Originally Posted by
GUWonder
Couple the dynamic of higher premium cabin award travel prices with a lower cost to buy-up in cash from economy class to premium cabin space on long-haul flights and the value of the frequent flyer programs drops further yet.
It's all part of the drive towards a future when even Flyertalkers are back to looking for value in their miles through short cheap coach tickets. As the J/F awards get taken off the board, that's what's left. Since airline advertising to the masses is always expressed in terms of these flights, they'll probably still be there.
I recently redeemed 5,500 miles for a $120 one-way DL ticket and got excited about it. I know there's no way my limited stash of DL miles will ever get me into a long-haul J seat.
My best stash for long-haul J is AS, and I figure I've got one more big redemption left...once the merger dust fully settles, they'll probably gut that program too.