Latest on UA/CO Merger

[jis]

March 3rd has now been announced as the day on which The Continental OnePass program in effect will become the new United MileagePlus Program and all those United Mileage Plus program who do not already have a linked OnePass account, will get new account numbers as they are moved over to the MileagePlus program. Also from that day the actual 2012 status will become effective for all.

What is now the Continental web site will in effect be rebranded as United and become the new United web site and the pre-merger United web site will cease to exist. Also on that day all flights coded as CO flights will become UA flights and CO/Continental as a brand will go away.

Those that have either United or Continental or both accounts can go to https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/MergerSites/index.jsp and get a personalized preview of what status and lifetime mileage credits they will get. It would be a good idea for people like Shanghai to check what lifetime mileage is credited to their account in the recalculation using EQMs as opposed to BIS miles in the United account. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that that they credited a whole bunch of Singapore Airlines miles to my lifetime miles on the United site. Got me over 131,000 additional lifetime miles, which gets me to within a few year of getting to 2 million miles, and lifetime Platinum status.

Still no news on what the relationship between United MileagePlus and AGR will look like. UA is discontinuing the relationship with Virgin Atlantic's frequent flyer program effective March.

 

[trainman74]

What is now the Continental web site will in effect be rebranded as United and become the new United web site and the pre-merger United web site will cease to exist.

And not a moment too soon!

I got the "Valid Thru Mar 2 2012" sticker for my 2011 Mileage Plus membership card in the mail yesterday. Not that it means much since I'm only Premier (and I'm not planning any travel on United between now and then anyway).

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I was very pleasantly surprised to see that that they credited a whole bunch of Singapore Airlines miles to my lifetime miles on the United site.

That sounds rather nice of them. I'm rather familiar with UA, or at least I used to be, but SQ doesn't seem to work like UA at all. Is it true that you need to book a Flexi fare basis to bank miles from SQ/KF? Is it also true that upgrades/redemptions in J only get Y seats except for TA/TP? Also, is there any way to get SQ's site to spit out an itinerary that includes non-gateway O&D? I can get it to recognize the city and to retrieve the IATA but it still can't book anything. This is a major issue as SQ's routes are rather limited from North America. Normally I'd just find an aggregate site to do the routing for me but SQ no longer shows up on my usual portal and they don't seem to offer interlining from their own site. All of which leads me to wonder what the purpose is for their *A membership? They seem to have their own special interpretation of how things are supposed to work, who can interline with them, and who gets what for miles and purchases. I'm curious to try them but so far it seems like you have to jump through many more hoops than I'm used to worrying about.

Still no news on what the relationship between United MileagePlus and AGR will look like.

A draught of your choice says the 1:1 COP/UMP > AGR distribution option will be discontinued.

 

[jis]

My SQ derived UA miles were all on Business Class on the EWR - SIN non-stop, and SIN - CCU segments. I just fed in my UA number into the SQ PNR since I do not have a Kris Flyer account at all. And the magic sort of happened automatically. It is quite possible that SQ, like most other east Asian and even Indian airlines is quite stingy with giving out points for traveling on discount fares. E.g 9W (Jet Airways) gives me about 200 points on the 900 mile DEL - CCU sector when traveling on virtually anything lower than Y.

 

[PRR 60]

Still no news on what the relationship between United MileagePlus and AGR will look like.

A draught of your choice says the 1:1 COP/UMP > AGR distribution option will be discontinued.

Since it is already discontinued, it would have to be reinstated. I think that is even more unlikely.

In my opinion, the best hope is a miles / points partnership where AGR members can earn points on UA, MP members can earn miles on Amtrak, AGR can redeem points for UA flights, and MP can redeem miles for Amtrak travel. On the otherhand, I was suprised that United agreed to have AGR S+ access to United Clubs, so who knows.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

A draught of your choice says the 1:1 COP/UMP > AGR distribution option will be discontinued.

Since it is already discontinued, it would have to be reinstated. I think that is even more unlikely.

I thought it was merely suspended pending a final decision? I guess if it's already permanently discontinued then there's no longer any bet to be made.

I was suprised that United agreed to have AGR S+ access to United Clubs, so who knows.

From what I've been reading that agreement had been in near constant dispute in the minds of the staff who actually run the clubs. Lots of cajoling and/or arguing and/or backup documentation required and no guarantee of success regardless. Have things finally been resolved on UA's side? Personally I think AGR should have waited to make this offer public until UA had made their final decision, at least with regard to the old RCC's.

 

[PRR 60]

A draught of your choice says the 1:1 COP/UMP > AGR distribution option will be discontinued.

Since it is already discontinued, it would have to be reinstated. I think that is even more unlikely.

I thought it was merely suspended pending a final decision? I guess if it's already permanently discontinued then there's no longer any bet to be made.

I was suprised that United agreed to have AGR S+ access to United Clubs, so who knows.

From what I've been reading that agreement had been in near constant dispute in the minds of the staff who actually run the clubs. Lots of cajoling and/or arguing and/or backup documentation required and no guarantee of success regardless. Have things finally been resolved on UA's side? Personally I think AGR should have waited to make this offer public until UA had made their final decision, at least with regard to the old RCC's.

