Most major airline programs are similar, where you have to actually fly a million miles on that airline or its airline partners(maybe a bit less, if you can take advantage of rare promotions that give you additional status miles) to gain MM status. This generally gives you lifetime status at the lowest elite level for that airline. AA is a bit different in that all miles count toward 1MM status. This includes not only elite bonuses, but also other mileage awards that you may be able to get from non-airline partners such as hotels, car rental companies, restaurants, banks and the like. AA is also unique in that it gives you lifetime status at its mid-tier elite level once you reach 2MM status, with the miles coming from any source that allows you to credit miles to your AA account.

The benefits of elite status are too numerous to mention and vary by airline, but include mileage bonuses and upgrades at a minimum.

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StuckWithDelta

[This message has been edited by vasantn (edited 11-10-2002).]

[This message has been edited by vasantn (edited 11-10-2002).]