I recently flew Alaska and I found every aspect to be extremely enjoyable. 5.5 hr flights and then a couple short hops across WA. Seats weren't amazingly comfortable but what airline is. Airlines don't keep flights just to satisfy a few loyal customers. They obviously thought the later flight wasn't making enough money for them and I totally respect that. If you were a Diamond on Delta and were based in Atlanta, I can guarantee upgrades would still be few and far between. The great thing about living in America is that you can fly other airlines if you don't like the one you're flying. Thats the beauty of the free market AND these loyalty benefits would be non existent if there was no competition. I always fly whichever airline gives me the best price and schedule.