Originally Posted by diburning

This is a very valid concern. With United and American going to spend-based qualifying points programs, which don't take distance into account anymore (unless you're crediting a partner ticket), I wouldn't be surprised if Delta eventualy adopts it as well. The only difference is that it requires twice the amount of spend on American for the equivalent tier on United (American requires double the spend/points, ancilliary fees don't earn points. United requires the same number of points as before, and ancilliary fees earn points) so my second concern would be how difficult it would be to earn status on Delta when it happens.