i really want to know this
Sep 27, 2010, 6:43 pm
#2
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
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Welcome to FT, khoridon!
Not all the 100K flyers fly on business. Some of us do it all out of our own pockets, so any job that pays well enough (and that you enjoy) would be good.
Not all the 100K flyers fly on business. Some of us do it all out of our own pockets, so any job that pays well enough (and that you enjoy) would be good.
Sep 27, 2010, 7:24 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: IAD, and sometimes OMNI/PR. Currently: not far from IAD, but home will always be SAN (not far from the "touch my junk and I'll have you arrested" Memorial TSA Check Point) even if I'm not there so much these days.
Programs: UA, CO, Calcifer Award for Mad Haiku Skillz
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Read and learn, Young Grasshopper. Read and learn.
Welcome to FT!
Welcome to FT!
Sep 27, 2010, 7:35 pm
#5
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Join Date: Apr 2004
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Posts: 52,140
Sep 27, 2010, 7:46 pm
#6
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Home Airports: CAE/CLT
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, National Executive
Posts: 5,452
Flew 130K miles last year. 70% work, 30% play. (Not the norm for the majority)
If you let me refer you I get a bonus. PM me if interested.
No? Welcome to FT anyway!
Last edited by Gamecock; Sep 28, 2010 at 8:58 am
Sep 27, 2010, 8:12 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,305
92,000 miles this year, all leisure travel, half of it on rewards in premium cabins.
Teacher. Gotta love all those school breaks. Getting paid while travelling
Dont get discouraged, most of these ultra-high flyers do so for work, and are not really travelling, just doing business, attending conferences, etc.
I really dont know how people do it pulling in 150,000 miles a year flying around the USA for work.... that must be very tiring.
Teacher. Gotta love all those school breaks. Getting paid while travelling
Dont get discouraged, most of these ultra-high flyers do so for work, and are not really travelling, just doing business, attending conferences, etc.
I really dont know how people do it pulling in 150,000 miles a year flying around the USA for work.... that must be very tiring.
Sep 27, 2010, 8:18 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ICT
Programs: AA ExP
Posts: 1,860
The bigger problem for most people is enough time off work.
For the record, I'm a travel agent. I don't travel as much as some people here, but I often travel for free or very little when I do travel. I think I've been to 36 countries.
Sep 27, 2010, 8:36 pm
#10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ICT
Programs: AA ExP
Posts: 1,860
Was that directed to me? If so, yes, I do, but it's usually free incentive tickets from the airlines because I'm a travel agent that works for a specialty agency (we're the second largest in our niche in the US) that has special contracts with a number of different carriers--we direct a lot of business. For instance, Lufthansa gave my whole family (6 pax) tickets to Europe. South African Airways gave us 6 coach and 2 business class tickets to South Africa. (We didn't even get to use those, we gave them to some of our best customers.) Several years ago, I flew to Oman, UAE, and Israel on a free Northwest/KLM ticket. It also means that I keep my finger on the pulse of prices and snap up good deals, like last November I (and three friends) flew KE ICT-CNX//XIY-ICT for $700 a/i to visit some friends at both places (that was wholesale price, of course; most agencies would mark that up at least $100). Back in the day, we could fly anywhere on AD90s which was a deal where we flew standby for 10% of the cost of a full fare ticket, but no more. AD90s have morphed into AD50s or (rarely) AD75s. So now it's just a free ticket or two every once in a while when they're really interested in earning some extra business from us or making us happier or incentivizing us to increase our market share with them by a certain percentage.
Sep 27, 2010, 8:49 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,041
Sep 27, 2010, 9:17 pm
#12
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: GUM
Programs: DL, AA, UA, SPG
Posts: 223
Sep 27, 2010, 9:25 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 768
Be careful what you wish for. I love to travel too, but getting in an airplane and flying somewhere for your job isn't travelling, it's just a REALLY long commute - the novelty of which wears off surprisingly quickly.
Sep 27, 2010, 10:42 pm
#14
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Auckland, NZ/New York, NY/ATL
Programs: DL DM MM, BIS 2.4MM, EK Gold, SQ Gold, Marriott Gold, HH Gold,
Posts: 5,222
I agree with this, especially when a lot more trips are turning into day turns and saving money without having to pay for the hotel. I have about 155,000miles BIS flown so far this year with another 20-30K left in me before December 31st; last year was over 210,000BIS. I can tell you that if it wasn't for the premium cabin travel and the knowledge that I have enough darn miles to go anywhere in the world whenevver I pleased (and can share these with the people I love), I would have found another profession.
I tell people, at the end of the day, its a fast moving metal tube. Even if your in the front end, its a sealed off metal tube traveling at 550MPH. Anything beyond this are just details.
Sep 27, 2010, 10:55 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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I've flown 150-200k every year in recent memory. Usually there is some work, and then I sandwich in more time to relax. At least 180 days of relaxation per year.
I fly 80% in First class or Business class. Usually I find a very good fare, or a nice sale fare. This year about 60% are paid tickets, with 40% being award redemptions.
I prefer sub $1k biz class tickets, but you can't always find those. For my FC/Biz tickets this year (Intl), I've paid about $1400 on average. This includes one trip that I was able to use a NW SWU on. Coach tickets average out at $400 or so.
I fly 80% in First class or Business class. Usually I find a very good fare, or a nice sale fare. This year about 60% are paid tickets, with 40% being award redemptions.
I prefer sub $1k biz class tickets, but you can't always find those. For my FC/Biz tickets this year (Intl), I've paid about $1400 on average. This includes one trip that I was able to use a NW SWU on. Coach tickets average out at $400 or so.