MarketWatch: Why Flyers Endure 'Mileage Runs' (video)
Oct 11, 2010, 8:20 pm
#1
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MarketWatch: Why Flyers Endure 'Mileage Runs' (video)
http://www.marketwatch.com/video/......5-689BDBAED2E3
Surprisingly pretty on the money! 
'Mileage runs' are common among frequent flyers just a few thousand miles shy of the miles needed for "elite" status, which gives them perks like seat upgrades and baggage fee waivers. Kelli Grant discusses the phenomena.
Oct 11, 2010, 8:23 pm
#2
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Smart Money: Taking a Flight Only for the Miles
And here's the Smart Money article mentioned in the video, including a quote by Randy!
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/t...for-the-miles/
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/t...for-the-miles/
Late-fall “mileage runs” are common among frequent fliers who are just a few miles shy of the 25,000 they need for “elite” status, which includes perks like seat upgrades and waived baggage fees. For the more casual traveler, such unnecessary trips might seem like flights of fancy. But with fares and fees on the rise, elite status is starting to confer tangible benefits. “Getting elite status used to be all about seat upgrades,” says Randy Petersen, the founder of InsideFlyer, which tracks frequent-flier programs. “Today it’s about saving money.”
Oct 11, 2010, 8:36 pm
#3
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Indeed, I'd say she got it dead on, including my reasons (or lack thereof) for going to GEG this spring. 
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewan...e-travel-week/
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewan...ay-to-spokane/
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewan...-off-the-list/
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewan...e-travel-week/
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewan...ay-to-spokane/
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewan...-off-the-list/