I've gotten quite a few of my friends hooked on to frequent flyer programs since I started school last year. They all thought I was crazy when I went on a mileage run a month into the school year (why would you spend $200 to go to Los Angeles and just get on a plane right back...). Now, after seeing the fact that I'm up in First Class quite a bit (upgrade percentage on ATL-MHT and CVG-MHT routes is very high, even for Silvers) and that I've used my miles to take me to places like the NCAA tournament (which would have cost $800 to go to with purchasing a flight), they understand and have me help them out with all their travel stuff. Of course, they still think it's a little crazy that I do mileage runs and the sort, but I just tell them I have to do it to get my upgrades (they don't really get elite status at all...most of them fly up and down the East Coast about 5 times a year...not really enough to get close to even Silver).