It is a "standalone status" only in that you stay at the highest status without having to requalify each year (even if you do not fly). It started as "infinite gold" then got bumped to platinum when CO created the platinium level. When "million mile" feature was added they also allowed each infinite plat's wife or S.O. living at the same address to also have the infinite plat status. This feature, of course, applied only to Infinite Elite people also having one million or more lifetime miles.