TWA is sure taking some heat for going back on its promise. Other airlines may not have made the exact same promise, but it isn’t fair to say that TWA is the only one to break any promises. If you have any doubt, hop over to the Continental page and see how people feel about their NIP awards. Continental most definitely changed the rules after the game began on that award promise. Yes, you should definitely take your business elsewhere if you’re truly not satisfied. But, as my Mother used to say, there’s no need to cut off your nose to spite your face. If American or Delta or United don’t offer what Aviators offers - specifically the dollar-based Fare Rewards - then you’re only hurting yourself by switching your loyalty, especially if you’ve worked long and hard to build up a lot of miles with TWA. We at InsideFlyer don’t like the decision to lose the equity chart. Sooner or later, all of those equity miles will be used up, so we don’t necessarily see the need. But beyond that, many of the changes implemented with the new program are for the better, or at the very least, are no different from the industry standard. So switching your loyalty may not really serve your best interest, save to make a point to TWA. But making this point may not be worth what you lose by starting all over with another airline’s program, especially if that program doesn’t really fit your needs. The best way to make your point about a particular issue is still to make a lot of noise. To quote another on my Mother’s favorite cliché’s, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. We’ve seen other programs make minor alterations or exceptions in the past in response to member “uprisings.” United took a lot of heat over adding a Saturday night stay requirement to certain awards, and it was convinced to rescind the changes before they even took effect. Why? Noisy Mileage Plus members, especially elite-level members. So don’t think of these rules as static. I know, I know. I’ve already encouraged you (and some of you didn’t need much encouragement) to switch your loyalty if you’re not satisfied. But in perusing some of these FlyerTalk comments, I see I need to caveat that suggestion by reminding you to shop and compare before you make such a change. I’m reminded of the infamous decision to launch the “New Coke” many years ago. Nobody like New Coke. We all wanted the old Coke. But just because the New Coke was disgusting, it didn’t make Pepsi taste any better. The result? Classic Coke. A modified return to what we all wanted - and had - to begin with. Let’s keep hoping for this sort of resolution to the equity award chart issue. But TWA, lookout! You better pay attention to the squeaky wheels, or like the New Coke, you, too, are in the running for top honors from the Millard Fillmore Society of Mediocrity!