Here is a data point.

as of today, I am a CK with the following stats. All have been booked as AA ticket numbers, would say about 50% on actual AA metal and the rest as AA codeshares on JV Metal (mostly BA, a couple of Iberia flights as well). In addition, I spent 4 months this summer off the road taking care of my father who passed away in September. I have a $6k AA/BA flight next week and a $4k AA/BA flight for thanksgiving, plus a handful of AA domestics before year end,

EQD: $62k
EQM: 278k
EQS: 92

received an email from AA yesterday that in order to maintain CK I would need an additional $10k spend on AA flights operated on AA metal either between my two international flights in November or between December 2 and January 31 to maintain (e.g. they know I have $10k worth of travel booked already and the AA segments won’t count towards this “challenge”)

as an SF based flyer, it is pretty frustrating that an approximately $75k ($85k if i did. the challenge) spend on AA (with travel on joint venture code shares) isn’t worthy of CK when there is another game in town. But, for a high spend like me, the only real benefit I lose is the email address and the very occasional Escalade transfer in LAX or DFW (but it isn’t often enough), and the FL access in Chicago or LAX (as it is too far out of the way in Dallas and JFK I’m flying business/first and have it anyhow)

oh well...the shiny luggage tag was a nice present last year.