iwebslinger

I have read a couple of times on this board that people do mileage runs. Why? I know that you get the eqm but there has got to be other reasons. Do any of you who do them - do you enjoy them? I hope that my enquiry is not too intrusive. I am a bit perplexed and a bit amused and since I'm just sitting here watching the snow storm - I thought I would see what is behind the psyche of a mileage runner.

All you mileage runners I hope that you don't take any offense to my question. Just wanted to know why.

Thanks

TakeMeToEZE

You might want to take a look over on the MR forum as many people there have discussed this at length before.

Basically, though, people do MRs because they want to meet the EQM threshhold for their desired level of status. Elite status makes a big difference when travelling; you get upgrades, better service (hypothetically), and a host of other benefits. MRs seem weird when you first learn about them, but strangely over time (and after reading FT a while) they seem perfectly sane and normal.

cblaisd

Moved to MileageRuns forum.

cblaisd
Moderator, United

FightingIlliniUAL

Take offense to your questions? Noooo

Couldn't explain it better than TakeMeToEZE

tom911

Well...miles built up on cheap fares help to buy expensive tickets that one would otherwise not be able to afford (or just not want to pay for). The last three summers I've flown to Tokyo, Barcelona and Athens (for the Olympics) all in business class, on award tickets valued at over $5,000 each. I've also done 10 award tickets in business or first over the last dozen years to Australia or New Zealand, generally valued at $7,000RT or more. I built up the majority of the miles for those on domestic tickets that cost less than $200, or off-season Europe tickets under $400, and have been able to upgrade on most of those just because of frequent flyer status.

Yes, makes sense to me Once you've made top tier on your selected program, you just don't want to drop back down.

olympicnut

I, like you, didn't understand the whole MR concept, until I finally got Premier status on UA for this year. Only reason I have it too is because of 2 trips to Europe I took last year and now I want it all the time I know I'll never reach any higher status as I don't travel for work, so it's all leisure trips I have to take to get status.

So I will be taking my first official MR in a couple weeks LAX-PHL for only $178rt on UA. Luckily I can stay a couple days and visit friends which is cool. I'm now totally on the hunt for cheap MR's so that I can make Premier status for 2006 for when I go Down Under

iwebslinger

This is probably another thread but what do you usually do on a mileage run? Do you usually do a mileage run in E-? I see that some do mileage runs to Asia. Do you pay for it or somehow set up your trip to do some biz also?

Do you enjoy it?

AuAAdvantage

If you're at the mid to top elite level, at least at AA (and probably virtually all domestic legacy airlines), you get a 100% mileage bonus plus a 1000 mile booking bonus (if booked at AA.com). If you have a Citibank AAdvantage Mastercard, you get the miles for each dollar of airfare as well (assuming you used that card to charge the airfare). So, let's say you get a 7,300 mile weird-routing transcon for $230 all inclusive (don't forget you get a minimum base mileage of 500 even if the leg is alot less, e.g. ~200 miles DCA-LGA counts as 500). So the 7,300 mile transcon for $230 gets you 7,300 base miles + 7,300 bonus miles + 1,000 AA.com booking bonus + 230 miles AAdvantage Mastercard miles = 15,830. You do two of those ($460) and it's more than enough for a 25K award transcon and almost enough for a RT award to Hawaii (35K). That's not counting the freebie domestic FC upgrades, 8 electronic UPGs per year for upgrading travel to Europe, Asia, etc (assuming you're Executive Plat at AA) regardless of fare paid. Sometimes, like last year, they have special promos where you earn extra award tickets in addition to the miles you get to use for regular awards. So, there is a method to the madness.

KathyWdrf

Well, some of us do mileage runs so that we can get top-tier status (such as 1K on United) cheaply, so that when we fly FUTURE mileage runs, they will generally ALL be upgraded to business class, so that....

Hmmm, does this sound like a dog chasing its tail? Or the tail wagging the dog? Or something....

Seriously, though, once you've enjoyed the high-status bennies you won't want to go back to being a plebe!

Bulldog King

That makes perfect sense to me.

Before I became a Delta FO, I really didn't know what I was missing....

Now, I find that at the very least, I want to make sure to keep that status...if not move up to either Gold or maybe even....Platinum.

As a result, I have started planning my routings to increase the number of miles that I get for each trip.

