There was a thread awhile back discussing if airlines wish they hadn't gone into the "loyalty" business with their various plans such as aeroplan. When I read threads like this that highlight so many of the fares that are not eligible for point accumulation I do begin to wonder if in fact its all a slow process to diminish their plans altogether.

At the time of loyalty plans' inception, budget carriers were mostly of the tour operator variety (Southwest being a BIG exception in the US). Now most carriers have either their budget airline outright, or budget airline within their airline; read Tango fare etc.

Within Canada I wonder just how many "orange" card carrying members realize that the points they're trying to earn will, in the end, give them nothing close to free flights. Let alone restrict the points earned on flights.

I find it interesting how people try to come up with travel plans that maximize their points earned by itineraries mentioned earlier in this thread. While initially creative, airlines seem to band together in some manner or another to close these loopholes. Right now, UA offers points on all classes, but when the dust settles after the mergers of DL/NW and UA/CO and probably AA/US(?) I believe it will take only one US carrier to eliminate points earning on lower fares and the rest will jump at the same time.

I believe the next evolution must be the ability to choose fare class on each leg of a trip that will allow consumers to make their own choice; points or no points.

It's really too bad that with such huge advancements in IT technology over the past 5 or 6 years airlines still haven't got it right.