More precisely
johnabis would need to earn 11,000 Purchase Points to match the Flight Points. One way to do this is by spending $11,000, but some categories earn more than point per dollar and match more than one Flight Point, and bonus points also match Flight Points.
Flight Points are simply a marketing device designed to influence your future credit card behavior, not to reward you for buying a ticket. Citi does not earn more fees if you buy an airline ticket rather than a refrigerator. Citi is betting that you will feel that you "earned" the Flight Points and they would be "wasted" if you do not match them
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You are absolutely correct. Good catch.