Originally Posted by RustyC
I think it's that factor that pushes the situation beyond the normal "inflation" argument. The system would be far more sustainable without repeated devaluations if nearly all miles still had to be earned by flying. (Also liked how the article pointed out that various changes were forms of devaluation - some reporters get so sucked in by airline PR that they forget to mention that).
The system would be more sustainable if airlines stopped viewing award tickets as "free travel" (which they are not), recognize that in many instances they are making more money from credit card companies purchasing miles than from customers purchasing tickets (i.e., the $400 in revenue cited by the article vs. maybe $250 for a coach ticket purchase), and start providing more award seats.