<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Super Larry:
The idea is not to find who's the champion of the lowest cost/miles MR, but to establish a base where everybody here could feel that a good MR should cost less than xx.xx cents per mile.</font>
Like I've said before, I think it's all subjective. Bob might think 4 cents a mile is great but Jane might think that below 2 is great.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">When we read that someone has done a MR at 0.01 cents per miles and that another one did one at 0.04 cents per miles, what is the reference we can use to say one is better than the other? Do we use the value the airlines are giving to their own "currency"?</font>
In my opinion, there is absolutely no reference. Again and it's all dependent on the objective of the mileage run. Many would say that a mile in one program might not equal a mile in another program. And how about really low fares, would you not count those? SEA-LHR-HEL at $120US after taxes yields 11900 status miles (1 cent per status mile). Or how about that SEA-PIT/PHL $120US after taxes fare where you could easily route 7500 status miles (1.6 cents per status mile)? If you are going to compare future mileage runs against those kinds of fares, then you are going to be really hard pressed to find similar status mile yielding ratios.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Good for you and for all the others than can integrate vouchers and bonuses and lower their cost to 0.01 cents per mile. That is exactly what you are refering to and I do respect that. I, however, as a non top tier, don't collect bonuses and therefore will probably never be able to lower my cost to your level.
I also have no problem if you or others refer to 4 cents/status mile runs. I am fine with that as well.