Originally Posted by
bwhite
If you don't mind flying, turn some business trips into MRs. Before I was flying enough I would take a trip like RDU-ATL-DEN and fly RDU-ATL-PHX-SLC-DEN and same on the return. Had to fly all day to do it but tripled my MQMs and added a few segments.
Glad to know I'm not the only practitioner of business ---> MR travel; the only problem is keeping the fare differential (read "out-of-pocket cost") somewhat manageable, esp when most travel is reasonably short-notice
A couple years ago AS was offering DCA-LAX-SEA-SNA for around $275, which was essentially 1000 free miles for the same fare as DCA-SEA-SNA
Don't know where the OP is or where they fly, but strategic routing is an easy option ... I'm in DC, so I generally go to/from Florida via DTW rather than ATL; to/from the west coast via JFK rather than anywhere in the middle of the country (yeah, I know, this summer will be tough with the delays associated with runway construction); to/from ABQ or COS via SLC ... also look for alternate cities where Y/B/M fares are available; in my case BWI-DAY in M (and often in A) is obviously a better choice than DCA-DAY in K even if the trek to/from the airport is 2.5x longer