For me the only reason is for status. Miles just make the money seem less wasted. I've done three pure mileage runs.. I figured I probably would have to do them at the end of the year, and at the time US was running a promotion which netted me 20,000 bonus miles, so I sat on a 19 seat turboprop Beechcraft for thirty minutes six times -- several times going in and out on the same flight -- all for the miles!

Being someone who's been elite and someone who's not, I know it's night and day -- and since I began the year planning to make top tier, it's now nothing short of a passioante addiction. Luckily United might end my addiction by buying out my airline of choice -- if United's my only choice, I chose to stay on the ground