Some of you may find this interesting:
For the May issue of InsideFlyer and for the upcoming Freddie Awards, which both celebrate the 25th anniversary of frequent flyer miles, we've pored over all the data we have collected through the years and have been able to come up with the total number of awards that these frequent flyer programs have awarded to their members.
Among the programs here in America, members have cashed in a total of nearly 193.6 million free awards over the past 25 years (this does not include awards used for upgrades or awards for other than free flight).
Among the programs outside of America, members have cashed in 82.8 million free awards.
Total globally over 25 years: an astounding 276,400,000 free tickets given away (not counting upgrade awards).
(We had hoped to compile a similar number for upgrade awards but don't have enough of the proper data to calculate it.)