Originally Posted by ridgeback
And in response to someone else's "point" above, I am AA PLT but have been living in the UK for about 6 months now. I've been experimenting with BA and the other airlines that fly from LHR. What I've found is that there's not much choice on most routes. That's egregiously so if you want to have a "relationship" with one airline.
Actually, I think you'll find that there's competition on virtually every route from LHR. What you're actually complaining about is that there isn't an identical competitor on every route, thus allowing you to (a) choose between competitors on every trip, and simultaneously (b) concentrate mileage earning with the minimum number of FF schemes.
Unfortunately, this is the same situation as at many fortress hubs all over the world. The great thing about living in London is that BA is so much less dominant at its only big hub than most of its big competitors are at theirs.