I'm researching for an article to be published in InsideFlyer, Randy Petersen's magazine, and would like to hear stories of your most extreme mileage runs or other ways you've earned miles - along the lines of "What I did to earn miles" or "true confessions".

If you'd prefer to email, please email lyoung@insideflyer.com. I'll be gathering the stories until April 30th. The article will appear in InsideFlyer's June issue (www.insideflyer.com).

Thanks!

Is the article only on mileage runs? What about status runs?

I'm interested in any way that you've flown trying to get more miles/status.

Thanks!

I'm interested in any way that you've flown trying to get more miles/status.

Thanks!

Mine wasn't a pure mileage run as I stayed for a week as I had to take the trip anyway, but I've flown: EWR-BOS-ORD-BRU-(MXP-VCE-BRU)*-JFK-RDU-MIA-EWR.

*: separate ticket.

I've done several NYC-PHX runs with interesting routings netting over 8k EQMs.

I can't compete with Kiwi, but I posted anyway! :D

11 crazy days in November last year. 4 transatlantic round trips back to back. (I could have done it in less time but I wanted to add in a bit of slack in case of delays etc).

LHR-LAX-DFW-ORD-DUB-SNN-ORD-DFW-LAX-MIA-ORD-DUB-SNN-ORD-DFW-LAX-MIA-MCO-DFW-ORD-DUB-SNN-ORD-MIA-LAX-ORD-DUB-LGW-EDI

Did it a) to keep AA EXP in an otherwise thin travelling year and b) because the miles/pence cost with all the bonuses that were going at the time was well below my 1ppm threshold.

And I quite enjoyed it as well! If you want to know more please PM me.

lynda-

Two of the three links in my signature below may be of interest.

The first link describes my mileage runs one summer
before people called them mileage runs.
There were a few 8-segment days in there.
I published the story in Randy's magazine which predates the current one.
That was almost twenty years ago.

The third link is of my reward trip to HKT last Fall
with a CMB-PDX run sandwiched in between,
resulting in three transpacs in a week.

Maybe you will find something of interest in these stories.

cheers

mark

My most extrem MR ever was actually not a true MR in terms of its definiton "to be flying purely for the reason to earn miles".

I had to go to three different business meetings/projects within 6 days. These meetings were in Asia and the US, so with the help of fellow flyertalker I was able to get a *Alliance RTW in J/F, which was actually cheaper then two seperate tickets Germany-Asia-Germany and Germany-US-Germany. As I also wanted to take the chance to meet a good friend of mine along the way, the routing (for a total of 71k status miles)was as following:

CGN-TXL-MUC-HKG-SIN-SYD-LAX-SFO-LAS-PHX-LAX-LAS-SFO-JFK-MUC-CGN

All in all I spend almost as much time on board of planes then I did on the ground (if you exclude the sleeping time in hotels from that).

I must say it was quite hard and the jetlag almost killed me :p
But still much, much fun....!!

Over 5K BIS miles in one day without leaving the US. DEN-IAH-DCA-IAH-SFO (of course, I did the same on the return). all in coach :(

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

.....

LHR-DOH-BAH-DOH-BAH-DOH-CMB-BKK-NRT-JFK-LAX-BKK-BOM-LHR on a mixture of Y,C,F and Premium Economy (predominantly C) as a double status run on BA and BD. It did include a few days tourism in BAH and LAX as well as maximising transit time to have a day in BKK in both directions. Status run was the primary purpose, though.

The weekend SIN runs were extreme. Tons of FTers running to SIN on dirt cheap flights on a weekend during the month of JULY of 2004 after SARS.
There is a lot of material in that forum that would make for good reading.

Another great story is Yaatri who's whole family goes with him. His kids have status better than most adults. He's a true addict.

I don't see how anything good can come out of responding here.

Drawing attention to an extreme MR, whether past or present, can only hurt future mileage runners. If an airline takes note of a bizarre or unintentional route, it can simply shut it down in seconds.

As such, I will not be sharing any details on this topic to be printed.

The month before SwissAir's program was absorbed by Lufthansa at the end of 2005, SwissClub offered 5000 miles per segment on any intra-Europe flight that included Zurich. There was only ONE routing formula that could squeeze 8 segments a day, which was starting and ending each day in Stuttgart!

Each segment earned 1000 miles (actual flying, minimum mileage) and 5000 bonus miles = 6000 miles x 8 segments per day= 48,000 miles. Average cost per segment $60, average cost per mile= .01 cent USD. I flew 6 days, and I had another half a dozen people fly 6 days each, so accrued over 2 million miles in less than a week!!

Thanks to getting in on some amazing mistake fares, I ended up earning Platinum status on KLM for 2006 for less than $1500:
4 YOW-DTW-MSP-HNL mistake fares on NW ($80 incl tax)
1 AMS-MXP-PVG in J class mistake fare on AZ ($600 incl tax)
2 YYZ-MXP-LCA in J class mistake fare on AZ ($220 incl tax)

Platinum status on KLM for 2007 for less than $2000:
3 YYZ-MXP-LCA in J class mistake fare on AZ ($220 incl tax)
4 YYZ-AMS-OTP mistake fare on NW ($230 incl tax)

Didn't need a mistake fare for LH SEN status (before they changed the rules.) Two 9 segment FC USAIr SFO-FPO-SFO for slightly over $600 each and 3 AirRail C ticket, in Germany, for less than $300, got SEN status for 2 years. Oh course, you neede Frequent Traveler status to really make this work, but they were comp'ing that to just about anyone. I earned it the Dec before, with one SFO=FPO RT.

I don't see how anything good can come out of responding here.

Drawing attention to an extreme MR, whether past or present, can only hurt future mileage runners. If an airline takes note of a bizarre or unintentional route, it can simply shut it down in seconds.

As such, I will not be sharing any details on this topic to be printed.I have to agree. I have no problem sharing some of my favorites with other FTers but I don't need the recognition that I see some FTers so desperately seeking.

Well, since all of my exploits were one-time-only opportunities, not systemic loopholes, I didn't see the harm in posting.

Clearly, it makes sense to keep close to the vest any CURRENT ONGOING mileage earning lopholes/opportunities.

I don't see how anything good can come out of responding here.

Drawing attention to an extreme MR, whether past or present, can only hurt future mileage runners. If an airline takes note of a bizarre or unintentional route, it can simply shut it down in seconds.

As such, I will not be sharing any details on this topic to be printed.

Channa,

I completely see your point and would not publish anything that would jeopordize any earning opportunities. Information about mileage runs is part of a larger magazine article and I am looking for information on past experiences. Not everything mentioned here will be in the article.

-Lynda
InsideFlyer

I have done several very extreme MRs (couple archived here on FT) but share the concern about sharing.