Originally Posted by chornedsnorkack

Who are the most damaged by frequent flyer programs, out of the people who fly themselves?

Frequent flyer programs reward loyalty. Those rewards come from somewhere - they come at the cost of penalizing disloyal customers. Such as occasional fliers. The priority in waitlists and in case of irrops leaves those without priority behind.

Are there any people here whose flying patterns require disloyalty - getting into out of the way places as soon as possible, flying whatever airline/s get there first, depositing small amounts of miles in programs they rarely fly again, so that the miles are not enough to earn rewards or elite status? And, in case of irrops, find that expensive full-fare tickets and paid business and first still leave them in the back of the queue behind the local frequent flyers on discounted business?

Which major/flag carriers have reputation for good treatment of disloyal/occasional flyers?

Of course, FF programs usually have top elite tier. Are there any people here who are able to pursue the policy to fly an airline just enough (with some safety margin) to earn and maintain the top elite status there, and fly the rest of their flights on other airlines so as to earn status there as well?