You are not dense and it's a good question that I knew would be coming.

Yes you are correct. The airlines do sell miles.

But it's just the same as how one airline gives extra benefits for miles flown on them and not the same benefits for those flown on alliance partners. They consider direct business as non-diluted and more valuable.

Why?

In my experience, it's the perception all your miles come from direct business with United, the airline. Not from sold miles through United Loyalty Programs Inc. to MCI and then to Mileage Plus.

So when a reservationist looks at my account and sees, say a million miles, or looks at my lifetime totals as sees little or no miles from "other" sources, and they can see that all or the majority of it is from flying and not buying pudding, it may (and in my and others experience, does) impress them enough to go the extra mile for you.

In other words, you get to say to them in effect, "All these miles have come from my ... in the can, and not from eating from a can. Don't you think you can poke your keyboard and shake something loose for this loyal United customer and air warrior?"

It's all about preceptions and exceptions. And helping them see things they way they want to see it (whether they know it or not).

And the more ammo you can have to use in your persuasion gun (this, your YTD miles, your current status, your lifetime status, your revenue), can go just that much more to your advantage.

And I know that it may not make logical sense to many. But when have the airlines always done things logically? I'm just saying how it works in the real world for me (and others).

[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 11-13-2002).]