First, the 1-3-5 day upgrade windows are still in effect giving some benefit to Platinum. Second, with miles harder to get, if you can still manage to make your tier annually you can at least be assured that there will be fewer people at your level or above than previously thus giving you a better shot to get a complimentary automatic upgrade, presuming of course that CO doesn't get rid of those also.

Still, even though the new first and second bag rules don't apply to me due to my tier level, the fact that all these non-elites are now going to be carrying on everything they can get away with (we all know that one carry on bag and one personal item usually means two carry on bags and another shopping bag full of souvenirs). This will put a severe premium on overhead space if you don't arrive to your plane soon enough to board first with your fellow elites.

SM