Originally Posted by NathanJ

I do not think it is all doom & gloom, but I do think the airlines have us "by the balls." They will just continue to identify new revenue streams and test the limits that we will tolerate as frequent flyers.

Most of us are somewhat restricted by the airline that has dominance in the city we live in. For me that is United given that I live in Houston. So all United has to do is make sure they have a better offering than their only other real competitor, Southwest.

Think about the benefits that most of us truly appreciate:

• Priority security screening.
• Priority boarding.
• Upgrades to a higher cabin.
• Priority baggage service.
• Seats with additional room.

How much does this really cost the airline? Upgrades to a higher cabin only occur if no one has purchased a ticket in that cabin (lets exclude the economic impact of using banked upgrades or points). Boarding elite passengers also doesn't really cost the airline anything. Pulling your bag off the plane before others doesn't really cost them anything more. That security line is usually just designating a specific line(s) for premier passengers, otherwise they would be used for everyone. Seats with additional room, like United's Economy Plus are usually the last seats left on most flights, thus are where standby passengers usually end up. So if no one buys the seat for the additional cost it isn't like they are losing money by putting someone with status there. I have yet to see a flight where E+ is sold out and E- is open (not saying it couldn't or hasn't occurred).

The miles they toss our way have already been proven countless times to actually work in the favor of the airline, but I would not rule out the likelihood of seeing the bonuses they grant us disappear leaving us with just 100% of the miles.

All in all I think you'll see those core benefits remain as well as be sold off to non-preimer flyers for an additional fee for those willing to pay.

-Nathan