(AA Gold)

1. Reserved exit row seat
2. Elite check in
3. Bonus miles

1/ access to alliance lounges worldwide
2/ elite lines for check-in
3/ elite lines for security
4/ elite telephone numbers for reservations, ticketing

Full body massages on my UA trans-continental flights... Huh, what's that? Elite perks, not fantasies? Well O.K.

1. Upgrades
2. Check-In Line - especially now
3. Elite Security Line
4. Added respect and other courtesies from the airline
5. Lounge Access for Int'l flights

My needs are simple:
1. Recognition that I am not one of the clueless mass of travelers.
2. Service beyond that given to the clueless mass of travelers.

Everything else is gravy.

Another vote for massages...er...upgrades

1. Upgrades
2. Elite lines
3. Bonus miles

For me, it's easy. The economy plus seats, then the elite check in lines, then the bonus miles.

AS-
*um, hmmm, ability to get awards w/out fees when they need to be expedited
*upgrades across the country for only 5K - ooops, that is changing
*moderately good customer service on alternate thursdays in months begining w/the letter m
*seriously, depending on the customer service agent at the airport or on the phone, it can be great to be a MVP/MVP Gold. - op upgrades, changes to tickets for free, v.helpful mileage plan people

AA EXP-

upgrade from any fare! outstanding feature
EXP desk- wonderful service so far, one aangel even called me back at work to give me some more options
Ability to use FC/BC checkin- though sometimes the coach is faster
cheaper club memberships at a higher elite level
Elite security lines at SEA making the morass of C/D-N tolerable

nuf said.

lala

Best perks:
1. More leg room. If United stops offering this perk to Mileage Plus Premier members who buy discount fares, I'm switching to Continental.
2. Separate check-in lines.
3. Upgrades.

Yes the dedicated check in lines are nice (I'm only a lowly UA Premier but it helps) and even the lame UA airport waitlist policy has helped me at LAX in the middle of a horrendous rainstorm in getting on a flight before some obnoxious Angelenos. But what I tell friends in advising them to qualify for elite is "at Premier they start treating you like a human being, anything below that and you're cattle, anything above and they start acting really nice" :-)

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DL Silver:

1. Upgrades

2. Check in at first class line

3. Choice seats available for pre-assignment

4. Reduced miles for Crown Club membership (do they really think I'm going to PAY for that?)

What's left? All the other "perks" are being made available, one by one, to the general masses.

1. Upgrades
2. Crown Room Membership
3. Medalion Checkin
4. Medalion Security

I'm seconding FflyinMike:
1. Ability to bend/break most of the rules, most of the time, and not pay change fees, ever. I must have been "gifted" $2,000 last year in saved fees
2. Many unexpected good things happening, too many to get into...
3. Operational upgrades and uncollected certs
4. Exit row advance seating when I don't want to sit up front.
5. Pleather, that one time...

1. Being able to upgrade cheap fares
2. More operational upgrades

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In response to OldAztec: Even at merely 6'00", coach isn't all that great.

UA:
1) Elite Check-in and Security (especially now)
2) Economy Plus (oh, the joy of having more space)
3) Upgrades (gotta love those op u/gs!!)
4) *A Lounge Access (although the RCCs suck)
5) Elite Phone lines
6) Elite Boarding (almost always subject to "random" security check if you dash to the gate)
7) Priority tags on luggage (never observed on domestic flights)