We are not the airlines' partners. We are their customers.

The only value of a customer to a business is the revenue he/she will bring in, directly or indirectly, in the future.

Therefore, the only reason for a frequent flyer program is to enhance future revenue.

Unless an airline violates the terms of its program, complaining about reduced benefits, etc., sounds like a kid complaining "mommy/daddy made me go to bed too early."

While I'd like to keep my benefits as much as the next person, a bit less "gimme gimme" whining and a bit more Business 101 realism would be nice - and would, believe it or not, actually increase the likelihood that requests to maintain reasonable benefit levels will succeed. (It's easy for managers to ignore an "I want mine, to heck with you" complainer. It's harder for them to ignore well-reasoned business logic.)