Budget Travelers w/status
Sep 4, 2005, 7:09 pm
#31
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Posts: 165
The OP on this thread seems to imply that budget travelers are poor and thus won't accrue status. That is not necessarily the case. I have money to travel well but I can't stand the idea of spending big bucks when it is not necessary (particularly for a place just to sleep).
Sep 4, 2005, 8:08 pm
#32
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MSY
Programs: NW Gold and now Delta Gold
Posts: 3,072
i'm 406 miles from gold flying leisure only
It would be a shame to miss being gold this year when I'm so close, but I don't know how much Katrina is going to disrupt my life, since we haven't been able to check on our home yet. There have some good offers this year on Northwest that have made it pretty easy for me to get Silver.
Originally Posted by grbflyer
i should rephrase my question. how many budget travelers have gained status by ONLY flying for leisure, not work related. Just curious.
Sep 4, 2005, 9:30 pm
#33
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Washington, DC USA
Programs: UA; Amtrak
Posts: 2,002
How would you classify "Budget Traveler"? I'm a 99% leisure traveler (exactly 1 business trip a year, usually staying in the Northeast). I stay in hostels and friends' couches, take buses and subways, and fly entirely deep discount economy fares. But the money saved on hotels and rental cars gets spent on a relatively high volume of weekend trips to visit friends and family, enough to make me a United Premier Executive and probably put a couple bartenders through school.
Also see this older thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375752
Also see this older thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375752
Last edited by choster; Sep 4, 2005 at 9:32 pm
Sep 5, 2005, 3:10 pm
#35
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: CH / D
Programs: Amex, Avis, BA, BD, CX, FS, Hertz, HH, IC, LH, NH, RC, RCCL, Sixt, SPG, SQ, UA
Posts: 7,050
100 % leasure travel, all on own dime, all for fun,...
It took me about a year for LH SEN and one serious summer of flying for SQ PPS.
It took me about a year for LH SEN and one serious summer of flying for SQ PPS.
Sep 6, 2005, 9:31 am
#36
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 258
I normally don't like to brag
but this is the topic for me.
Am NW Plat for past 2 yrs, CO Plat 4 yrs prior. At one time had status on DL, CO, and AA simultaneously. ALL LEISURE, on my dime. And I don't believe in spending alot. My backpacking days are long over, yet I am shocked when I see people asking about $100 "budget" hotel rooms in third world countries .
Am NW Plat for past 2 yrs, CO Plat 4 yrs prior. At one time had status on DL, CO, and AA simultaneously. ALL LEISURE, on my dime. And I don't believe in spending alot. My backpacking days are long over, yet I am shocked when I see people asking about $100 "budget" hotel rooms in third world countries .
Sep 6, 2005, 7:25 pm
#37
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Annapolis, MD
Posts: 103
Leisure miles only
This is my fourth year as US Chairman's Preferred. My husband is Gold and will move up to CP in a couple weeks. 100% leisure on our own cost-conscious budget - no business travel for either of us.
Sep 6, 2005, 7:41 pm
#38
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 13,344
BD Gold here, all on my own dime (56K to get it first time around).
Earned SEN status previously through leisure travel, but with the new earning rules of LH M&L, there was no hope of renewal, so I switched programs to keep my free lounge access.
Earned SEN status previously through leisure travel, but with the new earning rules of LH M&L, there was no hope of renewal, so I switched programs to keep my free lounge access.
Sep 6, 2005, 9:31 pm
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Programs: Frontier Gold, DL estranged 1MMer, Spirit VIP, CO/NW/UA/AA once gold/plat/comped gold now dust.
Posts: 38,166
Originally Posted by grbflyer
Just wondering if there are any budget travelers that have status? Almost a silver on NW.
Budget travelers have been hit especially hard in the last 5 years by program cutbacks. Few promos apply to the lowest fares anymore, and upgrades are generally much harder to get.
Sep 7, 2005, 3:12 am
#41
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Philippines
Posts: 215
Originally Posted by RioFF
The OP on this thread seems to imply that budget travelers are poor and thus won't accrue status. That is not necessarily the case. I have money to travel well but I can't stand the idea of spending big bucks when it is not necessary (particularly for a place just to sleep).
Sep 7, 2005, 1:47 pm
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: NWA, UA Silver. Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,395
Originally Posted by RioFF
The OP on this thread seems to imply that budget travelers are poor and thus won't accrue status. That is not necessarily the case. I have money to travel well but I can't stand the idea of spending big bucks when it is not necessary (particularly for a place just to sleep).
Sep 8, 2005, 1:25 am
#45
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: US expat somewhere south of Valpo, Chilezuela
Programs: On the way to lowly LATAM Gold, AA, MiClub Lider
Posts: 853
My "Program" description to the left says it all. Maintain it with 2 RT, open jaw bargain fare (Q, V, N) trips to the States each year along with one or two (Lan oferta) jaunts to nearby Argentina.
Still have Hertz #1 Gold status for no $/year gained back in the days AA and AAdvantage was flush with cash.
Most consider AA Gold nada but its great to be able to use Lan's special first/business/elite check area at SCL (I'm sure my pareja chilena is impressed) and normal business check-in elsewhere. Lounge access??…I don't need no stinkin' lounge access when you can do camouflage BYOB
to wait out boarding and free wireless at SCL. Previous sentence spoken like a true "budget traveler……
Still have Hertz #1 Gold status for no $/year gained back in the days AA and AAdvantage was flush with cash.
Most consider AA Gold nada but its great to be able to use Lan's special first/business/elite check area at SCL (I'm sure my pareja chilena is impressed) and normal business check-in elsewhere. Lounge access??…I don't need no stinkin' lounge access when you can do camouflage BYOB
to wait out boarding and free wireless at SCL. Previous sentence spoken like a true "budget traveler……
Last edited by Viajero Perpetuo; Sep 8, 2005 at 1:45 am Reason: Very late and too much pisco