I didn’t say I believed NW/CO will end their unlimited First Class upgrade program, I said I believed it would be restricted. If the lowest price between NYC and LAX is $199RT, and NW matches a discounter’s $99RT fares, I see nothing wrong with NW restricting the upgrade on the cheaper fare.

This week British Airways exposed a fundamental flaw of Frequent Flyer programs: one can travel from the West Coast to London for less than one can travel from the Midwest to the East Coast; and the person traveling to London will collect 12,000+ miles whereas the person traveling to the East Coast will only get 1,000. Personally, I’m in favor of the sale as it gives persons (re: leisure travelers, especially familes) living in the West an opportunity to travel to Europe for the same price persons living within NYC enjoy. But from a business standpoint, I also feel as though miles should be reduced/not awarded for travel and use of certs such as SWU should be restricted.