Twice now I have been told my trips I am planning are not MR. First trip is sea-sfo-lax-cle-ord-sea. I was told that this is not a MR because I am also taking a vaca. Second trip will most likely be sea-pdx-slc-atl-mem-atl-slc-pdx-sea and was told that this isn't a MR because I wont be purchasing the tickets till shortly after July. My understanding is the purpose of a MR is to gain miles which is what I am doing but to be able to justify doing this I have to give the other half a valid reason why I am going on these run, vaca and taking care of some unfinished business out in mem. So regardless if I am taking a vaca or what ever the other purpose of the trips is to gain miles and segs to reach status with my hometown carrier. So if some wouldn't consider these trips MR's what are they then? Just wondering.

How are you choosing where you go? Bases on fares or based on where you want to fly?

Basically, in my book, in order for it to be a MR, you need to choose the trip based on how you can get the most miles out of it. If you spend time there, it still can be a MR in my book, just not a pure one. But taking a trip you already have and trying to get extra miles out of it is a little different. Here you will be paying a lot more for the miles...so miles can hardly be the motivation unless you actually prefer buying things for $400 when they same can be had for $200. In this case, in a sense, the purchase is the miles you are flying. If you are doing a mileage run, you choose a place where you get the most miles for the least $. You might happen to vacation there to. If you are on vacation and trying to add some miles while you are at it, you choose a place you want to vacation....

Thanks for the clarification wanaflyforless. When I was planning for my trip to ord yeah it is a vaca but I was wanting to get the most miles and segs that I could get. I did pay a little bit more this trip because it isn't a direct flight out of sea but that is ok with me because my stop at lax for most of the day will give me a chance to meet up with friends (who are like family to me) who I haven't seen in a little over a year So yeah I did spend a little more then what I would have had I taken a direct or maybe a different route but this tirp it's justifiable at least for me seeing those friends. Next trip out to mem should be less then this one in June with it being fall and no holidays during that trip.

OP - what you are doing is simply taking the long way to where you're planning to go anyway. There's nothing wrong with that but it isn't a MR.

A MR is going nowhere for no reason other than miles. Many of us no longer actually want the RDM but are actually after the EQM to maintain our status.

My longest MR ever was last Feb. 2-3. IAD-ORD-FRA-ORD-IAD, into FRA at 6 am and out at 8am on the same plane.

And yes, MRs are a bit tough to explain to my wife.

i call trying to maximize mi's on a have to trip "tweaking"....not a mr...

however, it is fairly rare for me to do a pure mr....usually for year end status needs....

but, because my last business trip was circa 1987, i must get going whenever a good fare comes up, so i went to europe 3 times in jan one year, staying for 3 days on one, getting back on the plane on the other two....the purpose of all 3 was the qmi's....

often, there are posts asking for help which are requests related to must trips and are really looking for cheap fares plus mi's....i think they are valid questions, but where should they be posted?

anyway, there is a thin line defining what is a mr, and i'm not sure what it is...

good luck to all...

Does it really matter what someone else calls them? If you're content with the price you're paying, and you've arranged the trip to get the maximum number of miles, then you can call it a MR. Some people on here won't agree, but they're not the ones taking the trip - you are!

I've flown to several destinations (BNA, TPA) where I wanted to go to see friends, and just booked myself the long way round (eg, LAX-SEA-ORD-BNA/TPA) to earn more miles for a minimal increase in price (but still a good cpm rate in my opinion). I only stayed 1 night in each case. I've called those MRs, as I have called flying to/from MSP (on a fairly standard routing) and turning back around within 45 minutes. A MR is what you want it to be!

Blasphemy! A MR is a time to suffer and reflect on the pride of enduring and truly earning the miles! A true Mileage Runner should refuse even the mythical (because that's the only place they happen on UA) op-up!

"A mileage run...well that looks kinda extreme, maybe I should try one."
"I think I want to go visit X. How do I book a MR there?"

And I'm thinking: Do you know what a MR is?

Q: Why are you going?
A1: For the miles.
OR
A2: To visit X.

