<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Randy Petersen:
... I've saved millions of miles for those years when i don't fly as much or for my retirement days for rainy days when times aren't too kind. That's nice that Southwest will give me a seat any time I want, but the ones I want are 3-10 years from now...</font>
That's a perspective that many of us forget in the "my program is better then yours" discussions we get in around here. As for me, my paid flights tend to be MDW to SDF (visiting my parents) and my SWA freebies (RR tickets and CP) are to FLL and LAX (visiting kids in college and my wife's relatives). As long as my last kid selects an SWA city (
)we'll keep this plan.
Randy, you've also answered a question I asked in another thread, "Why have 25 million miles just sitting in an account?" It seems that, for you, it's kind of a "travel IRA". Just remember, "You can't take it with you!"
As to the inflation/devaluation discussion, we need to keep in mind that it was a lot tougher to gather miles than back in the old days. That makes those 25k awards seem even a better deal!
(FWIW: SWA will extend a Reward Ticket by twelve additional months for $50. Still doesn't get us to retirement.)
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"I was once dissappointed that I didn't get an upgrade, then I saw a homeless man without shoes. Somehow, the upgrade didn't seem all that important."
[This message has been edited by ejmelton (edited 08-01-2003).]