Well, I’d been wondering how long it would be before someone followed US Airways’ lead and dropped the minimum miles earned per segment from 500 to actual miles flown. And go figure, United was the second shoe to drop. You can read the details here.

I’m not really bothered by this. Those miles are nice to have, but truth is, I usually fly more than 500 miles, my trips to Raleigh excepted. And United will still allow you to qualify for elite status by segments, so all is not lost.

Expect the other airlines to quickly follow.