jetsetter

EQP Points: 38,231 of 100,000 (YTD)
EQM Miles: 43,329 of 100,000 (YTD)
EQS Segments: 65 of 120 (YTD)
SWU Available: 6

I've traditionally been a segment person in the northeast. I know there are fares out of BOS to say PHL, DCA, RIC, BUF, etc. that would cost lets call it $75 a segment. Its actually less $$ if you do say BOS/PHL/RIC with that connection. Unfortunatley, I don't think there are any good fares from BOS to LGA.

My traditional approach would be say to go after work I work and live about 10 minutes from Logan, and say fly to LGA and turn right back around; though I suppose PHL isn't much further than LGA. Doing this I could easily do 2-3 nights a week and still be home by 10:00pm, that is, home at my house with no delays, etc. I can deal with the delays too, easy enough to just overnight at PHL and fly back early AM in time to get to work around 9:30A.

My other approach I know well would be to pound out say 4 to 7, maybe 8, segments say on a Saturday or Sunday. It might be say a same day turn to RIC. It gets a little tedious, but its do-able.

I'm not sure how feasible it would be also to say book 3-4 segments on a transcon on a Sat with a return on a Sun with also 3-4 segments in each direction.

I've never really explored long trips like going to China, Panama, etc. that I have read about. I'm not sure how much better Europe would be than the west coast.

My mental block is I have to think these long haul flights are going to take longer than just going after work and flying from BOS to PHL back to BOS 3 nights a week or something like that. I also have to think that the long haul flights stress your body more. I've read recent accounts of people doing Exec Plat challenges with long flights and feeling exhausted, etc. And, I don't want to ruin the holiday time. Even the folks who have done a lot of PHL LAS transcons have reported they are completeley exhausted after doing it for a few days. I have to think the altitude can make you "sick like."

But I might be missing something, since I'm a segment person. I'm in my element on the segments but not really in it with the EQM. But I well might be missing a more optimal opportunity.

I've also thought of the 3X EQP's for instance JFK SFO/LAX 3x EQP offer, but I'm not sure if that would be more expensive than the segments. That might be something like 4-5 transcon trips to bang out those EQP's! To get the 3x EQP's it has to be a J or F fare basis. Unless there is an intl J or F fare that would be worht considering.

So going with what I know how to do, lets round and conservatively say each segment is $75 and then about 55 segments would be about $4,125 for the requal.

There are 45 days until Dec 31 so that is on average 1.xxx segments a day.

Lets just say academically we did it on EQM's. So 2,500 miles to the west coast would require about 22 oneway transcon trips. Basically to me a transcon is a travel day, rather than an evening after work.

Cost roughly lets say we got $300 roundtrip transcon fares which might be a little misleading that we would get them all on the right 22 days, but lets go with it, so that is about $150 per 2,500 oneway EQM transcon so its about $3,300 cost for the 22 oneway transcon flights but would likely require a good number of nights of hotel accommodation on the west coast. I think it would be too exhausting to say arrive in LAX at 9:00pm and then fly right back on the red eye and go to work the next day more than 1-2 times let alone a dozen times in 45 days!

I'm wondering if I could book say BOS to DCA and then maybe same day confirm or standby BOS, LGA, DCA. If BOS to DCA is about $75 oneway then that would be $37.50 per EQS! I did not see anything about disallowing adding connections in the same day confirmed rules, but I have to look at E availability trends, but could always standby.

I'm curious also what are the shortest couple of flights in the AA system and the related fares & schedules. With a really short hop like PHL WAS maybe one could knock out 8 or 10 EQS on a Sunday! Or something like SAN LAX.

Also do any of you know any of the award booking services that also do mileage runs? Someone with access to the entire AA schedule and some analytics could probably model some options and scenarios on a spreadsheet.

Of course I could just try to requal next year, but I like the Exec Plat status, and I would lose it on 3/1. The main things I like are nearly always being #1 on any list and the free same day confirmed, plus the SWUs, but I use the former benefits more. If I go this route, I probably wouldn't have Exec Plat back until late 2016.

I flew about 40 segments on B6, so otherwise, I would be more on track. Why! One reason: no change fees for Mosaics on B6. Also B6 same day confirmed just confirms in any open Y seat. I'm already qualified for B6 Mosaic.

Also when I did the former US CP challenge I did a good number of BOS MCO roundtrips and would stay at the MCO Hyatt which was extremely convenient. I got CP based on 30 segments not EQM; again underscoring my background in segments rather than EQM.