Originally Posted by
evergrn
I have to disagree with all of this. For most of us, paying cash for F/J is not an option, nor can it be considered affordable. Generally, F is >2x more for longer US domestic flights. Long-haul international J is >3x more (at least TPAC, since that's what I'm familiar with).
Also, benefits of hotel status are many. Take Hilton Gold for instance. Free breakfast (to variable degree), room upgrade (esp in Asia), earn more points per stay, late check-out.
priority / VIP is a lot less than J
deals and buying miles can make J = Y
i do accommodations rather than J
i see more incremental value in VIP vs J
im not sure when using "afford" figuratively became so common
many could choose to spend more on less travel, some of us do that
a few have spent way less total, but have spent way more per night
breakfast (etc) often does not require status
some dont value benefits, even not requiring status
limiting choice to status companies can be overly limiting