Yes, his idea of Platinums is waaaaay off the mark. I rarely travel internationally for work and I only just recently made Platinum. I would have made the EXACT same comment about not having any problems using my miles even when I was just a Silver or a Gold (in fact I have made that comment before making Platinum). Fact is, I have never had a problem booking trips to various cities around the country. Maybe I am just lucky or maybe I don't sit there and expect CO (or any other airline) to have the exact flight (time and day) that I want to fly and if they don't I refuse to fly for free. That's simply stupid. No, I am flexible and sometimes it may mean an earlier or later flight or maybe even a different day but I make it work.

Why do people have such unrealistic expectations of airlines. Why would anyone in their right mind expect to get a free flight, whenever and wherever they want. That's simply not how the world works. And if you really think miles are a ripoff then hey don't join OnePass (or any other mileage program), but don't sit around and constantly complain (and whine) about how you can't use your miles EVER!