Not so fast.

Here is a stat from one of my many airline accounts. I signed up with AA in 2000. I passed the 2 million mark with AA in January.

Not one AA mile was earned from credit card spending.

I have redeemed almost all of my AA miles. Always at the saver level. Often for peak travel dates.

You probably make more money than I do.

KNOWLEDGE MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

- How to earn way more miles.
- How to find availability yourself before picking up the phone.
- What are all of the airlines/routes/connection possibilities I should check.

FT has been the primary source of my airline savvy.

Spending more time here is a good time investment if you care about your FF miles.

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By the way:
1) I would have to fly more than twice the trips on Virgin America than on UA/AA to get the same value back.
2) I would have to spend more than twice the $ on Virgin America versus AA/UA to get the same value back.

Status bonuses, promos, an in depth understanding of airline pricing allowing me to fly legacy airlines cheap, and knowing where the best rewards are and how to find the seats all contribute to this.

For someone who has invested enough time to really understand how to get the most from the legacy system, flying Virgin would be a stupid decision from a program standpoint. The product, on the other hand, might justify a loosing FF program.