Originally Posted by
sakaike
From 1993-1999, I probably flew around 2.5M miles total. I was top tier on most airlines (CO, UA, AL, AA, DL, US Airways). But I didn't have a clue about consolidating on a single airline, nor paid attention about expiring miles and keeping accounts active. So when I changed careers and flew virtually zero from 1999-2006, all my miles went away, with the exception of CO. And I completely forgot my account numbers on all the other airlines. So when I started flying again around 2006, I had to start from scratch with everyone, with the exception of CO.
It may behoove you to locate those account numbers given the fact that some of the airlines mentioned (i.e. DL) don't expire their miles. This can often be done by calling the respective airline's milage program phone numbers and having them look up your account number (you'll need to know your name and the places you've lived for them to find the relevant information). They should also be able to merge these accounts so you all your progress is tracked in one account. In addition, the lifetime miles accrued with those airlines might also get you frequent flyer status there as well (or close to there). Again, cannot comment on those airlines since I exclusively fly * since they're the only airline with an inter-continental presence.
Safe Travels,
James