Richard, it seems as if you truly believe what you are stating (obviously a good thing ).

Why then did Flyertalk switch to the new style and add all the subgroups they did?

The only conclusion I can come to is that it is expected that Flyertalk will grow and as it grows one forum such as Travelbuzz will not be enough, thus the creation of the subgroups below for the express purpose of placing geographic specific information/posts into those groups.