There's an interesting point here that's being overlooked.. I work for a LARGE company that has relationships with AA UA and NW.. I can pretty much choose my carrier out of any of those listed.. We also get extreme discounts on our tickets..

If I start earning status based on the price of my ticket, my full fare Y fares (costing less than some discounted Y fares) are going to give me NO benefits and I'll just have to move to an airline that does..

I put an enormous amount of business AAs way because of their service (1st), Destinations served (2nd) and FF program (3rd).. If they prevent me from earning EXP in the future I'll look elsewhere for my upgraded F seats..