I understand the sentiment of the OP however I don't I agree with Modern 49er that there is value.
I used to fly very little and due to a bunch business and vacation travel this year I may end up 1k and am considering a MR to make the last few thousand miles. However that's based on the value of the benefits given for the cost. E.g. if I spend $400 in tickets and get 4 SWUs and 2 CR1s they have tangible value and can be sold on the grey market.
Agreed that status can't be sold to someone else so in that sense it has no value.
There's no question the miles themselves have value however that's independent of status.
Now almost all of the 2P benefits are for sale so one could argue the value is what US sells them for.
Do I agree with UA's valuations of the items? No, however to quote most realtors "You don't know how much [your house of cards] is worth without selling it".
Bottom line, it's about maximizing value for the cost and it's cheaper for the airlines to give miles and status benefits then cheaper tickets. Us flyers find value in those benefits.
Originally Posted by
Modern 49er
I think it's quite plausible that the FF programs will continue to become more complicated and differentiate even more than they do now. The possible downside for the airlines is that they have alienated some customers with the complexity of the programs. It takes a great deal of time and a somewhat irrational addiction to keep up with things (or, at least, to game the system to near-maximum).
I disagree, I think there's a trend towards simplicity in FF programs. Look at JetBlue's program, they've simplified it. Southwest? it's simple. Simplification reduces training costs, service variation, etc. and shows up on the bottom line. I'm not a fan as I'd rather there be more ways to extract value from the system if you're smart enough.
