This appears to be the way with fixed millage upgrades nowhere to be found, despite this being one of the most attractive reasons to be involved in a loyalty program.

It looks like they have quietly been stripping all the value out the program without communicating. No way to upgrade with miles (bidding only), extremely limited guest seats available, price of guest seats increased dramatically (i.e. J class to Sydney was 100k ==> 155k miles, MXP 62k ==> 88k), hidden fees added at checkout.