Be careful about direct flights. In most programs, a segment isn't defined by a takeoff and a landing. If two actual such "segments" share the same flight number, even if there's an aircraft change, it counts as a single segment for elite qualifying purposes and moreover, status miles are based on the nonstop distance between the origin and the destination regardless of where the stop occurs. [YMMV if you're using a broken fare, so that the two segments sharing the same flight number are parts of different fare components in the fare computation details on the ticket. but I would generally expect to get credit for both segments in such circumstances.].

If you will be flying back to TVC after every work trip, then it seems to me that UA and AA have the most frequencies and connecting options out of TVC. While we can go on pages and pages about domestic travel differences between UA and AA (or on miles earning and usefulness of them) they are both pretty much the same for an economy flyer (which I assume you are). I would accrue points on both programs depending on which one has the best value (price/itinerary convenience).

If you don't come back to TVC often and have work trips back to back starting out of home, then I would say just fly the non-stops or whatever is more convenient and accrue on all 3 big ones (AA, UA and DL) and even on Southwest that may have very convenient short non-stops.
Of the 3, I like better DL in all regards (but fly AA if it makes sense only because of my lifetime status).

Good for you! I routinely used to pay-up into F to earn more EQMs and EQDs to achieve status on AA, while my fellow co-workers would sit in the back and not even register for a freq flyer program.

Also someone on here said that you will only get credit from your origin to your destination regardless of where you connect. I'll have you know that, at least for my wife and I, all travel we have done on AA is not origin-to-destination in our experience when earning status and award miles. We frequently fly to Orlando via Miami and get more EQMs and award miles by doing this, or fly JFK-CLT-DFW and get more than if we flew direct to JFK-DFW. Just like we will get more miles in May when we fly JFK-LAX-HNL-CLT-JFK than if we just flew direct (which AA does not do from JFK). Whether this is a glitch in the matrix or is AA policy I'll let another FTer who knows more comment on that. :)

No glitch, every segment has a EQM 500 minimum, no matter how short the actual flight (at least that is the way it works for EXP).

There we go! I knew I was missing something. Thanks Uzzar :tu:

I suspect that I may be the someone that you mention. Please read my post. My statement refers only to DIRECT flights, defined as two or more consecutive segments in the same fare component ( or same "direction" without a fare break). For example, if AAA-BBB-CCC is all flight 101 (with no change in flight number that would make it a connection rather than a direct flight), despite the stop at BBB, it will credit the same as a AAA-CCC nonstop, assuming that this is booked as a through fare and of course on the same ticket/PNR.

Status matters. If you spread yourself too thin all your getting is a few points here and there. If UA, AA and Southwest get you there one way or another focus on those. Same with hotels and cars. I have lifetime status on AA, UA and Marriott and that’s a benefit I worked hard to get, many years from now when you retire you could too. Granted the programs are much less generous now but it’s still good to not go too thin.

Ok thanks..
I think I’ll try to fly AA as much as I can and keep Delta and United for my 2nd choices..

Sometimes I fly my girl out for a week or so and it’s seemed that Spirit is the cheapest flights out of Michigan..

What so we know about spirit?

I think she catches them out of GRR and Detroit, and it’s worth the drive for a $180 ticket to say Las Vegas vs a $400 ticket out of traverse city..

My company pays for mine so I don’t really care about my flights, but our personal ones cost does matter..

Any way I can get points for her flights on my accounts or does she have to have her own accounts?

Frontier, which has a few flights out of GRR, allows people to form points pool if one of the participants has their elite status or credit card. Jet Blue also lets you pool but I suspect their route map isn’t a good match for your travel needs.

Usually though, the way to go is to just use your miles to buy her ticket. While airlines typically have a ‘transfer miles’ option to her account , the fees they charge are typically cost prohibitive.

Hilton Hotels lets you form point pools and transfer points among people in the pool a limited number of times each year at no charge. American Express is currently running sone good sign up bonuses for their Hilton co-branded cards- even the no annual fee one can get you a free 2-3 nights from pretty modest spending requirements.

The folks who like Spirit tend to do so for their BIg Front Seat section. Their frequent flyer program has however made sone changes to be more customer-friendly in recent years

I’m about to take off on a southwest flight in about 45 minutes..
Sitting at the bar..

I have less luck choosing my flights than hotels, so I guess I’m just going to get what I get as far as airlines go..

I got my SW points account figured out..

SW really isn’t too bad as long as you’re not too concerned about flying first class or going trans-Atlantic/Pacific. Every couple points start adding up over time.

Sounds like you’re in a good spot getting Marriott status with the double points / nights. Platinum status at 50 nights is the real sweet spot as far as their status goes, the free breakfast at nicer hotels can be pretty nice and some of the other benefits are nice to have.

I tend to regard Southwest as having a perfectly adequate coach product. A good use for those points might be buying tickets for your girlfriend, since she already seems willing to drive to GRR or DTW for a good flight deal.

As you get more into it, you often discover different programs have different specific uses based on your travel needs and patterns.

Here's the thing with Spirit, Allegiant, Sun Country, and to a lesser extent, Frontier - They are fine. Right up until they are not.

They tend to have much lower frequency, sometimes only flying to a particular airport once or twice a week. If something happens and you miss a flight, or the time no longer works for you, or the flight gets canceled, you are either stuck there - until the next flight that they can get you on - or you will need to buy a ticket on another airline. This happened to one of my coworkers. He had to go to Bellingham, WA from Los Angeles. Allegiant was the cheapest (by a lot), so he flew up on Monday, planning to fly home on Thursday. When Thursday rolls around, he is notified that the flight has been canceled, and they will rebook him on the next available flight.

But they only fly between LAX and BLI on Monday and Thursday, and the Monday flight is full. He had to buy a walk-up fare on Alaska/Horizon to avoid having to spend an additional week in Bellingham at his own expense.

Also, they advertise low fares, but by the time you add in all of the fees for things that the other airlines include in their ticket price, you are right back up to a similar price. With Frontier, for example, if you pay for your carry-on bag (yes, you pay for carry-on bags) when you book your ticket, they are $37-$39. If you wait until online checkin, that cost goes up to $43. If you do it at the airport checkin counter, the cost jumps to $55, and if you decide that they probably won't notice... they will catch you at the gate and charge $60 per bag!

The point is that you need to know what you will and won't get from these airlines, and have a backup plan in the event that things go wrong.