It ain't what it used to be.

This 1k MM has seen a steady decline in the utility of both miles and status.

1k rooms, paper (and therefore unlimited) upgrades that cleared at time of booking, saver awards on all but a few flights. All gone the way of the dodo.

And now it appears that my airline's ff program is going lowest common denominator all the way around.

Having lots of miles and top status used to be something special. Now it's just something.

The airlines are likely making more money overall, but there is less and less loyalty engendered through their frequency programs.

So be it. I'll take the discounted business fares on whatever airline is cheapest and leave the status on the table.