So... let me see if I get this correctly.
Currently, 16 flights earns you one round-trip free ticket. Right? Right.
Under the new system, my math would say that you need 20 flights to earn the same thing...
Here's what I thought...
If you earn at 6, 10, or 12 points per dollar, but have to redeem at 60, 100, or 120 points per dollar, that would imply that you need to redeem points for 10 flights to get the same flight for free.
That would mean, to earn a roundtrip (for the same flight), you'd need to fly 20 legs to be able to get one round-trip for free (2 legs).
This is devaluation in it's PUREST form.
Also, this is a "best case" scenario since the flights are of equal value. If, which is more likely, I fly (and pay for) several short (i.e. inexpensive) legs, I'll have to earn even more points to redeem for that one long (cross-country) flight... However, currently, I can fly 16 SAN-LAS legs and then redeem for SAN-BWI-SAN... Can't do that in the new system.
Seems like just another airline devaluing the frequent flier system.