Does anyone know if airlines will status match for promo elite status? I have the ability to upgd. to Silver until 2/27/07 on CO by paying $350 and, as I generally fly out of SEA, I called AS to see if I'd get priority boarding, seating, etc. While the CSR said no, she did say that they would do a status match for the remainder of the year if I sent in my elite card and OP statement (I didn't tell her that it was a promo upgd).

Now, I haven't flown at all on CO this year yet (thought I'd give B6 a try, but getting to JFK is such a pain and they only have a red-eye return to JFK), although I am going to do some MRs to try to maintain status (mostly shuttle between SEA and EWR and maybe SEA-SFO). My question, guys and gals, is do you think AS is likely to still offer me a status match seeing as I haven't flown at all this year (although I did fly nearly 15K miles on AS last year with only NSs) or would it be more prudent to wait towards the end of the year (which is peak travel for me) to do a SM and would that SM only apply to the end of 06 or would it be possible to get it close enough to the end of the year (or even wait for 1/07) for it to be for 07?

AS seems to be generous in terms of bending the rules a bit in my past experience, and I'd stand a better chance at getting MVP comp upgds on AS flights than I would on CO, but I don't know. I mean, even if they didn't SM me, I'd probably still wind up with enough ERMs for a free ticket on CO or a partner and then some, and actually be able to use it because of Elite status.

I posted something kind of similar in the OP board, but this is a slightly different question. Also, do you think that any other airlines, like UA or AA, would also be willing to do a status match? I know that few here actually need to pay for status, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

- Ben

(Edited to air new thought)