Recent postings at Flyertalk seem to suggest that the problems with UA club access for S+ have been resolved, even at former RCC's. One sticking point is that the AGR S+ card only shows the program year of 2011, but does not have an expiration date (2/29/2012). The AGR rep who participates at FT says that UA is aware of this shortcoming, and so far there have not been reports of S+ members being denied UC access due to the club agent thinking the card was expired. The 2012 S+ cards are supposed to have an expiration date on the card.

 

[jis]

On the otherhand, I was suprised that United agreed to have AGR S+ access to United Clubs, so who knows.

I have been meaning to ask someone about this, maybe you know the answer. The S+ Card gives one access just to United Clubs, right? And not to select *A Clubs additionally, as the full United Club Membership does?

 

[PRR 60]

On the otherhand, I was suprised that United agreed to have AGR S+ access to United Clubs, so who knows.

I have been meaning to ask someone about this, maybe you know the answer. The S+ Card gives one access just to United Clubs, right? And not to select *A Clubs additionally, as the full United Club Membership does?

That is correct. S+ access is to only United Clubs, not all *A clubs.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

My SQ derived UA miles were all on Business Class on the EWR - SIN non-stop. I just fed in my UA number into the SQ PNR since I do not have a Kris Flyer account at all. And the magic sort of happened automatically. It is quite possible that SQ, like most other east Asian and even Indian airlines is quite stingy with giving out points for traveling on discount fares. E.g 9W (Jet Airways) gives me about 200 points on the 900 mile DEL - CCU sector when traveling on virtually anything lower than Y.

I see. Houston is the closest gateway for me, so no all-BC setup like the NP routes. Virtually all my travel is leisure travel and I wouldn't be able to pay SQ's J fare out-of-pocket anyway. On a $1200 ticket an extra hundred or so to reach a higher fare basis is not going to be a make-or-break proposition, but a $500+ upgrade just for the ability to bank points becomes a bit of a stretch. Two or three of those higher priced flights and you'd have "bought" another ticket anyway. Might as well save the cash and not have to worry so much about avoiding all of SQ's disqualifies. It wasn't all that long ago that I was able to fly transpacific for between $650-850 round trip from the central US on Asian carriers (not SQ though) enjoying 100% accrual paired with a 1:1 distribution rate with free stopovers. I guess those were the days. -_-

 

[jis]

I see. Houston is the closest gateway for me, so no all-BC setup like the NP routes. Virtually all my travel is leisure travel and I wouldn't be able to pay SQ's J fare out-of-pocket anyway. On a $1200 ticket an extra hundred or so to reach a higher fare basis is not going to be a make-or-break proposition, but a $500+ upgrade just for the ability to bank points becomes a bit of a stretch. Two or three of those higher priced flights and you'd have "bought" another ticket anyway. Might as well save the cash and not have to worry so much about avoiding all of SQ's disqualifies. It wasn't all that long ago that I was able to fly transpacific for between $650-850 round trip from the central US on Asian carriers (not SQ though) enjoying 100% accrual paired with a 1:1 distribution rate with free stopovers. I guess those were the days. -_-

SQ is a premier airline and it is reflected handsomely in the premier level fares that they are able to command almost on all sectors. The sectors where they can't they hand 'em over to Silk Air or whatever the LCC is called out of Singapore.

As for booking on SQ and SQ code shares I am able to book JFK - FRA - SIN - CCU - SIN - FRA - JFK in Economy for $2086 with mileage credit to either Kris Flyer or to UA MP, free modifiability, and cancelable with a charge. Does not seem too unreasonable. The SIN - CCU segment is codeshare on Silk Air. That meets my basic expectation of an alliance membership.

But then again even when I am flying CO/UA EWR - DEL nonstop I usually shell out the extra $500 plus a few thousand miles to upgrade to BusinessFirst. Worth it for the lie flat beds on the 15 hour flight.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

SQ is a premier airline and it is reflected handsomely in the premier level fares that they are able to command almost on all sectors. The sectors where they can't they hand 'em over to Silk Air or whatever the LCC is called out of Singapore.

SQ is absolutely a premier airline, in J or F. And I'm still eying a RTW itinerary in a premium cabin on SQ down the road. However, I think you'd agree that for the most part Y is Y across most brands at this point. Or at least I've never seen anything that blew me away in coach no matter the carrier. You're not going to be drinking fancy champagne or "booking the chef" with specially prepared culinary requests during your claustrophobic coach trip no matter who you fly. So why pay an extra 75% over base? Even if you ended up having to change your dates on a Q fare you'd still be spending less when all is said and done. The only thing I'd be willing to pay more for is a bulkhead seat, and depending on what I find SQ might have me over a barrel on that one. Other than that the issues that remain are (domestic) interlining/code-sharing options and (European/Asian) stopover costs (which are still anything but clear so far).

 

[jis]

SQ is a premier airline and it is reflected handsomely in the premier level fares that they are able to command almost on all sectors. The sectors where they can't they hand 'em over to Silk Air or whatever the LCC is called out of Singapore.

