I tend to feel that when people start using the term, and it's almost always used as a very derogatory term on here, that it's a sign of elitism, even if people aren't necessarily willing to admit it. And it's really to me the biggest sign of it.

Other than that, I'd say FT is mainly composed of people that travel for business, often on the company dime (I know there's some that are on their own dime, but I'd guess the majority of people here are on the company dime), and get to keep those benefits for their own personal use. Given that, frankly, I can't really blame people for taking advantage of the system the way it works. I know if I was in a position to do it, I'd do it too . (Whether the system should really work that way is a different issue entirely, and not really germane to this discussion. I tend to feel there's no good reason for airlines to reward people that are traveling on company expense, but should be rewarding the company instead.)

As for me, I tend to read here and put up with the snobs that call people kettles, because every now and then I pick up a useful tip. I dream of the day I might actually fly in C overseas, but it's a dream, because if it ever happens, it'll have to be paid, because I just don't earn enough miles to ever redeem that. For someone like me, things like first class monetization means that there's a greater chance I might not actually be sitting in coach, because maybe the cost for F will be reasonable. So unlike a lot of people here, I'm all for it .