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Best Mileage Run Ever - MERGED

Best Mileage Run Ever - MERGED

Old Aug 8, 2006, 2:00 pm
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: New York, NY USA
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I probably got the best mileage deal on the United triple miles promotion where we actually ended up getting 5X the miles. I know I did a SIN run and BKK run during that time.

I guess my favorite cheap deal that I was able to take advantage of was a $143 round trip to Venice back in August 2003. This was on KLM and at the moment I don't recall the mileage. Other favorite cheap deal was the sub $100 round trip to Iceland in June (unfortunately no miles, so technically not an MR.)
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 2:02 pm
  #17  
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Originally Posted by wanaflyforless
The best MR is quite subjective; what makes it best?

- Should obvious mistake fares even count?
- Should difficulty of getting to start point count?
- Taxes/fees?
- Class of service?
- Lower cost per mile/eqm because of promos?
- Bump runs?
- # of people who were able to take advantage?
- Dificulty/Ease of ticketing?

I see flying as an art and would like to define the best MR as the lowest CPM (distance flown only; no bonuses of any kind) calcualated based on entire trip cost (fare + taxes + food + lodging + misc) booked without using an abvious mistake fare or routing.
I mistakes in fares are great, but has no element of challenge that comes with building a mileage run.
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 2:09 pm
  #18  
 
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Originally Posted by Yaatri
The amount paid to fly and the number of miles earned both should be factored. The four of us were ticketed for DCA-MSP-PDX-HNL-SEA-AMS-ARN-AMS-SEA-LAX-MEM-DCA for 256340 or so EQM miles, at $437. The SEA-AMS leg was oversold. We volunteered two seats. Two of us flew SEA-AMS as scheduled, but in WBC, the other two flew SEA-MSP-AMS (ended up with 26320 or so EQMs) in FC and WBC, and recieved $750 each in bump vouchers. Upon return we were bumped upto FC SEA to HNL due to a screwup. It's my best so far.
Was this around Nov 05?

I had a fare on nwa that was setup for a similar routing in business for marginally more than that around the Nov 05 period, but didn't pull the trigger. That would've been a good one.
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 2:15 pm
  #19  
 
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I am reading all these great MRs with envy. Personally, I am still learning how to put one together (currently reading the MR primer on FT).
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 2:36 pm
  #20  
 
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Not including mistake fares, my best mileage run was last summer. Being in SFO and wanting to visit a friend in LAX I saw that DL had a fare for about $130 all in. Of course the obvious routing was the direct DL codeshare with AA. However, the routing allowed connections in both SJC and IAH! So I travelled SJC-SLC-IAH-LAX and back earning 10 times as many miles as the direct flight would have given me!
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 2:38 pm
  #21  
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1 cent fares on US
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 2:41 pm
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by Gnopps
Of course the obvious routing was the direct DL codeshare with AA. However, the routing allowed connections in both SJC and IAH! So I travelled SJC-SLC-IAH-LAX and back earning 10 times as many miles as the direct flight would have given me!
Yup. DL used to have (still?) such fares. I took advantage of OAK-SAN fare as well.
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 3:48 pm
  #23  
 
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I think my first MR might have been the best. In 2004 my wife and I both got emails from UA saying we could earn 5K EQM for each qualifying RT during a certain period, up to a total of 15K for 3 RTS.

I used bump vouchers to buy us three LAX-LAS RTs on the same day. We drove up from San Diego and flew them. It was a TED-Fest!

We got the 15K apiece bonus EQM in addition to the regular 500 mile minimum x 6=3K for the segments. So that's 36K EQM between the two of us for under $500, I don't recall exactly, but I do know we had bump vouchers to cover it, so zero cost except for the drive to LA from SD.

I met my first FTer ITRW that day, da1dan. He was doing the same thing as us.
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 4:16 pm
  #24  
 
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Several great ones featured in Mileage Run Tools Part 2, as well (post 2).
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 4:17 pm
  #25  
 
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In the Olden Days

Air Canada had 6X bonus for every flight in January 1988, minimum 800 miles at that time.
Vancouver to Victoria/Nanaimo(about 30 miles and half an hour) for about $40-50 Candian return resulted in 9600 accrued miles.
In those days business class anywhere in North America(with a stopover) was only 25K; also two tickets up to 1500 miles were also only 25K.
Gotta be a contender!
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 4:26 pm
  #26  
 
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$106 LAX-CDG about four years ago. I was the first who broke the news on FlyerTalk.

I also snagged six $129 LAX-JFK trips for the next two months.
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 6:36 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by Yaatri
I mistakes in fares are great, but has no element of challenge that comes with building a mileage run.
Exactly. Miskakes are great but have little to do with the art/challenge/skill of building a MR.
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 7:42 pm
  #28  
 
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$93 NWA LAX-HNL including 2 nights hotel was my favorite as it was pure EQMs and vacation rolled into one amazing package.

After that its the already mentioned LCA run and the upcoming TUS-SYR-SEA runs.

I also booked a $400 LAS-SFO-CDG-SFO-LAS UA vacation that got me an op-up into C with 50% EQM bonus. Unfortunately, my biz IFE did not work, so UA is sending me a voucher for $150

Thank you again FT!
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 8:02 pm
  #29  
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A $375 SAN-DTW-AMS weekend trip/quasi MR that resulted in a bump and an upgrade to NW WBC.

Originally, I was offered $750 to take the bump. Asked about WBC and was offered WBC + 300.. took that.

Net cost of the flight: About $75.
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Old Aug 8, 2006, 8:25 pm
  #30  
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See also:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=568641
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