I have no desire to get in the middle of personal arguments, but I think it is important to maintain a cynical view about airline reward programs. Simply stated, when business sucks, they hand out benefits like candy. Then when it gets good, they want to take it all back in. Marketing tells them they are turning down revenue because seats are filled with upgrades and freebies, so out the window they go. Most airlines have floated way too much "free metal" to members of the lower elite tiers.
Not only has this contributed to an increase in the gap between available rewards and the demand for them, but at the same time, it has created false expectations, to the point that we see many posts on FT from lower level elites, demanding they receive upgrades and rewards that could never be provided on that scale. The airlines have contributed to the creation of a sense of entitlement on all our parts. It's lousy marketing, and their solution is to just change the program, and remind you the fine print says they can. It probably will get a litle better going forward, because their business already stinks, and the horrific events of Tuesday will certainly not help traffic, but in the main, they will always slice and dice these loyalty programs to suit their needs. It's real simple. Fly a lot of miles, and your benefits will be better. Expect nothing when things are good, and something when they are bad, but for heaven's sake, it isn't worth fighting about like this.