Case in point.....3 SPG stays, 7556 Delta MQMs and over 11,000 Skymiles for a weekend trip (T-class - about $175 since I booked it as 2 one-ways) to New Orleans from NYC-LGA. I definitely plan to go back at some point after Mardi Gras is over.....but before it gets too hot down there.

My next "MR" on Delta is going to just be more of the same....outbound to either SFO or OAK and returning from SMF..... 2 SPG stays, over 7100 MQMs and over 10,000 more skymiles...not counting a bunch of Amtrak points as well.

I know that neither of these are true mileage runs in the strictest sense, but as far as I'm concerned, every additional MQM that I earn is one step closer to a higher level....and I really want to make sure that at the very minimum, I reach Gold this year.

Still, I have yet to do an actual "fast turn" mileage run....simply because I like to turn these "MR"s into short getaways for the weekend.

Personally....I enjoy flying....especially when I'm upgraded to FC.

A.J.

EdisonCarter

I tell myself that too, but then generally whenever there are saver award tickets available the fare is cheap enough that I buy the ticket instead because I can't pass up the chance to get the EQMs, redeemable miles, and upgrades. In my mind I still think of 25k as being a free domestic ticket, but the serious mileage runner isn't going to end up using the miles for those award tickets anyway.

It's okay to realize that the whole mileage/status run mindset is a touch irrational and keep doing it anyway. It's a hobby, no more silly than buying a $35k car when one costing $15k will be just as effective in most situations. There are times when having the more expensive car (or MR obtained status) proves spectacularly enjoyable and convenient, but whether the overall cost is worth it is something each person must decide on their own.

Stretching things a little and throwing in a bit of psycho-babble: working the system to achieve status, etc. is a way for the lone individual to feel a bit of recognition and self-actualization in the faceless corporate world we all navigate. It's an ironic, defiant statement: "You only care about the almighty dollar, and not me as a person? Fine! I only care about the Almighty Mile!"

iwebslinger

I am starting to understand a bit. It was hard because I travel for business and I travel about 100,000 miles plus. Planes mean work.

bursa

I've never done MR just for the miles- i.e, don't actually enjoy the destination. I've done a "MR" but have stayed a night or two to visit friends/family or routed a trip that otherwise would've been nonstop into something a little more extra- like routing through CVG on Northeast-FL routes. Maybe a little longer on FT and I'll be crazy enough to go on a pure MR.

cordelli

I usually don't do mileage runs, but we'll take off for a weekend someplace we want to go because it's cheap and we get the miles. Normal people will call that a mileage run, nobody sane goes to Rio for the weekend they will say, people here wouldn't call it a pure run because there was something other then an airplane trip involved. People here would say why pay for a hotel room when you could come back home the same day?

And, yes I am saying if we are on this board we generally aren't normal.

All that being said, there are times I'll do one. A few years ago I was a few hundred miles from the status level I held for many years wtith only two weeks left in the year. Some end of year trips all got cancleded when the financial situtation at my company of the time turned, so I wasn't going to make the level I wanted.

I would have given up the double bonus, I would have given up all the free upgrades to Business (at the time I couldn't even remember the last time I was in coach), and everything else we all love about having status.

It was the last week of the year, so I took a day trip from New York down to Atlanta. Got some dogs at the Varsity, drank about $100 worth of soda over at Coke, and came home. I had says to use at the job by the end of the year, or I would lose them, and I needed the miles, and it all worked out. I even managed to get bumped on the way home, so I got another free trip. I left in the morning, was back home at dinner time, just like I went into work.

ja_user

The good thing about your setup is you don't have to get as creative with those Sat night stays and 1/3 day minimums... PErsonally, I extend out travel I was going to do anyway, or possibly some place I don't mind going. Yet to do a pure run, but mainly becuase i just started this FT thing last year, and did the AA challenge to get to PLAT. We will see, but I am sure by Oct 05 I won't want to be loosing status and will want to do something creative..

This week, I took what would have been MCI_ORD_IAD or MCI_DFW_IAD to MCI_DFW_SFO_LAX_IAD and back IAD_LAX_BOS_LGA_MCI

10k miles for more upgrade stickers and a jump on the status for next year... If you book the redeye transcon's and are going the right direction, you can rack up miles quickly... I have yet to get my passport, I have been wanting a reason besides MR's.