Shoot, all these years I just thought collecting miles was FUN!

Seriously I agree with MGM, I alway enjoy listening to a new academic point of view. Then I reflect, make some adjustments if warranted, and then blissfully go on doing whatever makes me happy.

Having enough miles to take my whole family to Europe when I want, or to travel around the country whenever we feel like it, makes me very happy. I assure you, Richard, the good experiences and memories I have accumulated travelling with my family are among the most precious and lasting treasures I possess.

I think this post has actually been wonderful for me as it made me start thinking how much more lasting those memories will be if I make a better effort as completing my trip journals. I just had a vision of my great-granchildren re-enjoying our visit to the Alhambra. I'll make a little labels for the journals that read, "Memories Courtesy of FF miles."

p.s. Hey, CATMAN Don't knock Seattle/Portland trips. I get 4,100 miles per trip. Just from my SEA/PDX trips, alone, I get enough mileage for two business class tickets to Europe each year. I'm not complaining.



[This message has been edited by Punki (edited 05-29-99).]

Doh! I leave her alone for 5 minutes and she's having a cyber-affair with...Arturo?!. That's it. Goodbye cruel world. And Onefreeman...nope. Arturo's posts are the only ones she ever wants me to read to her. I should have suspected.

I am NOT knocking SEA/PDX or any short haul trips. I was only trying to make the point that I think the person who initiated this post has made few flights per year and probably is NOT in a frequent Flyer Program.

The short hauls help ALL OF US get over the top.

And Punki, you just proved me point about all this travel having lasting value. We can use the miles to see the people we LOVE!




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MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!!!

arturo epresheight yur komints lesswing, butt arturo marred two consuelo, an consuelo knot lik et ef arturo cheet on consuelo. en fack, consuelo bruse arturo bad ef he git kaut. lesswing, prematur-ex beter be guud two yu or arturo mite jus tak yu up on yur ofer durin pip. ef yu knot go two pip, mebe arturo knot go to pip ether. consuelo knot goin to pip, sew consuelo knot kno wher arturo es. mebe arturo jus stey en kalephornea an sea yu whil prematur-ex gon.

ef yu goin to pip, thin yu mite git to sea arturo. arturo wood emale yu en priveight, butt yu hyde yur emale adress, sew arturo knot abl to doo et threw ciberspac.

At the risk of adding yet another justification to the value of FF programs debate I thought I would share the experience I had today.

I received a phone call this afternoon that my mother was rushed to hospital and has to undergo major surgery on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I am currently in Singapore and she is in Australia. Before I even thought about trying to buy a ticket on a Sunday I called AA's Executive Platinum desk, explained the situation and asked if they could issue an award ticket on Qantas. Ten to fifteen minutes later they had me confirmed on outgoing and return flights, sent a message to the local ticketing office to give my booking priority and waived the $75 rush fee. Without this, I would be waiting anxiously until the morning when I could speak with a travel agent and try to secure a paid ticket.

While the dollar value of the ticket can easily be quantified, I can't put a price on the value this means to both my mother and myself. I don't think this situation could have been handled so well were it not for a combination of elite status with AA and a sympathetic customer service rep. This is definitely not "fools gold at the end of the rainbow" as far as I am concerned. Of course I am more than happy to give back to AA in return, by continued loyalty and promotion by sharing the positive experiences I have had with them.


[This message has been edited by mgm (edited 05-30-99).]

I couldn't agree more mgm.

There have been several times when I have had to make emergency bookings that would have been prohibitively expensive that allowed me to get to where I needed to go immediately. With no capacity controls as an AC SuperElite, it means if there is an open seat of any sort, I can access it and at no charge for instant booking. I just a made a reward booking today for a day trip Tuesday that would have cost me a $1000 normally--remote northern location, no competition.

Status for frequent travellers is more than illusory power--it is worth more than its weight in gold or platinum or emeralds or whatever http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

The original post on this thread was only two days ago, but it's drawn what I think is a fantastic outpouring of responses, not much of it favorable. What I find notable, though, is that the original writer hasn't responded to any of the criticism. I really hope it hasn't turned you off, RB. We're not putting you down, we're just disagreeing with you. And that's one of the big plusses of a forum like this one.
Of course, Arturo went a bit overboard, I think, in his criticism of the commercialism (it was sort of tacky, but probably not worthy of an attack as strong as Arturo's). You have to realize, however, that Arturo seldom posts more than two lines; so his long expressions on this subject have probably been something of a strain.

Thanks for the invitation to respond. This is obviously a subject near and dear to everybody's heart here. We all want to make the most of our flying dollars and get the best treatment we can. I think most of us love the perks and special privileges that come with elite levels too.

pgupta011: Thanks for the comments about the UA 100K level. I actually am not talking through my hat on this -- I am a "1K". Since most other airlines give their top elites unlimited domestic upgrades, I still think the extra confirmable upgrades are nice, but not a significant benefit. The 1K lounges, without any food or drink or even coffee, are not terribly useful unless there is a flight cancellation of some kind, and in that case I have always been successful simply calling United on the phone.

Catman: I fly a couple times a month on average, all over the world. I am elite with United and Alaska. I feel bad that some people seemed to think I was talking about them when I talked about fools gold -- obviously if you're conscious about what you're doing and you love to travel and you don't blindly pour time, money and energy into reaching the next level, you're doing great! That probably covers most people who contribute to this board, and the last thing I wanted to do was to insult anyone. I love you all!

Punki: I couldn't have hoped for a better result from my article. Thanks for your indulgence everybody.

All the best memes,

Richard

Richard Brodie: I was 1K, now I am PE. I really do not see it as climbing any kind of "ladder". The perks you mention as not of significance to you, are really significant to me - different people will have different priorities, but if someone is writing an article for general distribution, s/he should try to represent a broad spectrum of viewpoints, and not some condescending viewpoint about what people should or should not do with their time.

arturo, I'm impressed. Not only does wingless offer to leave PremEx for you, but you inspired her very first post on the board (and I know that she's been registered for months...)

double post

[This message has been edited by baobab (edited 05-31-99).]

RB, yu beter man en arturo's buuk. yu kom bak an post yur phealins an perpus an arturo unnerstan that. wat arturo rite abov es hes openyon. arturo kno yu hav openyon an respeck et. thet es wat nise bout thes bored, yu kan post yur openyon an ketch wholly hell-o bout et, butt evrywon respeck yur openyon, mebe knot arturo's, butt yurs respecked. arturo luv yu two.

arturo trevel soo much thet he knot kere enymour bout 1k, or y2k, or platenum, or prematur-executed, arturo jus wan two bee en furst klas wiff beeg wid seet so arturo kan siesta.

themk yu bay-o-bab fore yur post. arturo knot elways enspir peepl, butt ef he enspir lesswing thin arturo hapy. mebe lesswing sind arturo emale, or post egan hear. arturo hop prematur-ex knot sea thes an bee mad, an arturo expeshelly hop consuelo knot sea thes.

Richard,

Take a look at "Dream Trips! Why are we saving miles?"

56 posts to date and not a single one of them mentioned flying to gain power, status or security. Guess we Flyer Talkers just don't fit the mold.

Punki, there is NO doubt in my mind that FlyerTalkers don't fit the mold!

ppgupta11, I know I and everyone else appreciates your adding balance to my opinion piece. Thanks.

Sometimes it's interesting to consider if we have unconscious motivations that conflict with what we consciously strive for, and that is mostly what my work is about. Thanks everyone for your feedback.

All the best memes,

Richard