Sadly, the effects of that one were short-lived. I can’t imagine that this one is going to be much better.

I know how much email you get, so I’ll post this here, you don’t have to approve it of course.

Just wanted to give you a heads up – the Wyndham BRG has changed significantly. Check out my blog post about it, it may be newsworthy and I’d like to hear your thoughts vis-a-vis my own.

Dave

That said, passing out cards at the gate is ridiculous. Not getting elite miles is your problem — not your fellow traveller’s. It’s the equivalent of passing out protest cards at the supermarket because the store refuses to carry your favorite French brie.

The best way to protest is, of course, with your feet. The problem the protesters have, though, is the company has obviously run the numbers and doesn’t care that certain frequent flyers are unhappy. I know it’s hard to believe, but the people who care the most about maximizing miles are not likely to be an airline’s best customers.

I know in my own life that frequent flyer miles are much more important to the cheap tickets I buy than the expensive ones. The expensive tickets are business tickets where I want to get someplace (and then get home) ASAP. The cheap tickets are leisure travel. So perhaps “loyalty programs” are overrated, at least when it comes to identifying an airline’s best (aka most profitable) customers?

FWIW, CO seems to have realized this a few years ago with their independent “Stars” recognition program.