That's the situation for travelers with elite status; too many people have it, thanks to mileage runs, credit cards that offer miles, and the age of some of the programs. (American in particular, which grants gold status for life to anyone who earns a million miles in a year)
Here's my favorite bit of the article, from the WSJ:
"Many frequent travelers are already nursing a raft of complaints: That first-class upgrades are harder to score. That crowds of premium customers elbow each other when boarding some flights. And that special elite-only lines for security screening sometimes move slower than regular queues."
This is not surprising, especially the problems with getting an upgrade. Better to offer cheap first class tickets, if you are an airline, than give away to the not-so-elite-elites. As someone who travels in steerage most of the time, my only wish is that they awarded the exit row on the basis of height. I HATE short people in the exit row.
That's why they have the "secret elite" programs now, anyway.
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