I'm both sad and thankful that I'm just far enough away from MM that I would no longer have to consider something like that, as I would have in the old days when elite status was based on miles flown. I view moderately-priced fares as a reasonable way to maintain status, but I've never had to think about being super-flexible with where I'd like to go, due to pricing, before. This upcoming cruise, which ends in Singapore... I was so concerned about the cost of the cruise, it never occurred to me I should be factoring in the air fare.