SEA to BWI $189 to reach Platinum
 

No big deal on the airfare but I'm traveling on a red-eye to Baltimore and turning right around and coming back the same day, to reach maintain my platinum level on Northwest. Came up a bit short this year and this puts me over.

The great thing about these red-eyes is you are just going to be sleeping anyway, during the outbout portion, and I'm back by dinner.

Best part is it's all first class. I've been flying as platinum all year and guess it's spoiling me. :D

Sidenote: While searching for a flight, I was in the process of booking a lower fare (to another destination) but between the time I started and completed, the fare changed. I wasn't able to get the fare that was showing up initially. Apparently there was only one seat left and someone got it before I completed the transaction. When I went back to check, the lower fare wasn't coming up again.

Anyone else ever had the fare change while they were in the process of booking a flight?

I'm confused, are you saying that you got a roundtrip airfare from SEA to BWO for only $189?

Yep. Sometimes a one-time occurence. Sometimes it happens EACH time you try to check-out. Sometimes a call to RES fixes it, sometimes not. I have spent 45 minutes on the phone with AA.com Help line and NOT getting it fixed. And I have had it fixed in a couple of minutes in other circumstances.

Buy enough tickets on AA.com, and you will see your share of wrinkles.

I did an MR in coach this week and even that wasn't that bad. With a travel pillow your head is upright so I'm not sure how much of a difference business class would be. The only real benefit in terms of sleep would be nobody walking over me to get to the aisle, but then again, I usually go window in coach to sleep. To me, first class is on a 3 class plane when you have a bed. Up front domestic on NW/CO is not first class.

I can see your point though. For an NW/CO elite, there are very good chances of getting upgraded on a red eye. Especially if you've found a cheap fare that's a high fare class.

925,

I saw your sig. Any particular reason why you spread out so many miles across CO,NW,DL and AS programs? You should look at putting them all into NW. You're losing miles by spreading the miles across programs as you're missing out on mileage bonuses. You're also missing upgrades on NW and CO as you have low status on them.

TheGeneral: Well, I fly where my work and my play takes me. And NW and MSP/MEM/DTW and CO EWR/IAH aren't my heaviest runs. I am top tier on my four heaviest airlines AA, DL, AS, and US. Mid tier on those airlines that I fly less on CO and NW (vicariously, thru CO). I get upgraded almost everywhere I fly. I avoid flights I can't get upgraded on when I can. 300,000+ miles this year. The miles have to go somewhere. I strongly prefer status miles over bonus miles, and I use my status miles VERY carefully and creatively. Thanks to FT!

I used to be PE on NW. I am not requalifying for US CP this year. So next year I am likely to be AA-EXP, DL-PE, AS-MVPG, US-Gold or higher, and CO-Gold. NW dirt (NW stopped flying to where I was flying 55,000+ miles per year to). And I will likely earn status on UA by February 10th for the first time in over a decade. Gotta be able to get into E+ somehow, now that *A doesn't get you there.

I am quite content with my status levels, thank you. And I have boatloads of unused miles. Can't get status with unused miles, so I can't afford to fly on award tickets.

There arent many people around here who don't use all of their miles. Most people don't like leaving miles on the table to use poker talk. I get your point though. Sorry to hear you fly that much. It must be pretty hard to have a personal life.