I think this is a good idea.

Most people choose an airline based on a combination of price, departure time, fewer or no connections, and on-time ratings. Meals, seat cover styles, magazine selections, and frequent flyer miles don't rank very highly.

As FlyerTalk is clearly focused on frequent flyer programs, reading the posts here, it would appear that the frequent flyer program is the only reason anyone chooses an airline. This simply isn't true.

ITRADE, your calculation of a $750 million loss in revenue is based on the assumption that every single Dividend Miles member who fails to achieve status as a result of this policy change never flies US again. That is unrealistic.

I would guess that 10% of the affected members won't fly US anymore. The other 90% generally do not post on FlyerTalk, so it appears to be totally one-sided on this board.

If nothing else changes, then I agree it is a strange move to make. The fares, fare class inventory, etc., are affected by the frequent flyer program. Changing the rules significantly like this, IMHO, means there are going to be some changes to the fares.

Wouldn't it be nice if, as a result of this, First Class tickets are reasonably priced? (like AirTran) Better to get $500 for a First Class ticket than give it away for free to someone who paid $98 for coach.