With the boom in the mining industry and the huge wages earn by miners, many of them commute by air all over Australia to follow their X weeks on/X weeks off type of roster. They can easily accumulate the miles required for higher status in a frequent flyer program which gives lounge access.
These are not the sort of people that the planners had in mind when FFPs were designed. Lounges were there for business men and the upper demographic of society. Flying was special and people got dressed up and behaved themselves.
These days a dump truck driver on a mine can easily be on US$80 000 a year and if living on the other side of the country can earn enough miles to qualify for a gold level FFP card. He doesn't normally travel in a suit and tie and regards a T shirt, jeans and training shoes as getting dressed up compared to his normal vest, shorts and flip flops.
Problems have been encountered with miners arriving early at the airport for their flight home and getting plastered in the bar whilst waiting. Now mining companies coordinate the drop off so that there is minimal time until boarding.
FFPs are down market compared to twenty or thirty years ago, a bit like the number of credit card holders having Platinum cards.