I have always believed the rationale for "lifetime status", was that it took the good part of somebody's work life to accumulate that many miles. It was kind of a "thank you", and, I believe. intended to be used by long time patrons, in their retirement, when they'd be buying their own travel, and clearly not making the annual mileage thresholds needed to score more comfortable seating. That line of reasoning might actually work with these characters.