I tolerated/swallowed that one a bit more easily. I accepted it as Marriott's attempt to abandon the two-tier redemption levels and move to a more Starwood-like system. It was loosely spun as "If a standard room is available you can book it with points", which meant that the net 4-10% devaluation (at the Plat level) was sort of palatable. All of the big chains' "No Capacity Controls" rules are full of loopholes and exceptions, but in fairness to Marriott I've been able to get my desired awards.

I likened it to a true trade-off, with the primary value going to people who like to book good hotels in near-peak seasons. (Off-peak travelers were better off with the old system and max-peak travelers are more likely to find hotels that game the system.)

This AA change has no such redeeming quality. It's a straight jam-job to the members, taking away a unique benefit that was incredibly important to many of the high-volume guests who regularly hit the Travel Package levels.