SQ is absolutely a premier airline, in J or F. And I'm still eying a RTW itinerary in a premium cabin on SQ down the road. However, I think you'd agree that for the most part Y is Y across most brands at this point. Or at least I've never seen anything that blew me away in coach no matter the carrier. You're not going to be drinking fancy champagne or "booking the chef" with specially prepared culinary requests during your claustrophobic coach trip no matter who you fly. So why pay an extra 75% over base? Even if you ended up having to change your dates on a Q fare you'd still be spending less when all is said and done. The only thing I'd be willing to pay more for is a bulkhead seat, and depending on what I find SQ might have me over a barrel on that one. Other than that the issues that remain are (domestic) interlining/code-sharing options and (European/Asian) stopover costs (which are still anything but clear so far).

That's the reason I stopped flying SQ and reverted to CO and 9W as soon as the non-stops became available to DEL and DEL T3 went on line making it a more than tolerable experience to transit through DEL. Before that I had reverted to TG and UA through BKK, since I absolutely refused to transit through BOM or DEL hell holes before T3 came on line in DEL, and EK was not in the picture yet. Frankly, thanks to the guru bhais getting to CCU can be quite a chore.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

That's the reason I stopped flying SQ and reverted to CO and 9W as soon as the non-stops became available to DEL and DEL T3 went on line making it a more than tolerable experience to transit through DEL. Before that I had reverted to TG and UA through BKK, since I absolutely refused to transit through BOM or DEL hell holes before T3 came on line in DEL, and EK was not in the picture yet. Frankly, thanks to the guru bhais getting to CCU can be quite a chore.

I recently saw a video on the airport situation in BOM and yeah it didn't look all that inviting. As for BKK I actually preferred the old Don Mueang to Shinawatra's Suvarnabhumi. UA had really late arrivals and very early departures for BKK and a long taxi ride from/to a distant swamp with a huge (but absurdly priced) shopping center in the middle of nowhere wasn't that much fun. According to my memory in the early days of Suvarnabhumi there was only one on-site hotel up and running and it was difficult to book. Maybe it was only half-open? As tired and ugly as Don Mueang was the hallways were short, the customs and immigration process was a breeze, and the location was so much closer to virtually anything of significance. On the positive side I heard that the new BKK now has a subway link after a few extra years of nearly bankrupting construction. ^_^

TG's domestic legs were never that special but they did a surprisingly good job on their international flights. Some of the best airline meals I ever had were on TG. JL/JO began sourcing some of their crews from BKK as well. It's funny to imagine a fresh and crisp SQ/EK style crew working on a tired old 742, but that's kind of how I remember it. Probably not the best way to live it up in J/F but surprisingly good for when you're stuck in Y. Then TG started targeting the upper end of the market buying brand new ultra long haul airframes and watching their expenses spin out of control when a top-dollar market for them didn't materialize. Not that unlike the new airport being built to handle a load that was already being handled by the likes of Chek Lap Kok and Changi. Even if the cost of oil plummets and the international air market recovers in full I doubt that BKK will truly compete with SIN or HKG in the big picture sense. If the cost of oil remains high or increases further still then I'm assuming EK/DXB will continue to grow and dominate.

 

[saxman]

A draught of your choice says the 1:1 COP/UMP > AGR distribution option will be discontinued.

Since it is already discontinued, it would have to be reinstated. I think that is even more unlikely.

I thought it was merely suspended pending a final decision? I guess if it's already permanently discontinued then there's no longer any bet to be made.

I was suprised that United agreed to have AGR S+ access to United Clubs, so who knows.

From what I've been reading that agreement had been in near constant dispute in the minds of the staff who actually run the clubs. Lots of cajoling and/or arguing and/or backup documentation required and no guarantee of success regardless. Have things finally been resolved on UA's side? Personally I think AGR should have waited to make this offer public until UA had made their final decision, at least with regard to the old RCC's.

Recent postings at Flyertalk seem to suggest that the problems with UA club access for S+ have been resolved, even at former RCC's. One sticking point is that the AGR S+ card only shows the program year of 2011, but does not have an expiration date (2/29/2012). The AGR rep who participates at FT says that UA is aware of this shortcoming, and so far there have not been reports of S+ members being denied UC access due to the club agent thinking the card was expired. The 2012 S+ cards are supposed to have an expiration date on the card.

I've had not had a problem getting into United Clubs recently using my S+ card. Many agents have questioned the fact that my card says "2011", but I just tell them to swipe it, and the computer will tell them that it is good until 2/29/12. Just got into SFO, ORD, IAH, DFW, and LAX clubs without a problem just within the last week. I'll be checking out IAD tomorrow before my flight to Dubai.

 

[jis]

I've had not had a problem getting into United Clubs recently using my S+ card. Many agents have questioned the fact that my card says "2011", but I just tell them to swipe it, and the computer will tell them that it is good until 2/29/12. Just got into SFO, ORD, IAH, DFW, and LAX clubs without a problem just within the last week. I'll be checking out IAD tomorrow before my flight to Dubai.

Have a good trip to DXB, one of my favorite airports!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Nice trips Chris! Definitely not the old Texas Eagle !!! :giggle: