Did your friend off any other hints at further shockers to come? I won't do anything until there is an official announcement, but I am torn here....

do I enjoy the Plat status I have earned in 04 for all of 05 and ignore EQMs next year knowing I will just jump ship to do an AA challenge in the fall of 05, or, given my intense dislike for CO's nitwit, poorly thought out decisions (and possibly more bad news to come), do I just leave them now because I dont want to give them any money next year.

Probably I would enjoy using my Plat status for another year on the cheapest possible tickets to thumb my nose at their hair-brained decision more than scrambling for a new relationship.

Just before everyone really gets worked up into a huge tizzy, we have a newly invented Delta just around the corner and NW's continued ignorance of EQMs as potential competitive pitfalls for CO next year....not to mention the United PS service sucking up many of the high-yield trans-con customers.

I can't imagine their kool-aid is spiked with enough Ecstacy to make them think their product and FF program would remain of any interest to non hub-hostage customers given the competive challenges from AA, DL, UA, NW - and I heard US will be turning FLL into an International mini-hub. This is the right time to be attracting new business, not alienating existing customers, even if the bottom line gets squeezed abit. I thought Larry had better vision that this. I am disappointed.

I am editing to add: if DL pushes out Simplifares systemwide and eliminates their MQMs, then CO is really going to look like a complete a$$ if they keep EQMs in any form. Let's wait and see what DL looks like after 8/26. I doubt they leaked any of their plans to CO (CO is still a competitor, at least as far as the DOJ thinks), so the decisions being made within CO might have to change quickly if their partners go in a dramatically different direction.