As someone who commutes between NYC and San Diego on a weekly basis, let me be one of the first to say that these changes will definitely influence whether I fly Delta. I am a graduate student at NYU, but I continue to work in San Diego. I commute back to CA from NY every week. As a student, I qualify for student fares (normally in L class). Based on the modifications to the program, I will now only earn 50% of the miles flown. Why should I fly on an airline which has basically just told me that they think my weekly travel is less worthy of elite status because I qualify for a cheaper fare!! I have my fingers crossed that this is not the start of an awful trend among frequent flier programs.