amanuensis

I was self-employed for 12 years. At that point, I was definitely a LVC because travel costs came directly off of my bottom line. As I have posted in threads from years ago, I was airline agnostic because the rewards of low-tier elite just did not have anything in it that I couldn't live without.

Before then, I was a college student. During that phase of my life/career I was such a cheapskate that I am sure the airlines (and Amtrak) would have refused to sell me tickets if they had then had the granularity of data to be able to tell who I was. Case in point: the time I flew SLC-SYD on a ticket with a net cost to me of $259, which earned me double frequent flyer miles and mid-level elite status (the bonus miles counted towards elite tier qualification).

For the last eight years, I have been a corporate cog. Initially, I continued to be airline agnostic, selecting whatever flights had the schedule I needed at a price that was consistent with our corporate travel policies. But then, Delta pulled a lever that made me give all my business to them so that I could become "elite." They made the best coach seats "preferred." And so I am now "loyal" to Delta.

Being able to pre-select my own seat is a carrot that I value. That is why I have never given Southwest my LUV and again won't on my flight next week to Manchester, NH, even though Southwest had the better schedule and (slightly) lower fares than did DL.

The point of this screed is to recognize that things change (including myself).