you’ve paid over the cheapest coach ticket? Did you get the upgrade?

Related posts:

Analysis of United’s Lowest Coach vs. Upgradable Fares Using a Systemwide Upgrade

Looking Back at 2012 and What’s In Store for 2013

Flight Review: United Airlines Global First Class, San Francisco to Tokyo

Flight Review: United Airlines BusinessFirst, Los Angeles to Sydney

Well, it’s happened. The first frequent flier program to officially change to a revenue-based accrual model in 2013 is… Sun Country’s Ufly. Yeah, not earth-shattering at all for most readers.

And in doing a little background on the program, it appears the previous incarnation of Ufly was more akin to the former Southwest system where a flight – no matter the distance – earned a set number of points. Five points were awarded for coach travel and seven points for first class. Once you racked up 100 points, you were eligible for a free ticket.

Now, Ufly members will earn 10 points per dollar on the base airfare. Redemptions start at 6,500 points and Sun Country revenue manages those redemptions based on peak/off-peak flight demand, distance and other factors as shown in their example chart below.

Sun Country Ufly Redemption Calendar Example

So if I wanted a weeklong trip from Minneapolis to Orlando leaving on a Saturday, it would cost me 40,000 points roundtrip, the equivalent of spending at least $4,000 on base fares to accrue that amount of points. Perhaps that is indeed a fair price, but it’s shocking to me as a mileage-based junkie who earns similar free tickets at much lower spend. But again, that’s just me… a flier who needs to wake up and smell the eventual new reality.

Which Legacy U.S. Airline Will Be the First to Throw Down?

Many airlines, especially non-U.S. carriers, have had revenue-based programs for years. And it’s increasingly likely our beloved mileage-based programs here in the U.S. are slowly on the way out.

Southwest now has a revenue-based model, Virgin America launched Elevate from the get-go as such and rumors (I really should say all-but-certain-truths) abound that the legacy airlines will follow suit. Delta is frequently named as the large airline most likely to come to bat first with the change.

And call me crazy, but I read into the introduction in my United Airlines Premier 1K credentials kit that arrived last week (bolding mine):

Darren,

Congratulations on achieving MileagePlus Premier 1K status. We truly value your travel spending and flight activity with United, and we look forward to providing you with exceptional privileges to make your experiences with us more rewarding.

A quick glance at previous years’ kits didn’t have the “travel spending” language. They were more flowery with words or phrases like “loyalty” and “your business.”

I think Delta will definitely be first to announce a change, followed by United. Depending on what happens with a possible American-US Airways merger, I think they’re both just too busy to work it out this year.

Which major airline do you think will be first?

Related posts:

US Frequent Flyer Programs Focusing More on Revenue

Stick With United as a 1K or Switch to Virgin America as Elevate Gold?

Looking Back at 2012 and What’s In Store for 2013

Reader Elizabeth emailed me the following question yesterday:

I am a 1k flier on United. I’m thinking of leaving them for Virgin Atlantic, as I moved from California to the UK in 2011 and have grown increasingly unhappy with their service. I fly back to the US from LHR 6-8 times a year. I have Elevate Gold status with Virgin America, good through April 2013.

My question is this: how will the benefits from my Virgin America status apply when I fly Virgin Atlantic? I plan to mostly fly VAtlantic, not VAmerica, so I’m sure sure that status with VAmerica really does anything for me, and I know they have separate FF programs. I’m not sure how the two relate/compare. If I’m better off sticking with United, I’ll just do so, but I want to explore all my options.

It sounds like Elizabeth, like many of us with top-tier status on United (or American), went for the status match Virgin America recently announced. It provides an outright match to Gold (or Silver for lower elites) through April 2013. The benefits when flying Virgin America’s partners aren’t spectacular.

When flying Virgin Atlantic, Elevate Gold status provides:

• Priority Check-In
• Priority Security
• Priority Boarding

On Virgin Australia, Gold elites get:

• Priority Check-In
• Priority Security
• Priority Boarding
• Priority Baggage Handling
• Complimentary access to eight Virgin Australia lounges in Australia

It’s too bad lounge access is excluded when flying Virgin Atlantic. And when you’re used to earning bonus miles as a 1K on United when flying partners on higher fare classes (though earning Premier Qualifying Miles recently changed), that’s not the case when flying Virgin America’s partners.

Also, the earn rates (in points) on both Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia are a percentage of miles flown (all less than 100%, even in Business and Upper Class) since Virgin America is a revenue-based frequent flyer program. I believe it would take much longer to earn an award trip flying Virgin Atlantic and crediting to Virgin America than sticking with United with its generous mileage-based program and bonuses as a 1K.

