Many people have been saying for years that airlines should start moving to revenue-based rather than miles-based FF programs. They can't do that without upsetting the whole apple cart--too big a change.

What they can do is continue to tier out benefits so they reward higher-and-higher value customers. That's what this is. Instead of 8-and-done CR1s, now you have effectively unlimited, for your higher-value customers. But folks who fly exactly 1k get the shaft to make it balance out.

The SWU change for CO flyers is the same, in reverse. Instead of 4 usable on all fare classes, now there are effectively unlimited (if you fly enough) but only on higher classes. Again, no problem for guys who are flying all over the world on Y/B fares, but it comes at the expense of folks who buy dirt cheap international economy fares and want to upgrade.

This is probably the wave of the future in FF programs...more benefits for the truly high-value flyer at the expense of what we might call "marginal elites."

I guess to CO/UA I'm one of those "marginal elites" since I'm a high-frequency rather than high-mileage flyer and while I fly a variety of fares, they're only occasionally full Y. Some years I exceed 120 EQS; others I finish up between 100 and 120. Rarely do I hit 100 EQM.

I'd like to stay with UACO, but I need to figure out if I'm willing to buy 5-20 segments a year or if I'd prefer to switch to a carrier with whom the 100+ I already fly a year will get me top tier.