Originally Posted by
Statguy
Since my yearly travels usually begin towards the end summer, it will be hard to accrue enough miles to earn any Elite status by the end of the calendar year.
Huh? If you always have exactly the same yearly travel schedule, then it doesn't matter which twelve-month period is used for qualification purposes - you fly the same number of miles in the twelve months beginning January 1 as you do in the twelve months beginning any other date.