I could in no way support AC/AE lowering SE to 45k or anything below where it is now. It is meant for people that do alot of flying, and to reduce the qualifying level to anything below where it is would devalue the benefits of reaching SE level. It took me a few years to decide if SE was worth it, and now that I have reached the level, I intend to keep it for many many years to come. The only way I could fathom them dropping SE to a lower level would be if they created a new level UE (Ultra Elite) and had it at a 100k qualifying level. Then all the people that got upset about E benefits dropping could have SE status, and still get nothing for it. Fly more and get SE if you dont want to deal with the loss of benefits...