Continental is taking customer feedback at (713) 324-2950. Call them. It is ridiculous. My company demands that I buy discounted tickets. I am a NW elite and I am sure they will go this way as well. If CO and DL do it, there is no reason NW wouldn't. I go out of my way to book travel on NW/CO because of the Elite program qualification. I am going to squeek by and obtain Gold this year which means I MIGHT squeek by and get silver next. That isn't good enough.....if there is any doubt to my ability to obtain status, there is no reason to continue supporting CO or NW in any way. Though I live in the Detroit Metropolitan area, there are other choices besides Northwest including Spirit, Southwest, and America west at DTW, Air Tran at FNT, and TransMeridian at TOL. They will get my business if NW adopts the policy that CO has by spitting in the eyes of their most loyal customers for buying fares that THE AIRLINE sets! It is absurd. Here is the number for CO again: (713) 324-2950