Those who book cheap tickets will consistently find programs less appealing because airlines no longer find that type of passenger appealing. They're no longer wanting lounges filled with people who have paid effectively nothing to get there. Airlines need to make money, and rewarding people for flying cheaply makes no sense. It sounds harsh, perhaps, but in reality, it makes perfect sense. Ask yourself, if you ran your own restaurant, would you happily reward people who come in and occupy a table for hours every day while drinking one coffee and using your free wifi with free food and drink etc?

Also, an 8000-10000 Euro spend does not require spending on "expensive tickets". An expensive business ticket would be in the 4000-6000 Euro camp, so the spend would be achieved in 2 trips alone. If you genuinely need to travel regularly, either in Y or J, e.g. a typical 2-3 times a month for work/pleasure, that spend will quickly get chipped away at regardless as those tickets are likely to total 700-1000 Euros a month either way.

BA may sound better now, but I'd not be surprised if they follow suit in next 12-24 months.