Originally Posted by
ckx2
With certain level of proof and willingness there are ways, yes. However, that is with great discretion and individual agreements. Simply calling won't help, you need the right contacts.
Several years ago, UA offered me GS without any action on my part and no challenge. A couple of other CKs at my firm also received the same offer which came through our travel group. I tried them a few times and found using the benefits I found most important (being able to upgrade from business to first on international flights at booking on any J fare) was near impossible at UA. Of course, that was back when AA flew 3 class 777s to Asia and when SWUs were plentiful and actually usable at booking. I also received an offer from DL through the same channel for Diamond Medallion status with a very easy challenge to meet. But being ORD based, DL was not an option for the 10 or so international trips (mostly to Asia) I was doing at he time. If you work at a big company with a big travel budget and contracts with all of the carriers, I would try to go through your travel group and see what they can do. The airlines may be "giving" them x number of CK or GS to distribute to employees.