Originally Posted by
canadiancow
I mean "deserve" from their perspective. They don't run the loyalty program to be nice. They run it because they think it will make them more money than not running it.
And in that context, status is very different from points. If the only thing that changes from giving someone status is they stop collecting bag fees, that's not what they want. They want you to pick AC over a competitor because you won't have to pay the bag fee.
But just like anything else in the world if you just optimize for short term money you might not like the long term results.
Unless AC want to give up the airline and turn into a credit card company I need benefits that make me want to fly. If they turn Aeroplan into a CC benefit program they might not like the long term results. Or maybe they will and I won't.