Originally Posted by
Flying for Fun
My primary focus is on awards; gaining Elite Status is a byproduct of that.
+1
The elite status is a nice to have but since my domestic travel is mostly voluntary (and a lot of it could in theory just get spread to WN/DL/AA/UA/NK) it boils down to a dollars and cents decision for me. How much do I value the Big Front Seat and some kale and polenta for a two hour flight?
And since AS has miles sales more often than not, as well as AV for my *A needs, it's not like I'm excluded from acquiring and redeeming in those programs. There it also becomes dollars and cents: "Oh, my NH/BR J one way flight to BKK is a ~$1100 cash ticket that doesn't accrue any mileage or status".
! find that having to buy the 100k+ to really take advantage of AA's mileage sales makes them a "meh" proposition for me. I don't like large balances in programs given how frequently no-notice/limited notice devaluations happen. It's easier to spend efficiently if you're not buying six figures of them at a time.