DCAorBust

Between now and October 10 become a CP for 2011 in 16 flights or less depending on your current status.
See: Hop, skip and jump for Preferred status

treznor

Those flights have to be pretty specific though, not just random flights.

To move up a level you need 4 'hops, skips, & jumps' from:
- 8 Geographic regions
- Shuttle
- 11 Specific routes

Each one you qualify for only counts once. You actually could qualify in only 7/8 flights if you pick those flights very carefully (as the specific routes actually would cover the geographic regions as well).

Bagette

OK, I'm just not understanding how this will work. For example, would PHX-PHL-MAD (RT) count for 3 --North America (West), North America (East), and Europe? Or would it just count for 1 (Europe)?

charlotteimmigration

I am very confused by this
is registration auto?
or what do I need to do

here is my current travel

1)CLT-DCA
DCA-LGA (shuttle)

2) CLT-IAH

3) IAH-CLT

4) CLT-SJD (new route) (also east USA to mexico jump)

5) SJD-CLT (new route) (also USA to mexico jump)

6) CLT-Ottawa-CLT (new route)

Will I get 5 points? or 7 points or just 4?


I could really use gold or plat

DCAorBust

I find it all very confusing, but I think that it's clear that a segment only counts once. "You can only count each hop, skip, or jump one time: once you’ve checked it off your list you can’t count it again." Thus a DCA>LGA "skip" would count as a shuttle skip, but not a "hop" within the east.

Interesting that this is segment based, not round trips.

Also note that travel must be booked after 7/7.

charlotteimmigration

actually it says travel must be booked for travel between 7/7 and 10/10
so I think pre-existing reservations count

"I’m in! How do I start earning hops, skips and jumps?

There's no registration. Just buy your tickets and travel between July 7, 2010 and October 10, 2010 and remember to include your Dividend Miles number. It’s that easy. We'll keep track of your hop, skip and jump count and we’ll increase your Preferred status level when you earn at least 4."

so I already bought my tickets and do intend to travel after july 7 so should be all good

charlotteimmigration

just called US to clarify
MUST be bought today onwards.....
typical BS
forget the 3-4k revenue I ALREADY have booked
hahaha
ooooh USAirways

flyzabit

Here is what I am looking at:
"We'll add your count of hops, skips and jumps and your total count will determine your Preferred status:

1, 2, or 3 hops, skips and jumps will not change your current Preferred status.
4 to 7 hops, skips, and jumps will move your pre-offer Preferred status up one level.
8 to 11 hops, skips and jumps will move your pre-offer Preferred status up two levels.
12 to 15 hops, skips and jumps will move your pre-offer Preferred status up three levels.
16 or more hops, skips and jumps will move your pre-offer Preferred status up four levels.
Your new Preferred status will be good for the 2011 Preferred year, which ends February 29, 2012.

Note... this DOES state by "flight segment".
OK - so if one is Gold, and does unique 8 h/s/j between 7/7-10/10/10, then one becomes Chairman's Preferred? Through the rest of this year AND all of next year (as it is after July 1 as they usually do for preferred status promos, and because they say so?)
It would appear that a r/t via CLT/PHL to the Caribbean would be 3 segments (N-A West; Caribbean; N/A west), for example -- unless PHX-MBJ was the destination for a 4th segment. So, a 2nd trip to Mexico or Hawaii (or a shuttle segment) would make the 4th for 1 level increase.
(Class of service does not matter.)

Holy Guacamole! Time to fly!

johnep1

Well - I haven't bought a ticket on US since April due to the choice seating BS, but this might temp me as a current plat with only 15k or so EQMs so far this year and no previous plans for any more.

Now I just need to find a RT from CLT that gets all 4 of these. Something like CLT-DCA-LGA-PHX-BTR-CLT. I think it would have to be done in that order so that the BTR-CLT flight doesn't fill up a hop instead of a jump.

DCAorBust

Correcting myself. It looks as though the FAQ provides a bit of clarity. "[F]lights can have multiple counts." Thus a shuttle flight will count for both a hop within the East & a skip.

flyzabit

Not -quite- true. To travel to a region, or on the new routes, one would have to consider that you only get credit for the region once, or the new market once, but presumably would have to travel round-trip in most cases.

4 is pretty easy, 8 is reasonable (but may involve a couple more segments than 8). To reach 12 and definitely 16, you will have some round trips where only one flight will count as a hop, skip, or jump.

As noted above, a segment may count for both a new route AND a region, however (as 2 h/s/j for 1 flight segment).
But they may be confused on their regions: (MX = C/A, not N/A by diagram) Their words from T&C: "Can a single flight count for multiple hops, skips or jumps? -- Yes, a number of flights can have multiple counts. For example, Charlotte to Puerto Vallarta counts for a North America, east hop and a Mexico/Central America hop and a Charlotte to Puerto Vallarta jump. Boston to New York La Guardia counts as both a North America, east hop and a Shuttle skip."

charlotteimmigration

how do I do this in a MR from CLT in 1 day or 2 days?

All I can see is

CLT-NAS
NAS-BOS via phl
BOS-CLT via DCA

then CLT-newroute-CLT

I really want to do it in 1 day and for under 400 bucks

possible?

GoodOmens

You can only do a particular hop, skip or jump once. You can only do one Caribbean, one shuttle, one NA West, one NA East etc.

It seems that if you could find DCA (or another starting point)-PHX-Montego Bay-DCA for a decent amount you'd be pretty well off because you'd get US East, West, New Route and Jamaica all in one shot.

RIC Hokie

In looking at this, are we automatically entered...no registration needed? I booked a trip this morning to Minneapolis, so that should be OK since it was booked 7/7 (For Aug travel). I can't tell, is that in North America West? The FAQ says it's defined by the Mississippi River, but doesn't that run right through downtown?

bmvaughn

There goes US Airways, dividing into US East and US West...