There are thousands of us who are not subject to PQD—at least not for now. And there are millions of us who easily make the PQD requirement—whether we want to or not. For us, it's business as usual at 35,000 feet. I feel for everyone else—not really—but that's how the wheel of fortune works. Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're not. Get on with it already—whatever your "it" is.
RNE, a.k.a. Pat Sajak.
Can't fault you for not feeling for folks who "struggle" to meet the PQD requirement! For a "typical" person, being able to fly further for less is precisely the point. OTOH, many elites get status largely on their employer's dime (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and many employers require employees to purchase the cheapest available discount economy fare. Out of DCA/IAD/BWI, 10cpm is very hard to find more than 14 days out on flights to major west coast destinations. This is a great thing for mileage runners, leisure travelers, and companies with a major DC-area presence whose employees often fly transcons; not so great for the frequent flyer employees themselves, who'd be in better shape PQD-wise out of a fortress hub. From UA's perspective, however, the PQD requirement makes good sense: toss your last-minute business travelers and fortress hub captives a bone (status) because they're the ones keeping your airline out of the red.