<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by opushomes:
WesternAirlines is correct that the lowest level of status in our present travel environment can be obtained for between $800 and $900.
</font>
I have rarely spent that much on air travel in one year. And NEVER all on one airline, since there isn't one airline that goes all the places I do travel. In fact, this fall and winter I'm travelling on four different trips, on four different airlines, because each of them is MUCH cheaper than the others for one particular trip.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
Assuming an $1800 investment for each year, the total investment was $3600 which earned travel that would conservatively cost $8000. And-We would have traveled anyway!
</font>
Here's where I really see a difference between us: You spent $900 per ticket in order to get business class seats (which, admittedly, would otherwise have cost $2000 each). I would never do that. I would spend maybe $500 (and likely less) for coach seats. I've flown all over the world in coach and I've rarely been uncomfortable.
I'm only 5'4" tall. In almost all aspects of life this is a disadvantage, except in air travel!
The only way I'd travel in business or first would be if it cost me absolutely nothing more than what I'd pay for coach, and that includes paying for mileage runs.
Since I can't afford to buy enough air travel to get status, and I'm not interested in spending any additional money whatsoever for a bigger seat, I can't see mileage runs being useful for me. Of course, others are different.
It's a different story if I'm going someplace for a particular purpose. But even then, I won't pay a penny more for a higher class.
Ed