Don't forget that many runners are in it for status. If I would have been Silver on CO but make Platinum thanks to a few runs, I am now actually "costing" the airline more RDMs, which sit on their balance sheet, as well as other costs of having an elite on the books (u/g seats no longer available for sale, though CO has controlled this pretty well). I don't know how quantifiable it is, but I have to assume a top tier flier costs the airline more to carry than a no status flyer.

Of course, the hope is that the same top tier flier will fly the carrier even if the tix are a bit more expensive, or on the last minute trip where it is definitely going to be expensive, in order to take advantage of the status, but that is a roll of the dice for many.

S.