Originally Posted by
emma dog
I agree, but the Venn circles do have overlap. If I only earned $26k MQD, I'd strongly consider doing what I needed to in order to make DM. OTOH, I wouldn't spend $10k to make DM.
If I were not a hub captive, there are scenarios where being mid-tier on two airlines would make more sense than being DM. Especially since free upgrades to F are essentially gone on all of the majors.
I cannot argue with you. 2k might be reasonable. I have done that myself, and I pay for all my own travel. 2k for the GUC's can be worth it. If it was someone else's money I would not hesitate to fabricate the trips necessary to hit that.
I think it comes down to flight patterns. Domestic flights are better with the largest network available. International though is different. There are almost zero nonstops to many locations, particularly in asia.
My flight patterns are almost all international. Most of the time I have to get to a major hub anyway (LAX, ORD, JFK or SEA). If I have to do that, then I take the cheapest carrier. LAX and JFK are awesome for cheap F fares to many locations.