I think 2013 will be a year to catch up and let things settle. It is obvious the company is in chaos and they can't handle any big changes.

The move to a revenue based system is just a matter of time. I think the system already tracks revenue so they might just be waiting for the first one (of the majors) to pull the trigger. Of course, it gets complicated with alliances and partners. (Frankly, the WN program is so confusing now, I just don't deal with it any more.)

The general trend for FFPs are not good. SkyMiles is terrible. US will ruin AAdvantage. So, MileagePlus probably does not have to get better to compete.