That would seem to be the antithesis of Ben's own words recently regarding not being able to put a price on a customer's loyalty and using Flying Blue to trigger irrational behavior.

If the lounges just go subscription card based, I mean, I already have Priority Pass and Amex, why should I pay AFKL for this too? Plus, I become very rational very quickly then because I can clearly see that AFKL has no wish to reward loyalty, and will start taking business other places, rather than come to AFKL at higher prices so I can make use of my loyalty benefits. Of course, perhaps my/our definition of loyalty is different to what AFKL are thinking it means.

I do agree with you though, that at some point they will have to decide if they want to peddle subscriptions and credit card programs at the expense of their European customer base and irrationally loyal customers, or continue to offer something that balances things appropriately. Maybe it is time for the Franco-American Dutch Airlines to move operations to the US and cater to the customers there, because they seem to want to fit that economic environment more. But hey, maybe we're being harsh and should wait to see what this really is.