JAWS-
I wrote the Elite Desk about my "Infinite" status under similar conditions. I qualified for 5 consecutive years, but one of the years I qualified as Gold by segments only and the rules said that you had to qualify by minumum miles. I offered that in most of the 5+ Gold years that my mileage levels far exceeded the minimum and the customer service rep told me that she forwarded my information to the VP of Marketing, who maintains the list himself, since it it not that long. He wrote me in Jan/98 and told me that he agreed that even if I didn't "officially" qualify for one of the years, he would recognize my dedication to CO by allowing me Infinite status in 1999 if I obtained Gold in 1998. My "Infinite" status went into effect on 1/1/99. My point is that it is prudent to ask - all they can say is "No".
DAW