What's so bad about going back to Gold?

Either way, CO PLT status is not the best in comparison to other US carriers. Upgrading on CO even as a PLT is usually a hassle.

AA doesn't offer unlimited complimentary upgrades to their PLT members (which is their middle tier), yet I have never missed an upgrade with AA. CO on the other hand, is another story, the only reason I haven't missed any upgrades with them is b/c I ended up paying the fare difference at the airport. Oh, and those outrageous fees CO charges for upgrading to BF plus the many miles on intl flights! OK, AA has started to charge fees for upgrading but they are not as bad as CO's.