Originally Posted by
747FC
I am. In fact, there is consumer research that documents the negative impact of changing rewards on consumption. In this case, when HA used to give it away free and then stopped the practice, consumers noticed. Guess what, it changes the behavior of the consumer, decreasing brand loyalty.
Whereas I was thinking about Delta, where they've made purchased upgrades and sometimes premium cabin fares more affordable, making upgrades for elites harder to come by. Despite this, Delta is still seemingly perceived as being ahead of its peer group (UA/AA) in both customer service and financial areas.