I have to fly for work regularly and I'm hub captive.

I like AS and they serve many of the west coast markets I fly to, but not all. DL has superior schedules and all direct flights, so I remain.

I would actively start looking for other options if DL switched to the WN model of no reserved seat and cattle call boarding. Short of that, I will remain DL #1 with AS as my backup.

FCM and the changes to the DM qualification don't negatively affect me - in fact I think they make my life better. The routes I fly are always elite-heavy and my upgrade % is less than 50%, so spending $40 for FCM to knock the 10 people ahead of me off the UG list looks attractive now. I will qualify for DM for the first time ever next month, and I typically spend > $20K (yes, it's 80% other people's money) per year, so thinning the DM herd is attractive to me.

As a side note, DL are far superior to UA when I flew them as a hub captive in DEN.