Merger Update: MileagePlus Account Number Update

It'd be great if they just dropped the leading zeros from a database perspective... Yes, let's force leading zeros by holding a numeric identifier in a text field. For all the people that make fun of CO IT, this move by UA to have leading zeros must seem really moronic.

Wow! I certainly didn't mean to stir the pot so much. But here goes...

Ok, sure this may be more specific to me. But, as I stated in a previous post above, remembering numbers via muscle memory from the numeric keypad (which takes one hand to type) is alot easier than learning an alphanumeric string (which takes two hands to type).

I'm not a professional programmer.
Keep in mind I'm talking about writing the entire code from scratch, and I also mentioned that this wouldn't be a good business solution (why rewrite all the legacy systems if you don't have to?). But the point of the membership number is simply an identifier. It wouldn't take much effort to write an identifier object class that could accept both OP and MP style membership numbers. The rest of the code (written from scratch, I'm not talking about modifying legacy code) would refer to the identifier object rather than directly to the OP/MP number.

As a gut reaction, this is how some people are going to see it. That's just the nature of what happens when one party gets chosen over another. I never said that winning/losing in this sense meant anything. In fact, I went out of my way to mention that it was esoteric. While I might not specifically say that it's ridiculous, I have a feeling we agree more than we disagree.

As expected.

But I have to tell you, this one I could not care less about. When I call from my iPhone, 1K desk knows who I am. On the CO front, their voice recognition system has always work for me with the two letters in front.

And I'm quite sure everyone will be able to learn their new or existing CO #

I do understand that for nostalgic reasons, it sucks giving up a FF# you've had for ages, but I'm sure that goes both ways

I like being able to log onto MileagePlus using my email address. Please keep that. I can't remember my MP number, but I have memorized my AA and CO alphanumeric numbers.

Note: I've been a happy MP member since 2011. It would be nice to hang onto my MP number as a reminder of my terribly abbreviated loyalty to United.

Heh. I'll reserve my supply of s for other issues.

Just printed out my Onepass number in 120 point font and stuck it on my office wall near my door. Should have it memorized by the end of the day.

Haha. My big question is how you can call something with letters in it an, ahem, number.

Letters are all binary data 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 =)

Just a matter of base. Hexadecimal numbers have A-F. So your onepass number is base 36 (assuming they use all letters). Technicality aside, you also don't have a better term - onepass identifier? onepass serial number? Neither sound quire right to me personally.

How about Customer Identification PIN

Whether it's a few lines or a few hundred lines, it's still a reasonably easy change on the technical side. From a policy standpoint however it's greatly inefficient to allow something like this (hence the pick an arbitrary one decision, where the one already used wins).

Unrelated note, Do OnePass numbers have any well-defined order to them? A bit of MP# nostalgia comes from using the number as an age indicator (e.g. 001... versus 040...). Thought onepass just used a number out of the available pool without any order, but not entirely sure.

Thank you for calling OnePass 1k line. May I have your customer identification pin and the super-duper secret pin to make your award booking?

(Joking aside, PIN has the connotation of a secret security code. That's not necessarily true of your frequent flyer number. Although CO's pin over the phone approach has a few counter-intuitive moments to all of this)

Well, there's the repetition of "identification" in there and "number" is still represented, so.....

Reasonably easy relative to rewriting the entire CRM system, but massively difficult relative to just choosing the one that already works and moving forward with it.

This was actually the point I was trying to make, though perhaps I over-trivialized the difficulty in rewriting the system from the ground up. In the end, the smart and economical decision was just to pick one of the systems. And, even though the concept of winning and losing in this situation is meaningless... the fact that the other one was picked still engages an emotional response in some people who may have been a little attached to PMUA (or in PMCO if the situation were reversed).

Ah yes, love that Customer Identification Personal Identificaiton Number

My MP number dates back to the first month of the program, Sorry to lose it. And even more sorry to lose the Premier Executive 100% bonus miles. Being equivalent lifetime on other airlines that still give 100% bonus for this level United is going to lose some of my business next year.

My alternative would be to let me keep the number I like.

Enjoy the clusterfcuk that is "Avios".

I'm sure I'll memorize it at some point.

The problem is that when you have to type that in on a mobile device, it now requires switching keyboards from alpha to numeric and back. What a pain

As I've had to interact more with the CO systems, I've found that the PIN is not very private as I'm asked to tell the agents every time I need something.

Reminds of the Seinfeld episode where George was asked to reveal his PIN to his ATM:

I was referring to the fondness people have about how great ua was and how bad co is. I have been plat and 1k for 10 plus years and have seen more devaluation in ua than co. From "Ted",getting rid of 1k rooms,swus that used to be good on all fares to h then w. While united fa's and customer service during and after flight were better,co mgmt has always been better.

Is there moderation going on whereby selective messages are deleted? Shades of Flyertalk?

Exactly!

When am I going to start seeing those promised changes I was going to like? Oh, I know. Never!

A string of numbers is more easily remembered than a string of letters and numbers for a lot of reasons.

People create patterns or rhythms (or both) to remember things. For example, some people prefer French eight-digit phone numbers like 12-34-56-78 to American seven-digit phone numbers like 123-4567 because four small numbers are easier to remember than two larger numbers. I happen to like my parents' home number because each consecutive number is in a circle around the touch pad. I find my UA MP number very easy to remember because of certain repeating digits, and I type faster using the num pad on my keyboard, so digits only is nice compared to switching between four rows of keys on a full keyboard.

Now, I'm not saying that some people haven't found good ways to remember their CO alphanumeric numbers. My girlfriend really likes hers, and she has good reason to. I'm just suggesting it isn't automatically easy or something that can be learned well. I am very good with number strings and know all my bank account numbers and credit card numbers. Sixteen digits is nothing. However, I still have trouble with the measly two letters and six numbers for my OP account.