Bob, you will continue to have naysayers no matter what, so plow ahead! There are many supporters.

Yes, the airlines are in financial trouble, no doubt about it. But that is hardly the fault of its customers and you can't blame the FF programs. For years, the FF programs have been viewed by naysayers and the media as a huge cost drain on the airlines. Now the programs (and by extension, frequent flyers) have become the whipping boys. How many times must it be noted that FF programs are one of the few profitable aspects of the airline business? Selling miles to companies for somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0 cents each means that a typical 25K domestic coach award ticket generates the airlines $375-$500 in revenue. This is, in many (most?) cases, MORE than the airline would have received if they actually sold the seat to a customer! And 25K domestic coach awards are the ones most frequently redeemed. I'm not certain, but I believe over 50% of award redemptions (Randy, if you are reading, perhaps you can supply the exact figure) are for domestic coach award tickets. In the current environment, where planes are hardly full, these awards are seats which would have gone empty anyway....loss to the airlines is close to $0.

The airlines have used the FF mileage gravy train to their advantage for years. Once again, it's not the customers fault that airlines have sold more miles than they are able to accommodate award tickets for. If they had provided suitable redemption opportunities all along, maybe they wouldn't be feeling the pinch of mileage liability and feel so compelled to strip us of benefits and devalue miles. Suddenly, after we have given loyalty to specific airlines in the way of paying higher fares and taking mileage runs, they want to move the goalposts. It's nonsense.

Frankly, with a couple of exceptions, the responses from airlines when customers have protested past FF program changes has been underwhelming. I don't expect much to come of the protests to Delta, BA, or others this time around either. If this is how the airlines want to play the "game", fine, but I've already made changes in my habits that will benefit my wallet, not theirs. Loyalty is basically out the window. Amongst other things:
1. No more mileage runs
2. No more purchase of FC upgrades. If I have some earned upgrades in my account fine, I'll use those.
3. Will fly SW, JetBlue, or other discounters if the price differential is enough to overcome the miles I would have received on my regular airline.
4. Re-assessed my valuation of miles and, since the airlines have raised redemption levels, I have been forced to cut their value. In addition, have begun taking award availability into account in my valuations. Of course, as I cut my valuation, it means the price differential between the discounters and the majors needs to be less to justify taking the discounter, ergo, more business for the discounters and less for the majors.
5. Lobbying my corporate travel department to part ways with DL (one of our preferred carriers) when our contract is up.
6. Letting friends know about the various FF program changes (read that as devaluations) so they can at least investigate and re-think their choice of airlines.
7. Giving bulk of business, where possible, to AA (as long as fare justified) because of MRTC.
8. No leisure business to DL or CO unless they are absolutely the lowest price for a particular trip. In CO's case, because I value their miles so low (about .85 of a cent each since award availability sucks) they need to have a significantly lower price than others for me to fly them.

In summary, it all comes down to value...a tricky equation that includes ticket price, miles, elite benefits, schedule, routing, and service. Those airlines that continue to want my business by offering a good value proposition (at least relative to other airlines), will get it, the others won't.