It's because we're Flyertalkers.

Most of us here know and love the Travel Packages. That's the primary edge that Marriott has on its competition. I'm AA Lifetime Gold mainly because of Marriott. In years when I know we have to do a bunch of domestic U.S. trips, I have a WN Companion Pass because of Marriott.

The minute any of us sniffs a program change, we immediately go look at 087 and 091. They could change all sorts of small awards or category-creep every Fairfield Inn in the world to Cat 5 and I'd never notice. But the Travel Packages...adjust those, and you get a 12-page thread.

I look at my personal devlauation here as somewhere in the 7 percent (no category creep) or 16 percent (1 category creep) range. That's looking at Category 6 and 7 and factoring in the new Plat bonus.

If the devaluation is *actually* offset by better access to award rooms, it's a fair trade. That's the part we'll have to wait and see on.