What % of the flying public are members of frequent flier programs?

What % of people pay first class or full coach fares versus discounted coach fares?

What % of people choose their airline based on an extra inch of seat pitch, whether or not drinks are free in the premium lounge, or the average age of aircraft in the fleet?

My guess, based on nothing more than a hunch, is that most people on a plane aren't even earning miles at all, very few folks pay the high fares, and most people choose based on price and/or convenience (nearby airport, flight times, # of connections, etc.)

It seems to me that we've been looking at this wrong. CO's EQM policy is not really designed to attract the super-premium flyer (although that could be a nice side benefit if they can make it work), but to get rid of the rest of the frequent fliers. Think about it--drastically reduce the elite rolls, shrink the FC cabins, and then focus on packing the back with people who don't expect things like free upgrades or reward tickets. They can fly lots of RJs, helping hold fares down while increasing flight frequency.

It's kind of like squeezing out the middle class. The problem I see with their strategy (if my theory is correct) is that, as others have pointed out earlier in this thread, CO does not offer a sufficiently superior product to position themselves higher in the market than all the other domestic carriers, nor are they capable of operating as efficiently as the LCCs. What a shame--for ten years or so they really had something going, but I suppose all good things must come to an end...