Originally Posted by
StSebastian
Noted in post #15. The originating point is still not addressed in that the number of miles/points is not directly related to revenue, which allows me to earn 6000+ base miles on an $88 fare while while other people earn only 1000 and pay $350. And that's still not paying enough for that route to qualify as Y/B fare class, so there's no bonus.
But do the airlines really
need to address this point? You represent a tiny fraction of 1% of all travelers. Probably 1 in 100,000 paid seats is occupied by a mileage runner. Maybe 1 in 100 is occupied by somebody who actually pays close attention to frequent-flier miles. By that I mean close enough to (a) notice good mileage-earning routings and take them, even when they aren't pure mileage runs and (b) pays enough attention to strategically use their miles in the best possible manner given their travel needs.
The airlines know a few people take mileage runs. They don't seem to mind it. Certainly, they could change the routing rules requirements and close the door on the best MR's. They could alter minimum-stay requirements and eliminate the "pure" MR (where the traveler doesn't even leave the airport). But they don't... Maybe it's because they know that anybody willing to MR must also be a fan, and killing off your own evangelists is counterproductive. (Only the RIAA has taken the approach that all of their fans are evil and must be alienated...oops...that's OMNI.)
Anyway, I'm not a pure mileage runner myself, but I pay close attention to how I earn & burn. I've loaded up on enough United bonuses and gone out of my way to "play" some of their promos to my advantage. But I also buy $339 walk-up one-way fares to Seattle on occasion, so they're making it up in the long run.
