Your opinion is wrong, they can.What I do say is that, honestly and for whatever reasons, a person cannot say: eh, I have done the DW2 without going through all the points of the route. Let alone claim that right.
It's even in the title: DW2 is a journey of discovery, not a race of checkpoints to be completed on time and in order. Your opinion, where you've said that this is a "stage race", goes against the spirit of the expedition.
For example, as I wrote before, once I saw that the first parts of the expedition (after the Omega nebula) are going through a route which I've flown a dozen times before (the Colonia highway), I decided to go explore on a different route Eastward instead. I'd say that my decision would fit with the spirit of the expedition (discovery) better than your definition would, while you say I can't claim to have completed DW2 because I didn't visit a few waypoints.
Then there are console users, players who for whatever reason might be late, those who skipped some points because they've been there already and they wished to explore, and so on. Your stated intent of excluding so many players is also going against the spirit of the expedition.
I didn't start such a confrontation, but you did, when you started talking about how people who don't align with your personal opinion, what you call the "right" and "correct" way, aren't actually doing the expedition and should not be recognized as having finished it once they do. If being reminded after this that you can create your own expedition to be flown in your way is too much for you, well, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.[...]the last part of your message in which you remind me of my freedom to create my own route and thus be able to criticize it is too much and it goes straight into desiring a confrontation in which I am not willing to participate.
However, the verdict by the organizers has been given, opinions on this matter by others (including you and me) are irrelevant and further talk is pretty much pointless. I think I've explained myself quite clear by now anyway.