[QUOTE=deltasig1994;13278457]Thanks for the additional info. My goal should be to fly coach to simply rack up the max # of miles, correct? Does it matter if I am flying several different airlines that are not in the same alliances? Or should I solely focus on one airlines mileage plan and stick to that...or is it possible to upgrade something like this? I guess I need to figure out which plan I should target joining and how best to capitalize on all mileage earning opportunities within the plan...correct? sorry for being s fragmented....QUOTE]

The answer of whether to do it on a single alliance or more than one depends on what your goals are. There are basically two things that you can gain with mileage running 1) you get miles that can be used for free travel and/or upgrades (and you need a certain amount of them to redeem- so if you spread miles amongst airlines, redemption could be harder) and 2) you can earn status on an airline that results in extra perks-

• Free checked bags
• Free space available domestic upgrades
• Increase mileage earning (for example as a PE on DL I earn 100% bonus miles for every flight I take)
• Additional benefits that vary by airline such as free international upgrades (on CO from any fare class), lounge access, etc, etc, etc.

The question of whether to earn status on more than one airline probably comes down to the mileage that you expect to fly in a year combined with the benefits that you are trying to achieve. In addition, there is the cost of having to fly tens of thousands of miles with no status when you are building up your mileage on a new airline (though some airlines do match). I don't fly enough to get high level status on multiple airlines, but there are people on FT who do. You need to decide what your reasons are and then the answer for you should become apparent.