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as most FF know as well - bulkheads have downsides vs proper exit rows.

for someone flying 60k/2.5 years - thats not exactly a FF. Try flying weekly or multiple times a week then comment on elite status. In addition, the miles accumulation portion of elite status is completely missing from your comments - sure to a casual credit card churner elite status is meaningless on free flights; however, with BIS accumulation 500/short + 2x/long can be a significant adder to your FF miles at EOY.

I respect you, man! Although I wonder if this is a troll alert.
or perhaps a posting run....

You should do what suits you and not try to convert the mile-a-holics here.
Please go in economy if that is best for you.
Less competition for upgrades is fine with me.

The posters above have made their points.
Maximizing elite-ness and getting the most of your experience is key.
I do not envy the elites above me or look down on the ones "beneath" me in some artificial order or rules made up by an airline.
I just try to use the system for my benefit when possible.
If that helps you, go for it, if not, don't do it.

Point well taken
If you click on the edit button, you can copy and reference the comments.
That will separate the points and replies without a new post each time.

This is actually one aspect I enjoy. The Chase.

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Bulkhead seats are the worst seats on the plane for tall people since they have the least amount of legroom. They have a few extra inches (good) and nobody can recline into your lap/knees (good) but the fact you cannot place your legs under the seat in front of you far outweighs these benefits. I prefer the exit row in coach over the bulkhead seat in FC.

Having said all that you could say the same thing about asking for the exit row when checking in / at the gate (except for the 95% time you will get it, more like < 10% from my experience and then usually a middle). Some airlines charge a premium for these seats others will make it available at the gate, but this is hit and miss. Flying the airline I have status with only once in the last 6 years did I not have an exit row reserved at the time of booking. This was due to a last minute booking on an oversold flight.

Something I hate about bulkheads is no place to put a small bag. I like having my ipad and headphones right in front of me the instant the bell sounds.

Also means fighting for bin space. If someone is not elite like the OP, there will be a lot of peopleboarding before him with a good chance that bin space will be taken.

Not sure about other airlines, but on Delta, the bulkhead is now economy comfort on most planes so if you have no status, even at t-24 check in, you will pay for the seat. I know on international they will no allow pax to move up to the bulkhead now that they are charging more or requiring status, not sure if they are enforcing EC seat poaching on domestic or not.

I have a reclining exit row 90% of the time on Delta if I don't get upgraded. Most of the times I don't get it are if I want EC (such as international) or if I same day confirm into an earlier flight (and even then I get it about half the time if I am not upgraded).

Status value is directly related to how much you fly. For the OP's 60k over almost 3 years, I'd say it's not worth the trouble to earn it, especially since its going to be low-level anyway. You can get most of the low-level benefits with credit cards anyway.

Airline Elite Status Overrated?
 

I has the same mentality as you before, but I fly between 40k-60k a year with all different airlines, just whichever is cheaper.

Things all changed a few years back, I was on a trip to Hong Kong, had to go to Shanghai for a few days on a separate ticket. My wife was in week 20 of the pregnancy, and had a fall and had lots of bleeding.

I got the message at about 10am local time in shanghai, I changed my QF flight departing from hong kong to leave the same evening, all went well. When i tried to change my CX flight back to Hong Kong, I got told all flights leaving that day were fully booked. I was on a J ticket, and I even volunteered to downgrade, as long as I can get to hong kong in the evening, but been told I can only try my luck at the airport with stand-by.

Things got worse when I get to the airport, China Eastern canceled one of their flight to hong kong, and their pax were traveling on CX/KA... There were at least 50 people waiting at the stand-by counter, and all the Diamond, Gold, silver, OWE, OWS, and OWR got given priorities, even they are traveling in coach. I ended up on a KA flight arriving into hong kong one hour after the QF flight left.

I am now *G with NZ and A3, OWS with QF, and occasionally STE with KE.... You only realize the true benefit of status when things go wrong.

ALT, As an infrequent traveler who flies much less than you do, I agree. Some people obsess too much about status and all those First Class benefits. But I also agree that for folks who fly for the living (really frequent business fliers) status is extremely important and it's nothing to joke about since it considerably improves quality of life. They are not just being silly. It's all about numbers. More flights you're on, the bigger chunk of your life you spend in the air.

However, even for infrequent fliers, there are ways other than status to improve on one's travel experience. There is no reason you can't have a lounge access (and if you think it ain't worth it, try it just once in a good lounge). So you want a free lounge access--there are credit cards for that (and some other tricks as well). You want a priority access and a first bag (or two) free--there are credit cards for that too. And unlike status which is very difficult to obtain and retain, those are easy ways to improve in- and between-flights experience. Just saying there are things out there you can have for the asking.

status when things go wrong is a huge perk
 

After being *Gold on UA as a 1P for the past several years, I find myself w/ all the changes the merger has wrought, plus TSA unpleasantness, plus increased costs of flying UA to be what make me say ENOUGH! I haven't flown since before the merger and i don't miss it the way I thought I would.

If I were a biz traveler again I'd definitely want status. But as a 4-5 x/year leisure traveler, going to Europe at least once and other longhauls 2-3 times, I'm going to try living without status and see what happens. I can go to Europe in true Premium Economy for what it would cost me to go E+ on UA, I can buy E+ per flight for US trips and i get to try airliens I would never have tried while i was loyal to the * Alliance.

BIG downside - we do a lot of traveling in the winter. IRROPS are a norm w/ weather. I will miss being treated a bit more special than cattle class if and when problems occur.

Agree, I should of simply said the bulkhead seats are the worst seats on the plane.

The best thing about not having status this year for me is the flexibility of choosing the most convenient airline out of all airlines instead of the most convenient itinerary within one specific airline. This makes miles accumulation with any one airline slow so I'm having to rely more on CC earning opportunities to round out tickets here and there.

I am going to miss being at or near the top on the standby/upgrade list but I think that I'll survive.

Don't forget that a lot of us travel for business. In those scenarios, there is no vacation to make sitting in economy worth it...instead the flight is essentially a commute. If I have to fly somewhere for work, I greatly appreciate the benefits (however small they may be) of flying with elite status.

Now, if I'm flying for vacation, yes, 8 hours in a regular economy seat doesn't seem that bad for 2 weeks in paradise.