Originally Posted by
as219
A few years ago when I first started posting on FT, the prevailing wisdom was that $0.01/RDM (including elite bonii) was the tipping point at which MRs became worthwhile. I remember people using certs to bring transcons down below $100, at which point true MRs made sense.
But things have changed...
I can't remember the last time I saw a fare that even remotely approached 1 CPM... With fuel surcharges, higher fares, etc., is the game still worth the candle? Put differently, have these price increases effectively done away with MRs?
I am not talking about "Status Runs" here, only pure MRs.
If fares keep going up while the price in miles of award tickets is relatively constant (though it is becoming more challenging to redeem in some programs), then it only makes sense that the value of miles should be increasing also.
As an example, I just booked a couple of coach award tickets to Europe for this summer ... got the exact dates I wanted going to and flying home from the exact cities I wanted (open jaw) with a one-stop trip each way from MCI, quite a catch I believe, those tickets cost me 100,000 miles total. 10 years ago, those tickets would have cost me 100,000 miles total too. Is the value of those 100,000 miles the same this year as they were 10 years ago ... I don't believe so, because the travel would have cost me much more this year than it would have 10 years ago if I had paid for the tickets out of my own pocket.