Originally Posted by
Teamstone
Just quick report: Had a direct flight scheduled SLC to MSP. The fare was limited to certain connections including I think ORD and CVC only. Direct was 700 miles. Called and did a same day change via IAH for 2200 miles and snagged an upgrade for good measure.
Even if Silver many would consider that worth while at $50 with a additional 1500 miles at 3.3 cents a mile.
Not to quibble, but SLC-MSP is 990 -- so your delta was really around 1200 miles; still not bad....
An interesting question, and I've thought about this some: whether SDC can be beneficial as a MR boost. Unfortunately AA definitely and UA I think have raised their fee to $75, so at a conservative pricing of 4.0 cpm you would need to gain 1,875 miles to break even. You had the advantage of DL lower cost, and a good choice alternate routing. Just takes a bit more work on other carriers; and a good bit more flying time, say 3-4 hours when you factor in connection time, for a somewhat limited return of miles.
I have found SDC useful, however, for adjusting connection/arrival times that may be problematic, or for taking 6-8 hour breaks to visit an interesting city, or having lunch with a friend, where you might otherwise just be zipping through the airport.