Originally Posted by bhatnasx
gemac,
Thanks for the informative overview of AA - sounds like UA may be more ideal given the fact that they've already comped me status without asking for it. AA would be easy enough to attain though for Platinum, however, it seems like Exec Platinum would be the ideal level, but similar to UA1K, it would be most likely an unattainable goal.
One strategy would be to be on the lookout for a good Platinum challenge opportunity - Coast to coast should flights raise this possibility. I note that your first two trips are SEA and SJC. Do a Platinum challenge, and then you will have a year to compare UA and AA, see which airline you like better, and which one has schedules that work better for you.
Friends that I have had that travel as much as it appears you will never want to travel on vacation - they want to sleep in their own bed for a change. They end up using their miles to upgrade and to get award tickets as gifts for friends or relatives.
It appears to me that you would have plenty of miles to make top tier. It only takes an average of 2000 miles per week. If you fly every week, that is a minimum of 1,000 miles per week, and any of those west coast flights would get you 5,000 miles.