Originally Posted by
SLC 4217
7. Every time there is a rumor of a change (airlines, hotels,...) people say they will leave if they don't get their favorite perk, but, as we have seen over the last 25 years the membership numbers have gone up, yet some years benefits go up and other years benefits go down...
But people actually do leave. My husband and I were completely loyal to AA for many years. He did some (looking back on it) crazy stupid stuff to keep his status - more expensive or less convenient flights, an end-of-year mileage run if the year came up short, etc. When they gutted the program, he was done. In the last 18 months he's chosen flights based completely on the best cost/convenience combination. We've both flown United, Southwest, Jetblue, and Alaska as much as AA. It's been liberating. Perhaps Marriott's changes will also liberate us. (I hope not).