I have had some correspondence with Diamond Club today and a more comprehensive explanation (and perhaps a clearer wording) will be forthcoming. Let's wait and see what the next communication will bring and then understand it clearly.Then you can express your unhappiness. Or indeed your undying devotion.
This measure is designed to eliminate the practises that are viewed as being contrary to the spirit of the rules - e.g. z2-z8-z2, with the last segments being thrown away, or long stopovers in Z8, with a same-day turnaround in Z2 as means of paying Z2 miles for a z8 holiday etc. It's not intended to touch, in any way at all, those who are forced through specific hubs in more expensive zones, because the *A route network can only move people from A to B via C.
I think this thread will become more illuminative shortly, so let's not muddy the waters with talk of fraud or any such thing - DC holds all the aces in terms of their T&Cs - they have the absolute right to make changes to their programme without notice.