Logical extension from A1:
I want miles. How do I get the most miles for the least $? I need the lowest fare that allows the longest routing to anywhere! I live in PDX. The lowest fare per mile traveler to anywhere right now from PDX is to PVD. I looked up the routing rules for the that fare and see that it allows PDX-LAX-DEN-IAH-ORD-PVD and the same route back. Its not available for next weekend when I was thinning of going, so let me see what weekend it is available. Ah, it is available on a weekend in 3 months from now. Let me book. My fare is $173 all in (base $114). I will be earning 8662 EQMs and 17324 redeemable miles for my $173 spent, or 1 cent per mile. I don't know anyone in PVD, so I might be doing a turn. Or, I might decide I want to explore and spend some time in PVD before returning. I am doing a MR because I wanted to fly for the miles and chose my trip accordingly.

Logical extension from A2:
I need to go from PDX to visit person X. They live in DEN. The lowest fare to DEN is $153 right now. I looked up the routing rules and they allow me to go via SFO and LAX. I want to get as many miles out of my trip as I can so I will fly PDX-SFO-LAX-DEN. I am earning 3499 EQM and 6998 miles for $184, or 2.6 cents per mile. Don't you like my MR!!!

Question for A2:
Why don't you fly to PVD and spend less money than you are paying and earn more than twice the miles?
r: Because I want to visit person X.
Why are you flying?
r: For the miles.
Lets say miles are like gas. You want some miles/you want some gas. One trip/station sells for 1 cent each/$2 per gallon while another sells for 2.6 cents each/$5.40 per gallon. If you want miles/gas, which are you going to choose?
r: Silence.

Most rational people do not pay 2X or 3X for a commodity. In the case of the MR, that commodity may be EQM, RDM, segments, tier points, sectors, or qualification for a specific miles promo. Which it is depends on person's program and their miles or status objectives. But if one of these is truly the objective it seems irrational to choose to pay 2X or 3X the price available for the same commodity.

For me, the definition of a MR has to do with objective. A rational MRer may have multiple objectives. If this is the case, another objective may make it a lame MR. So don't ask on FT how to make something a better MR and then dismiss others work if a non-MR related objective is going to take precedence over your MR objectives in planning the trip.


Tweaking non-MRs to add miles to them is a MR's cousin. It is not a MR and will usually result in paying around 3X the cost per mile/EQM/segment of a well planned MR. The MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A GOOD MR IS CHOOSING THE ROUTE. Tweakers don't do this; they already have a route in mind. A good tweaker will do something every good MRer does: study the routing rules for their desired fares and book accordingly. That is the second half of the MR process.

I wish FT had better categories to discuss how to add miles to an already determined trip and a place to discuss fares which are good deals but lame MRs. Right now the MR forum seems to be a catch all.

Good point! Moderators, are you listening?!

This is exactly where I've been stuck. Not sure if it's just a rash of high fares (on DL & NW) out of nyc or what.

I know I've been pestering you a lot lately if you could offer some thoughts on my question (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=696081) re: how to id fares or routes that allow for more than 2 transfers i'd appreciate it.

Nice post. ^

re "tweaking": Had to fly ROC-ABQ earlier this year and were able to route ROC-ORD-SFO-DEN-ABQ-ORD-ROC, all segments ug'ed to F and fully reimbursed by my employer Never tried a pure MR, though.

Who cares what people call it. I've only had 1 or 2 "pure" MR's this year where I did either same-day or overnight(red-eye) turnarounds, many of them back on the same plane. THe only time I went landside was to smoke a cigarette and get some air (I can see how this may read funny).

MR/vacation combos are more what I do, though they are short vacations (a day or two).Of course they screw up the bottom line CPM calculation but they are quite wnjoyable and allow me to see many places. I figure I'm already there, why not leave a day later and do some exploring?

But hey, YMMV.

If you are outside of the MR box as described above, it is not because you leave a day later and do some exploring!

It might be because you choose the $5.40 gasoline/vacation fare instead of the lower cost one.

And who says there is anything wrong with going somewhere for a vacation?

If you're flying to get miles, it's a run. They can't tell you otherwise.


If you're flying to get miles, it's a run. They can't tell you otherwise.


Yes. You've got it!

Some FTers take delight meddling. Some will say 'you're wrong, just to be right'. Some people on FT, want a high post count and will post to every thread in a day.

Don't take it too seriously...

... and enjoy the miles/status when you've got them.

BTW, don't stop posting. We need contributions. Even if some say otherwise, without the "Talk", there is no FlyerTalk.

It is for me. A day or two more adds on expenses such as lodging, food, etc, etc. I tend to incorporate those costs as well as the airfare.

Though fares outta my town are ridiculous right now. Lucked out and got a r/t to NRT for $530 a/i (pure vacation, btw) but thats it for me this summer!