Will "fewer frills" tickets, which would strip even elites of perks on proposed British Airways fares, catch on?

Last week, British Airways held its invitation-only Gold Guest List lunch at which super elite fliers heard a speech about some of the airline's upcoming changes. Some of the announcements were well-received – such as a commitment to spending more money on catering and improve the cleanliness of cabins – while others fit squarely in the center of the Cons column.

According to the Head for Points blog, British Airways will soon be introducing an "Even Fewer Frills" ticket, which seems like a euphemism for "No Frills at All" or "What are These Frills That You Speak Of?" The economy-class ticket will probably not include any lounge access, nor will it include Priority Boarding or any of the other sort-of perks that frequent or elite travelers look forward to. The author of the Head for Points blog was OK with the idea – in theory – provided that business travelers who are are required to book the cheapest fares wouldn't get stuck with a completely frill-free flight, losing the perks that they'd already earned.

But Gary Leff of View From the Wing is totally against it, because he feels that the idea of that economy ticket devalues the status of Elite travelers. If someone flies British Airways every week, he argues, that person should not be denied the rewards that frequent travelers have earned, just because that person purchased the most discounted fare available. He writes: 

It’s a very important message not to forget: I am not my fare. I am a valued customer, or I am not, and how welcome I’m made to feel should not change between Tuesday on a full fare and Thursday on a discount one when I’m buying a ticket pretty much every week.

Leff might be shaking his fist in the direction of British Airways, but he doesn't think that U.S. domestic carriers would offer a similar No Perks ticket, largely because it would be difficult for them to differentiate between fliers who had obtained elite status through a co-branded credit card or those who earned it by flying hundreds of thousands of miles.

But back to the most important question: does British Airways serve its own airplane food at these Gold Guest List lunches? Because that's being even more unfair to their elite customers.