At this point, I am not particularly loyal to any airline. I have not seen much difference to being an elite over just buying F. For international I can usually find a business class saver award on some airline if I am flexible, and just direct the points from my CCs accordingly. Every time one airline’s saver awards seem to be drying up (e.g., UA, DL), another’s (BA, LH, AF) seems to be loosening. So the loyalty programs are definitely evolving, and upgrades almost gone, but accumulating points can still be a bargain way to fly.