TacomaRick

Brand new here: In 2013 Ill be doing some mileage runs. I really got addicted to this forum already and having more than usual number of flights in my plans already for 2013 I thought I would try it out. Like others more of a hobby and I love to travel and blog about it. My question is: When you started out did you ease in to it with some not so brutal runs? Or did you just go for it? I will be flying Alsaka Airlines out of Seattle. Any tips or advice is appreciated....Thanks in advance.

clacko

iirc, you can use as,aa, & dl...

if you find a decent run, & it fits for you, don't let it get away....

for many, that means 5 cpmish these days...

there are the tools.....study them....

TacomaRick

Thanks..yeah looks like AA is a great partner and has some great runs. Im not a fan of Delta so Ill look for AS and AA first

clacko

how many mi will you need to run for in 2013 after work & personal trips?

maybe try for half in mid jan thru feb if decent runs are there....then look for the rest mid feb-mid nov...

keep an eye on the mr deals forum....

re tough runs, i have done many europe get off, get back on....the last 1's when i was 74....don't do them any more....

clacko

make sure you understand the status benes....the bonus award mi are worth something....i have no idea re as...

runs for award mi usually make no sense....

clacko

just for the record, i preferred to see/do something on a run, toured the smithsonian air museum near iad on a dfw-lax-iad rt....spent 2 days in nicaragua....

visited friends in hnl every so often....

AeroWesty

Boy, are we ever on the same page there. A good fare from PDX to IAD is next on my list, and I plan to do exactly that. While I've done my share of out and back MRs when it was advantageous for one reason or the other, my basic rule for my travels is to get on a mainline jet for a reasonable price with a reasonable connection at a reasonable hub, if needed, and try to do something worthwhile between flights, even if it means going onto Priceline for a hotel room.

I've some nerve compression in my spine, so this is for health reasons, too. It's hard for me to sit in a plane cross-country then turn around and fly back home without some time to walk out the pain inbetween. The last time I did that, I was flat on my back for a couple of days.

I really think it comes down to tolerance, desire, and goals, which none of us can adequately judge for another. I almost did one of those Frankfurt turnarounds for $400 a few winters ago, but I knew I'd be a complete mess afterwards, so I smartly passed. On the other hand, a friend of mine did ORD-NRT-SIN one day, returning 6 hours after his flight landed, then showed up for work the next day, spending the night at the hawker centers in Singapore eating between flights.

My quickest international turnaround was just 3 days on the ground. I had to cover for someone attending a meeting in the UK some years ago. IIRC, I flew out on a Sunday, attended the meetings on Tues/Weds, then flew back to LAX after stopping in Chicago for a day to catch another appointment I'd already been scheduled to attend before this came up. But I was a lot younger then, didn't have this back injury, and it all went just fine.

TacomaRick

Thanks for all the great tips. I certainly think for many of the MR, I would like to try and go places, see things, etc. As stated, nothing wrong with hitting priceline or hotwire. I actually just booked my first one, and while it may not seem like much since its just SEA-PHL and back it got 4,756 miles at $217 for 4.56. Plane lands, I get off, eat and get right back on(I am assuming same plane)

gary_nj

You know, Rick... one of the ways that I "eased into it" was just by adding some segments to flights that I might be doing already. For instance, if I was flying cross country on United, I might route through Washington to my final east coast destination. On the other end, I would try to bounce between SFO and LAX (which United allowed in their routing) to/from west coast destinations. I don't know that much about the AS routing rules, but that was a simple way for me to see if this routine was going to work for me.

clacko

sju is often a good run & worth a visit....

RacingJunkie

Just out of curiosity, why?

iridge

Perhaps because it's a kettle airline!? but in all seriousness I have nothing against DL except for the fact that after flying 125K for a DM all you get is a bunch of semi-worthless sky pesos and upgrade certs that you need to buy very expensive international M fares to make any use of them.

At least AA SWUs are usable once you have them and being an EXP I am around 95% on upgrades (most of them LAX-JFK very elite heave routes)

clacko

probably the most important advice is to put a good run that you want that has been posted here on hold if allowable....

its an open forum, so others can/will front run you even if its your request....

1st come, 1st served...

RacingJunkie

This had nothing to do due with your first question as you were applying miles to AS.

AS is great for flying up and down the west coast, but beyond that I find their equipment sub par. Seats very uncomfortable, small FC cabin.

AA, last flight I had with them, I was skeptical the plane was going to hold together. And the fact that it looked like it had not been upgraded since the early 80's.

toomanybooks

Other answers depend in part on your age. It is easier to bounce back after a brutal run for younger people.