I've read a lot of posts about status on different programs, but I'm confused. Being a newbie to this world, I don't know which is true, someone help?

1. Status (such as silver, gold, etc.) is earned once through a particular amount of mileage flown
2. Status is earned once and then maintained through minimum mileage requirements each year
3. Status has to be re-earned every year

Which is true? Or does it work some other way?

Thanks!

Except for lifetime status (for example, earned on AA for 1 million/2 million lifetime miles) status is generally earned by flying 25k/50k/75k or 100k miles each year, and you have to requalify each year. It unlocks low-cost upgrades to J and F on many airlines. Check out some airline websites for more details.

Thanks! That helps a lot. I'd been confused by 'lifetime' references, that makes it more clear.

While the previous post is more or less the way most major U.S. airlines work, there's a great deal of variation worldwide. Many airlines put a premium on how much revenue you mean to them, usually by giving more status credit for higher paid fare levels. Many, while not providing lifetime status, make it easier to requalify for a level than it is to earn it the first time and/or don't drop a person more than one level per year even if s/he didn't fly at all.

It all depends on what kind of behavior an airline wants to encourage and how much imagination its planners have in coming up with devious ways to encourage it, while trying not to give too much to folks like us who look for ways to earn status as cheaply as possible. You really have to check each airline's Web site, or alternatively its forum here and its reviews in InsideFlyer, for specifics.

We shouldn't forget the "challenge" options for status on AA....instead of flying 25k/50k in a year for Gold/Plat, you can "challenge" your way there by flying, within 3 months, 10k miles for Gold, or flying 10k points (points per mile based on fare paid/fare class, etc.) for Plat.

So, conceivably I could fly to one place -- say, Europe -- on AA and earn enough for a Gold tier status in the 'challenge' format?

Once you earn the status for 2005, for instance, do you reset on January 1, 2006, or does that status hold true until you lose it by not flying enough by the end of 2006?

If you found a routing to Europe that is at least 10,000 miles round trip, which would be indirect from Florida, and paid a modestly discounted (not deep-discount) economy fare, yes. Or you could find a routing that is at least 6,667 miles round trip and pay full economy, business or F.

AA status lasts from when you earn it through the following program year. A program year is March 1 - Feb. 28/29, so status earned the normal way today lasts through Feb. 28, 2007. Status earned through a Challenge in the last half of the calendar year is the same. However, status earned through a Challenge in the first half of the calendar year is only good for the then-current program year, so if you were to complete a Gold challenge today, your status would last through Feb. 28, 2006. You'd have to qualify in the normal way during calendar 2005 to keep it. (Status miles/points accrue by calendar year, even though the status so earned holds for a program year. This began in an era when they needed time after Jan. 1 to figure out who had earned what. Today computers do it in seconds, but they still keep the program as it was in this regard.)

If anyone wants to follow up on AA's program, the AA forum would be a better place to do it. There are stickies at the top of that forum that will also answer many questions.

Too true...as a UA gold flying on international award travel I was treated very well on Air New Zealand, including an operational upgrade or two. But I got to talking with one of their FFs about the Airpoints program and pretty quickly determined I wouldn't do well at all under something like that. Non-U.S. carriers without lots of promo tie-ins or as long a legacy of using miles are freer to try different models, but I think when they do it's a case of taking five pounds of flesh from the low-revs and maybe giving three to the high-revs.

There are generally 3 ways to earn (or retain) status - flying required miles, flying required number of sectors, paying enough. (Also 2 other ways - comp for those with status in another program, free status if considered by airline to be a VIP - eg heads of state, captain of industry.)

With some programs you dont need as much to retain as to earn in the first place.

With some programs there are lifetime status options.

With some programs if you dont requalify then you only drop one level (at others drop to whatever you earned).

Period of status can vary - some it is based on calendar year (with overlap to say Feb), others based on when you joined.

Some programs only have a couple of levels of status, while others have 3 or 4.