Eventually, Sernovitz will conclude by saying he doesn't quite agree with all the psycho-babble, that he figures people chase things like "Global Services" (and engage in seriously un-economic behavior like taking year end "mile runs," whereby frequent flyers run up sufficient miles and/or flight segments to guarantee one makes their frequent flyer tier level for next year) because these perks are fitting "consolation prizes" for busy flyers who spend way too many hours hurtling through the air cocooned only by wafer-thin aircraft aluminium.

I dunno though. The "endowment effect" makes sense to me. I reckon, even more basic than that, when I used to fly all the time, there was something about "being Gold." Maybe it wasn't the tonic water and pretzels and the wonderfully un-putrid urinal at the lounge, but the very fact I could go to the lounge. It was the entitlement. And when I wasn't gold status there was something equally gratifying about being not gold, "forget these airlines and their statuses and their nonsense, cattle-herding artificially scarcity-manipulating ways," green is good. Green is rebellious. Green is fine by me.