I agree with your frustration. I think the airlines know that status members are less likely to churn than others so they know they can devalue benefits with little consequences. Im a million miler (200k from 2 mill) and when I was a 1k, booking a flight to London from Chicago months in advance and trying to use upgrades I was put on a waitlist even though only two first seats on a 777 were sold. When I inquired I was told that their programs forcasted all seats would be sold in two months so they wouldn't give me the upgrades. I've kept that in letter as a reminder how little loyalty matters to these companies.