DonRedWolf

Hello Everybody...I saw a report of hobby of collecting points for upgrades on Sunday Morning Show on CBS today. I gotta ask...what is the point of doing all this flying? I'm sure it costs a few bucks to take all these flights all over the place just to get upgrades, but is it worth the money spent? What do you get in return? Sunday morning showed a woman that it seems like all she did was hop from city to city to city and back. Is this a hobby for somebody with money to spend that they don't miss or is there some viable reward to make it worthwhile. As a ad campaign for a newspaper once said....Inquiring Minds Want to Know. Thanks everybody.

james318

I do it because I love to fly. I love airplanes, airports, lounges, people watching, TSA lines, surely gate agents, EVERYTHING.

And I do it because I love to fly, and I love to fly first class, which means sometimes I need to fly to maintain status if my work travel doesnt cover it. I am not a rich person. I can't afford to jet off everytime I want. I have a house, car, bills, dogs, and what not.

clacko

there are people who fly a lot for personal and/or business reasons.....in some situations, it may be to ones advantage to take an unneeded trip[s] to achieve a goal....i have done it....

to understand, spend some time [a lot] reading the posts here on flyertalk....

good luck..

Spiff

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

Getting to see the planet for a very reasonable price and often in first/business class is the best dividend available.

tom911

It all comes down to what you do with the miles you accumulate.

When you're flying for free in business or first to Asia, Australia, South America and Europe, using miles you've accumulated on discounted tickets, it is worth it, and a very good return on what you pay. Start pricing out what it would cost to buy these tickets for cash, and it's easy to see just how valuable miles become as a currency.

For instance, I'm using miles on a business class ticket to the Olympics, and a business class ticket with multiple stops in Asia and Australia. If I bought those tickets, it would cost a lot more than what I paid on cheap fares to accumulate the miles.

giggy

The woman on CBS does not do this ALL the time, she was just topping off her acct before year end. What do you get?? how about
1. you walk into the airport and there's 250 people waiting at the ticket counter. But only 4 people waiting at the 1st class/High status line. That just saved you 35-45 minutes and If you checked baggage it got a (first out) tag put on it.
2. now you walk to security and the line now has 600 people in it. You use the elite line and save another 20 minutes.
3. before you get to the gate you stop at the airline "club" which your status got you a generous discount for membership. You have a few snacks and some beverages, relax a bit, and head for the gate.
4. when you are at the gate, your name is called and you get a shiny new gold boarding pass with a nice Upgrade to 1st class.
5. When they call for boarding, you get on first, no hassle looking for a place to store your carry-on.
6. On longer flights you get a hot meal, drinks and decent service
7. while you are flying you get a substantial mileage bonus.
theres quite a few more bennies, but these should give you a good idea of why people do it. Cheers and welcome to flyertalk Giggy

thepinenuts

To DonRedWolf, you ask what's the point . . . here's an example. In February I took my wife to London and Paris for her birthday. Long flight 11-12 hours from LAX, being scrounched in a coach seat was not a pleasant thought. First Class seats were $16,000 each, I did a mileage run once a month at approx $180 per time and earned two first class tickets on BA, out of pocket for $32,000 worth of tickets $5,000. Plus the fact I love to fly, airports etc.

ed1

What did I miss on CBS (when/what show)?

tom911

See: Sunday December 30. Flyertalkers and Randy on television

NH_Clark

First, welcome to FlyerTalk!!

To answer your question, from my persperctive/situation:
I fly for business in the Americas for a large software company. My company will only pay for economy class fare. Since I fly a lot I try and make my flying life as comfortable as possible. The way to do this is to qualify for the highest tier frequent flier program and use the benefits (as stated above; upgrades, discounted lounge access, early/priority boarding and seating, warm/hot better [sometimes ] meals, etc.) to ease the harsh reality that is flying nowadays.

Sometimes, in order to achieve the highest tier, you have to "acquire" some qualifying miles to take you over the required minimum. Ergo; Mileage Runs (MR). Others also use the MR to accumulate frequent flier miles for award travel. Read through the Mileage Run Discussion forum and you'll see these MRs are almost exclusively attempted at the cheapest fare possible and with as minimal "away from home" time as possible.

Then, on top of all this, there are folks who truly enjoy traveling, flying, and seeing new and exciting areas of the world. Combining this wanderlust with the chance to accumulate "benefits" is a win-win for the frequent flyer.

l etoile

The first year you are flying heavily is probably not going to be so great, unless you are buying premium fares, since you won't have status for a while. But once you reach top-tier it also makes these seemingly pointless trips quite comfortable. I think I took one coach trip this year and that was by choice since on a red-eye I prefer a row in coach (which is what I knew I would get since the flight was empty) to a seat in business/first.

BobH

You've missed a turn where you think people go on a mileage run (MR) or a segment run (SR) as a "hobby." People spend time and money on MRs or SRs do so because they're close to having elite status or the next level of elite status for the next year and the MR or SR or two or more of them will get them 'there'.

Take a look at the elite benefits section of any major airline's web page and you'll see an explanation of what these benefits are. People who go on MRs or SRs come up with a cost/benefit analysis that shows they're getting more for their money or time then they spend, i.e. it's a form of a profit..

Once you've taken that step, you may have a better understanding of what's going on.

Bob H

ed1

Thanks, I'll watch the recording tonight - I almost always record that show, unless I'm away.

Watchful

What is the point of all this????

It reminds me of a saying that my friends up the road at Texas A&M use to try to explain their intense devotion to - ahem - rather peculiar traditions:

"From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you just can't explain it."

That applies - I think - to the mileage run subculture!

KarlJ

What luck... I usually don't watch it, but my TiVo records most morning news shows as suggestions. Just checked it out... nice segment.