While I agree with Elizabeth that United is far inferior in service to either Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Australia, I emailed back that I’d stick with United for the better treatment as an elite and faster ability to redeem miles for worthwhile awards. Also, United doesn’t add surcharges to international award trips as Virgin America does. A roundtrip economy class reward ticket from Los Angeles to London on Virgin Atlantic using Virgin America points carries $650 in taxes and fees, according to their website.

Would you have recommended the same to Elizabeth?

I’ve pulled myself away from my irritation over United’s fare class availability removal long enough to read another Flyertalk thread that got me thinking. And I have a quick poll at the bottom of this post asking for your opinion.

My parents recently returned from a trip I booked for them on my miles. A new perk (glitch) with the conversion from United’s Apollo to Continental’s SHARES reservations system allowed them to fly under my Premier 1K status. I was able to get them better seats and they enjoyed complimentary checked bags, priority security, boarding group 1, etc.

I was thrilled. What a great new benefit (inability to inhibit) with the merger. My bolded parentheticals are that way because I believe this is a SHARES issue whereby travelers flying on a sponsor’s miles inherit their status out of the system’s inability to differentiate. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong – is that the way it worked for pre-merger Continental fliers?) And I have a feeling this isn’t the way United wants it.

Anyway, I thought it was great that my non-“Frequently Flying” parents were able to enjoy some of my perks. As it turned out, they flew economy outbound and first class on the return. (I know… I’m a bad son… they didn’t get first both ways). As such, the extra perks under my status only really applied to the outbound since they would have gotten them anyway on the return for being first class passengers.

But then I read the Flyertalk thread. It initially reported that inherited award users no longer fly under the sponsors’ status. It was later corrected to reveal that they still do, but is it necessarily a good thing?

In my selfish example, yes… I was incredibly happy my parents had extra perks. But if the situation were reversed – where my non-status parents booked me a trip with their miles – I’d hate to fly as a “kettle” when I have status with the airline. Don’t flame me… yes, it would still be a wonderful gift, but I hope you get my drift at the same time.

So what do you think? Should award redemptions for others inherit the status of the bookee?

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I posted last week about how I proactively rebooked myself and was able to keep my upgrade after my United Airlines Sydney to Los Angeles flight cancelled. The next day, I emailed ‘1K Voice’ asking for compensation for the 24-hour delay and subsequent expenses incurred for an extra day in Australia.

I further explained that I was a bit surprised the phone agent I spoke with didn’t so much as say “sorry” and simply rebooked me closing with, “Is there anything else I can help you with?” Yeah, it might seem petty of me considering I got my business class seat on the following day’s flight, but I still sort of expected some type of “sorry for the inconvenience,” acknowledgment even if it wasn’t sincere.

Within an hour or two I received an auto-reply from 1K Voice confirming the receipt of my email noting that due to the peak travel season, it will take longer for them to respond to me. I think that statement is always on the auto-reply email, no matter the time of year, isn’t it? And so I waited.

To my surprise, it took only five days to receive a response. Earlier this year just after United migrated to the new reservations system, I sent 1K Voice an email after being unable to use an e-certificate online. I never heard back from them, though eventually got that problem solved after multiple phone calls.

Here’s their reply – a screenshot from my email:

First, can you say “cut & paste?” A little font integrity would make it seem a bit more genuine, don’t you think? Now, while it is indeed an apology, it reads rather impersonal and canned. It covers both the cancellation and the lack of apology from the phone agent when I was rebooked, but in a rather corporate-esque manner. Yeah, I’m being critical. Maybe if the font sizes weren’t so glaring I wouldn’t have even posted about this. And if I really want to be anal, it’s MileagePlus now (the marketer inside me sorta cringed at “mileage plus,” and it not being punctuated properly).

The compensation of 25,000 miles is very fair in my opinion. I was staying with a friend, so I didn’t have an additional night of hotel expense. If I had to cover another night’s hotel, though, I likely would have replied back asking for reimbursement – or had sent them a PDF of my bill with my original email asking for it in the first place.

In the end, I’m happy with the compensation and will just chalk the canned email up to a typical United experience.

Related posts:

Upgraded, Downgraded and Well Compensated Yesterday Flying United Airlines

Involuntary Denied Boarding Compensation Explained

Airfare Pricing Buckets and Airline Fare Basis Codes Explained