Thanks for the reply. I wonder how often Delta still does that? Probably no way of ever knowing for sure .... I know they comped me status years ago - I was AA PLT at the time - in an effort to convert me, I presume. UA did the same a few years later after a flight with them to SYD.

While I understand that an airline might comp an elite to higher status (or renewed status) under certain circumstances, I was under the impression that the poster was seeking elite status on an airline in which s/he currently has none. I'm trying to understand how someone with no status would be one of the high-percentage fliers in any given market. (pinniped was more concise. I should have phrased my original question more clearly.) And if my assumption is wrong then .... never mind.