OK, time for a reset.
If you pay the cheapest airfare possible, you will never hit elite status.
By committing to one airline/alliance, even if it costs a few more dollars, you will reach a higher status faster.
Since you are in RDU, look into a
Platinum Challenge with AA which will get you mid-tier status much easier than flying 50K miles.
I do relate to what you are saying about flying. A little over a year ago I had no status with an airline, never even had it. But I had two scheduled TATLs in Dec 08 and figured I would do maybe 3 TATLs in 2009. I scoured the FT and discovered the PLT Challenge and was a PLT after one TATL. As I was flying from SAN-DFW, (paid Y, upgraded to F) one evening enjoying a tasty calzone I realized just how fun flying can be!
AA does allow upgrades on cheap fares. As you were advised above, read the AA stickys. They are a gold mine.
Good luck trying to figure all of this out!
Originally Posted by
NC_Girl
Right now I travel about 5 times a year domestic and normally once internationally. I have been flying on whichever airline had the cheapest fare on the day and time I was traveling. I did have about 30,000 or so on Delta but gave the points to a charity when they were about to expire a few years back and just never joined another frequent flyer program for some reason.
/cut/
What I was hoping for? If I could put in several months or however long it took to get top Elite Status on an airline that I could then continue to fly on bargain fares but be upgraded? I know I would have to keep up a lot of flying (which I actually do enjoy) to continue to have status but flying 100,000 miles but upgraded in a better cabin would be great!