Even then, as a practical matter, it's not like the earn rate relative to fare would improve: an H fare would earn 2.5x the miles of a V fare in SK's program (and 2.5x the elite credit), but I would expect that an H fare with similar flexibility and AP would cost at least 3x.

But if OP wants to light money on fire for a marginal return in miles (likely paying the best part of a euro per extra mile), they can call AF or go through a real travel agent.

This fare structure along with revenue-based earn (and revenue-based elite credit) does create an incentive to credit relatively expensive tickets to the operator's program and relatively inexpensive tickets to partner programs...