Originally Posted by
af fp
I would (not equate but) compare a Light fare to an award ticket because with some airlines (such as DL or UA) the cheapest tickets (called Basic Economy) accrue less qualifying points whereas with FB it seems to accrue exactly the same.
More generally it seems that we will see a significant increase in the number of elite status holders if the XPs come so easily.
Elite status was easier in the old system - just 15 qualifying segments, regardless of fare class (wtih the exception of award tickets & very basic fares on certain partner airlines) or distance flown.
For Elite you now need 20 qualifying short trips (5XP), or less if you take longer segments or travel in higher than Economy, but then these cost more money. So for a traveller that just flies in Eco in Europe, more flights are needed to get to Elite. A further disadvantage is the downgrading of internal flights to 2 XP.