Nice post. I think the fact that Skywards has a much smaller membership (about 5 million I believe) as compared to the other FF programs you mention may have something to do with this. It would be interesting to know how many Gold and Silver members there are, and how many would re-qualify under the new rules.

Also, you said yourself that you would continue to fly EK for the overall product they offer. It seems to me that they try to offer a good product to everyone, with a little bit extra for their frequent flyers, unlike some US carriers that don't really care about you unless you fly very frequently with them.

For example, while SQ PPS may reward frequent premium travelers more than frequent non - premium travelers, look at their award and upgrade mileage requirements!