Originally Posted by
YOWgary
I mean it’s a game that has traditionally been played in year-long innings, and the people feeling burned by this largely seem to feel the rules have changed in the middle of a play in progress.
So, in that sense, you’re right. People thought they could count on anything here, when repeated evidence shows that the best scores are had by players who simply ignore the game altogether until the last minute.
I know that the rules have largely been unchanged throughout the years, and major changes are usually announced well in advance, giving the impression that airline loyalty programs are a "fair game" designed by airlines for frequent flyers. However, nowhere in the T&C stated that airlines can't modify the rules at any time. And as I mentioned, most "benefits" aren't really guaranteed tangible benefits. AC does not offer upgrades or reward flights, AC only offers points and e-ups, which many people end up getting zero value from. To think one step further, what's more important for AC? Their own bottomline, or hosting a game for a group of customers? The game here is always airlines doing what's best for their own profits, it's never about how to qualify elite status or "maximizing" the benefits of such status to begin with.
Are people really upset about a company doing what's best for their own bottomline? Or people are upset that they had the wrong understanding of the game they are so invested in, to the point that they keep convincing themselves that the game is real and fair, so they write in to complain about something that was never promised to them at the first place? I bet many people at AC are laughing when people are writing in to complain, and laugh even more when these people end up booking MRs to keep status.