In reality, OP was a terrible program for primarily international travel even before the changes. Lack of awards and upgrades, non-competitive prices, lack of a competitive partner alliance, no ability for elites to use a business lounge without a membership on international travel, very sparse full-service routing (no, million flights to/fro GUM don't count), etc., made CO suitable only for those few interntaional travelers that could buy a BF seat between the select major international destinations where CO had full-service.

Its appeal has always been the unlimited upgrades for domestic flyers and the near-monopoly they have in some domestic routes. The former was a powerful reason for CO to increase its market share but it was not a sustainable model once market share peaked.