I am not likely to ever be flying Independence Air, so I'll leave the questions of potential benefits to those who will. On the other hand, it so happens that I was recently thinking of just how benefits should be earned in an ideal FF program, so here goes.

It's my thought that elite status should be earned on trips flown (trips, not segments; the airlines should be able to tell by now whether your segment has an X or and O in the stopover field -- and I'm referring to one-way trips). This is, after all, billed as a "frequent flyer" program. Using non-Independence examples, I shouldn't be getting more credit for flying LAX-LHR once than I do for flying ORD-LGA three times. And I shouldn't get more credit just because I fly ORD-DEN-SEA instead of a nonstop flight. I reiterate that these comments apply only to gaining elite status.

General rewards, though, are quite appropriately accumulated based on dollars spent. Using strictly airline travel as an example (to keep things simple), I would allow for an airline credit of, say, .1% of dollars spent. It could not be redeemed until a certain minimum amount had been accumulated ($500 credit, perhaps), but I would have no minimum on the redemption. The credit could then be applied as part payment of a fare, to pay for an upgrade (obviously not on Independence), or whatever complete unrelated way the airline chooses to offer.