How to build EQS?
I started consulting in January which means full time on the road. I had no status in any program at the beginning of the year. Managed to get a Platinum Marriott challenge which is good but I'm dying on the airline side of things. All I really want at this point is to get on the plane first so I can get an overhead bin and don't have to wait for luggage (I fly to my clients on Monday morning so it's important for me to get there quickly). A bump to E+ once in a while would be nice too.
I live near Chicago and United always seems to have the cheapest fares. My first client was in SF -- great, I'll be elite in no time, right? Only two weeks there. Boo... Next client is in DC. 587 miles each way. Which means I have to fly 15 weeks just to make Silver. Ugh. I figured on my flights home on Thursday night I can hop to CLE or EWR or something like that so I can increase my EQS quicker. I have to book through my company's travel site (Carlson Wagonlit) and it doesn't seem possible to do this. What am I doing wrong?
Oh, and I did get the Mileage Plus Explorer card to board early. That worked until the merger. Now I'm in the last boarding group, but it's funny that it says "Premier Access" on my BP...