Decius wrote:

Without drawing any kind of moral equivalency, let's just say that December 1, 2007, is a date that will live in business-travel infamy. That's when one of the Big Six will complete a sneak attack that will destroy the frequent-flier programs as we have known them.

If you're a player in Delta SkyMiles, I suggest you cash out by November 30 because your miles will essentially be worthless the next day. Playing in other frequent-flier plans? Start considering your options because, if Delta succeeds, your carrier of choice is sure to do the same thing.

Oh please. How does the fact that some tickets cannot be bought with miles make miles completely worthless?

Its an exaggeration, but basically Delta is doing a stealth devaluation. First they introduce SkyChoice, with garuanteed availability but twice the miles and SkySavers for the same price that can be extremely hard to book. Now SkyChoice is eroding in availability too.

In the sense that miles are not always exchangeable for service from delta, the currency is strongly undermined.

RE: The end of frequent-flier programs - USATODAY.com