Apologies for furthering the dirft
So yes it was very much the opposite with me! We only met (through friends) as a result of me doing an East Coast tier point run, first date facilitated through another indirect TATL routing run (earning 20TP more than direct!). I think I sold a second date on the basis that 'I'm coming back to New York to gain airline status, lets meet up again'. At some level I can very much blame BA tier thresholds for my marriage (I did write to BAEC recounting this in the vague hope of a honeymoon upgrade... but didn't ever get a reply :-( )