They’re Just Like Us! One Celebrity’s Obsession with Points, Miles and Status

Actress Ana Gasteyer (@AnaGasteyer) is best known for her six-year run on SNL — but did you know the Weight Watchers Ambassador recently took her first mileage run? Last month, she appeared on Live! with Kelly and Michael to talk about her new season of Suburgatory, which airs Wednesdays on ABC at 8:30 p.m. During the interview, Gasteyer discussed her love of travel and obsession with reaching the coveted United Platinum status. Curious as to how Gasteyer’s first mileage run went, why she picked Istanbul as her destination and what sort of travel experiences she’s had, FlyerTalk reached out.

FlyerTalk: Prior to your Istanbul run, were you familiar with the world of mileage running?

Ana Gasteyer: I am familiar with the world of mileage running, and my trip absolutely originated from my lust for United Platinum status… The journey to Istanbul had to be a thinly-veiled mileage run cleverly positioned as a romantic getaway, because my husband thinks my obsession with elite status is insane. And while I get his point about how bananas we mileage-obsessed types can sound, it is a little tricky to justify the part about ditching my young children for three days to achieve a higher standing with an airline customer rewards program. Priorities. So, I guess due to my inconvenient loyalty to my family, of the Elite-status-obsessed, I am at best an adjacent-lightweight.

FT: Can you tell us about your recent mileage run to Istanbul? Did you stay and explore, or did you just hang out in the airport and return home?

AG: I knew the pitch to my husband was going to be tricky and I like to be thrifty, so when I realized I was 10K away from Platinum, I did a search on Google Flights to see where I could get for $650 roundtrip… My best options were St. Petersburg, Bogota, Cairo and Istanbul. To be honest, Istanbul has always been on my Dream Destination list. The more I looked at the options, the more it became apparent that the run could really become a trip and not just a 72-hour experiment in water retention and neck cricks… We could manage to squeeze in an incredible trip out of four nights sans jet lag; a perfectly acceptable, grown-up getaway that would easily dupe my husband/feed my mileage bank… In the end, we had an absolutely incredible trip in one of the most magical cities in the world.

FT: Which elite status perks do you value the most?

AG: Without a doubt, it’s skipping the long TSA line. For frequent fliers, that line can literally wear away at your soul… Even my husband, the Elite-status-skeptic, admitted to the beauty of that speedy line en route to Turkey. And of course I love an upgrade and a lounge, who doesn’t?

FT: Do you have elite status with any other airline?

AG: I tried in earnest to get Silver on American with a combo of flights and a branded credit card PQM offer, but I am in Frequent Flier Court with them now. In the column of ‘Wanted Hours Back’, let’s also add the time spent getting the miles promised on those credit card offers. I have yet to have one work without countless follow-up calls. I also have Virgin Silver. I’m a big Virgin fan, a great airline, especially for flying with the kids. Silver has a very simple number of perks, but that Main Cabin Select upgrade option is great… I focused on United because I like the PS planes – which are great for my Suburgatory NY to LA commute – and the ability to change my ticket within 24 hours of departure as a Platinum Flyer. I pay my way when I go back and forth for work, and my shooting schedule can change on a dime, so that $200 change fee is a killer on American and Virgin.

FT: Are you loyal to any hotel chains? If so, have you gone mattress running before?

AG: I am obsessed with perks and offers so I try to sign up for anything I can, but I don’t stay in hotels enough to make a loyalty call. In my fantasy life, I have a Personal Clubs and Offers Concierge who combs through my rewards and comes up with cool ways to take advantage of each and every perk. I find it endlessly fascinating and satisfying.

FT: What has been your most memorable in-flight experience?

AG: The most memorable flights I’ve taken involve someone puking, so those aren’t very fun or cute stories. On the up, I have had a number of lovely flight attendants and pursers on United. As a population, they seem to be consistent fans of Suburgatory, so they are always lovely to me.

FT: What aspects of air travel do you enjoy/dislike the most?

AG: My husband has always seen a hidden opportunity in Unanticipated Wait Time, and he’s taught me to welcome the free time to think, read or nap. Honestly, any parent of young children sees the value in no one asking for anything for an afternoon… I do find that the more I fly, the more irritated I get with an inexperienced traveler—people who slow down departure by shoving their coats in the overhead bins, Unidentified Smelly Food Eaters, Dual-Armrest Hogs or people who don’t bring anything to occupy a small child. I’ve actually reached into my bag and handed a backup box of crayons across the aisle to a kid who had nothing to play with for four hours.

FT: The journey vs. destination: Which aspect of travel do you enjoy most?

AG: Destination for sure, but like I said, if you’ve got a stack of magazines and no one talking to you for four hours, that’s as about as relaxing as a trip to the spa for a busy mom.

Photo by Andrew Parsons.