Originally Posted by
JonNYC
This is an entirely self-created prison.
It's PARTIALLY self-created.
If we had true competition in the airline business, with numerous carriers that customers could legitimately pick from for competitive products, then legacy airlines wouldn't have been able to get away with imposing EQD requirements a few years ago; elite status would have been still based on miles or segments only, regardless of spending. And I thus wouldn't need to do this.
This is PARTIALLY created by allowing near-monopoly network airlines that can extract more cash out of customers who don't have a real choice for their travel needs.