Yeah, it's a bad move. Perhaps a dumb move. And certainly a loss for consumers.

But regarding the question of which travel vendor to dump. Lemme see here...

Marriott has taken very good care of me for seventeen consecutive years as an MR member.

I'll give AA props for decent free trip award availability and relative ease of redemption. But other than that, they haven't exactly shown me a lot of love in my years as an elite since I got fed up with United in '01. Other than letting me get on the plane relatively early and sit in an exit row every now and then, they treat me just about as badly as the other airlines.

With this it may be time for me to give AA the heave-ho, not Marriott.