Have Elite Fliers Been Downgraded?

Interesting article from the New York Times


Nothing we don't kow already except for one statistic that about 10 years ago 2-3% of passengers were 'elites' now it is 6%.

And as usual some of the comments make interesting reading.

I like the joke:

What's the difference between a 737 and an AA elite flyer? The 737 stops whining when it gets to the gate.

There's not a lot to add to the article - I frequently fly within the US and it's obviously the system is broken beyond repair, and, as the article says, driven by revenue not service. I think VS ( and other UK airlines) has it much righter, as does VX, by for example not setting an expectation it will give away upgrades and the like at whim, and by maintaining some degree of service separation between tiers.

Very interesting reading. I agree to an extent with the theory that when the number of "elite" increases, they stop being special. Which is probably the same thing that's happening to VS AUs. They're now so many that it's not a special occasion to have one on board anymore