I view the benefits with a great deal of skepticism for lack of a better word. To me it seems clear that the airlines do what they have to do to keep loyal customers coming back. And when the market changes and they feel like they can reduce benefits they certainly will. Nothing bothers me more than hearing about airlines cutting things like hot towels and real glassware in first class. It isn't that I really need these things but it demonstrates that they will cut whatever they can when they think it the most cost effective. If they apply that logic to hot towels why wouldn't a person expect them to do the same thing with benefits and awards? I have always felt like a bit of a sucker for getting involved in pursuing miles anyway. If you fly a certain airline, maybe do a mileage run or two and try to be loyal in all your travel, the end result seems to be that you get a bunch of miles that you can try to redeem. And the operative word is TRY. I think acquiring mileage and benefits is a gamble. You hope that when you try to redeem the miles they will give you what you want and everybody knows that the first choice is often not available.

I am AA Platinum and I pay for 75% of the travel required to reach the status from my own pocket. I take more frequent and shorter vacations to try to run the miles up, always fly AA and this year will probably do a mileage run. All this so I can get to PLAT status and be able to upgrade more often than not. And if I decide that one year I am too busy to travel or I want to spend less on travel and more on a new kitchen or something I start all over at the back of the bus.

When you factor in the time and money spent on longer routes, mileage runs, and occasionally higher fares that passengers put up with to maintain loyalty I don't think the benefits are that great a deal (particularly for someone paying out of their own pocket). But the real kicker is the consistency required, having to do it year after year or starting over (unless of course you get to million mile plus). This year I will probably qualify for AA Plat but probably not next year. I occasionally do a calculation that is very important to me: I calculate the cost of maintaining Platinum status and compare it too the cost of taking fewer trips and just paying for first class three or four times a year. Up until this year it has worked out that maintaining status is cheaper (without counting the hassle of taking extra trips). I have a feeling that next year that will not be the case, particularly if AA raises the Platinum qualification level to 60k as has recently been suggested on the AA board. If that's the way it goes I will frankly find it liberating, I can go on to Expedia and find the cheapest, most convenient first class route on an airline that I like, buy the ticket and pick out a first class seat. The choice would be completely mine. And I think that is the worst thing about the miles and benefits system we have all bought into, we get some perks but we give up our freedom of choice to get it.