I did LHR-MAN-LHR-MAN-LHR consecutively one Friday last year in a cheap way of earning 40 TP to retain Gold membership. When I disembarked at MAN after the first sector, I explained to the agent at the gate that I was returning to LHR on that very a/c and showed her my boarding pass. She opened up the tensile barrier to allow me to go straight up to the lounge for a couple of beers before getting back on board again.

The cc were very surprised when I returned (same crew do the 2 sectors). I explained to the Purser that I was not a terrorist (I am sure that if you tried this in the good old US of A you would be arrested on suspicion of something... anything) and that on arriving at LHR I was going there and back again. As her duty ended back at LHR, she went to the duty room, tracked down the crew on that return flight and warned them that a very entertaining madman was joining them on their trip. It was certainly entertaining being greeted at the door by the purser; "It has to be you... Are you going all the way and back again?" This is the most unconventional of greetings I have ever had. Back in MAN, the same agent had assembled a motley crew, come to stare at the strange man flying up and down the country for no reason they could fathom.

My wife thinks I am totally potty, but she never complains at the benefits status brings. For £150 I had a fun packed day, 3 lounge visits and 4 sectors. . And I got to retain Gold for another year.