What a great thread ! It takes me down Memory Lane!
 

I got addicted to the Frequent Flyer game sometime in the 1997/1998 era I believe. It was my nightly obsession after a long day at work to log on to Flyer Talk on the computer after kids went to bed to learn from all the savvy people! Holy Moly, did we benefit (as a family)! All the promotions - HHonors - 50K promo - Publix coupons - Kelloggs cereal (the Pudding Guy era). I remember on the 50k HHonors promo, I learned I could book and guarantee hotel rooms in faraway places that I had no intention of using. But, I got the big bonus! The room was only about $27 (back then) and I'd net 20k or 30k for the charge on my credit card. From all of the promotions, we took so many free flights (3 to Hawaii for family of 4) (1 first class to Florida from CA for fam of 4 for Thanksgiving one year), 5 nights @ the Waikoloa in Hawaii, several trips to Michigan for family events, 5 nights free at the Tapatio Cliffs in Scottsdale/Phoenix, Many cash and points stays at Union Square (Westin St. Francis). My husband and I never travelled for work so doing the credit card promos and other promos (cereal coupons) (or even just calling w/ codes to Hhonors) was how we did it. We always pay our balance each month on the credit cards so we didn't pay interest ever. What a great life we have had in the way of vacations. I just flew round trip to Guam to meet our first granddaughter! That was free thanks to Chase Sapphire + United Explorer Cards, which saved me between $1500 and $2000 (Our first grandchild..I would have gone even if I had to pay). Life is Good! Thanks to all of you for sharing and for the OP for bringing up the topic!;)^

Same here! 19Jul83 enrollment with PA. However, first "mileage run" was on PA a few years earlier when, after a pilots strike, PA offered a free ticket (can't remember if dom or int'l) after just 1 r/t flight. So, did a $30 fare to get the free ticket.

My user name is a reference to the old "FT" program.

We joined Pan Am sometime in the 80's. It was the most rewarding program ever! We even earned full miles on award flights!!! - all I had to do is ask for the miles and send the boarding passes. In addition, our babies, who only paid 10% or 20% of the ticket earned full adult miles.

Ha, me too:
AA account in 1991 to use SAAbre on CompuServe.

Really started FF'ing 1996 on US flying BWI-SFO back and forth. Nuts to realize it's been 20 years!

I joined AA April 1990. It was the first month that SWF opened. At the time you could fly a 727 to ORD or DFW. Free parking and minutes to the gate. Those were the days....

My compliments on your FT-based handle!

NWA 1987. I have always been serious about miles I thought (checking news letter, trying to switch phone companies every so often back then), . Until I stumbled on this site in late 90s. Time flies.

WorldPerks with NWA in 1987. I had a Piedmont Airlines cobranded credit card in the 80's that gave me discounts, but I am not sure if there was a Frequent Flier program. I joined SWA Rapid Rewards in the mid 90's and AA in 1999.

Same here and roughly the same time within a couple of years. Going back over 30 years, a few years is roughly :p

I took one flight a short hop shuttle of some sort and rec'd 3000 miles

I never took another one with that airline but at some point I rec'd a letter saying it was now a DL account and that started me on DL. DL was my first airline of choice (back when the program was good) until I was forced to abandon them in the mid 90's because my employer was AA/UA only.

United December 1985 -- and I'm finally nearing Million Miler status. (Took me long enough! I should have focused more.)

One reason I didn't accumulate more miles on United sooner: I too took advantage of the terrific TW 50,000 mile First Class redemption offer. Cairo was wonderful...

My first FF program was Pan Am back in 1988. IIRC, there was a credit card promotion. I remember getting excited about 5,000 or 10,000 mile offers back then. Tickets were only 20,000 miles.

I think I joined somewhere by 2001, having flown some work flights already before but had no idea about FF. Actually, the much hated (at least in companies where there are strict and brainless policies) travel secretary was the one who told me to join, literally she did the work and enrolled me while I was uninterested "I don't know why, but well go ahead" :D I can't believe it! I must confess also that it took a long while before I started to see in the program benefits. Oh how much miles I had lost by not knowing...those were the times when flying was always in business class!

TWA in 1985.

AA in 1987.

UA in 1988, when one of my vendors paid for the ticket. I wasn't happy about it until a year later. I had to start all over again with a new program... building my mileage bank. When a friend told me that UA had a better upgrade program, I was all-in. I'll never forget the first time UA called my name for an upgrade. It was biz class on the old 3 class 767 JFK/LAX. I felt like a million bucks.

I was upstate NY at the time. I heard a commercial on the radio about this, and called the airline to inquire. I thought what I heard was too good to be true. I had 2 transcons booked at the time. 5000 miles x 3 = 15.000 miles. With 2 trips, that totaled 30,000 miles. I had 20,000 AA miles at the time, so this yielded 2 'free' tickets to Orlando.

Dan

American Advantage - 1988
United Mileageplus - 1991
Continental whatever - 1992

And that was enough for Gold status, too.