Most family & friends think I'm obsessed,possessed,and/or nuts! But I usually find a way to fly up front on cheap coach tix and they are on a different carrier every time they take off(in steerage, of course!)just to get what they think is the best deal going. So I admit to my addiction openly; it's interesting how most seem to have a defeatist attitude about upgrades, etc. They just figure only other people can figure out how to do that (or are wealthy!)Good thing, I guess - makes more of my upgrades clear!

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Ken

I have no miles addiction.

the first but most difficult step, to cure any addiction, is to admit it

Hi, my name is Sassy! and I'm addicted to status.

For little money and time I am location independent. It has changed my life. I could give my money to my insurance agent and Willy Davidson and have Harley Sportster that I could ride about 100 miles before my hands and butt would become numb from vibration, or I can contiune to give about the same amount of funds to my airline and I get a Boing and the world.

I don't talk about "my drug of choice" much these days as it puts a lot of people off. Maybe they don't care, or do care a lot that I can be anywhere anytime without waits, generaly first class, and they can't. It's heady stuff.

I don't know if I even want a bike real bad anymore, I want my pilot's licence first!

See you'all at the next meeting.

Sassy!

No shame - but I was amazed re: an AS run I took a few months ago to IAD where 4 of the 12 F pax were doing the same thing (flying right back to SEA 2 hours later) but no one would admit it until "after" - and the other 3 weren't FTers, and thought they were strange in what they were doing.

When one friend asked what I was going to be doing that weekend, I said "I'm not going to be getting any sleep on Saturday night" and she wondered what kind of trouble I was going to be getting myself into. She was surprised to find out NONE.

[This message has been edited by Eastbay1K (edited 10-24-2002).]

LOL

Well, I don't fly enough on revenue tickets to achieve status, but...

I got sick of being a "passive" participant with the whole airplane thing, so I actually did go out and get my pilot's license. Well worth the time and money. It's neat flying into some of the same airports in a C172 that you do in an MD80. It's even neater when the GA ramp is separted from the "air carrier" ramp by a painted line that says "pedestrians do not cross", that you're 30 feet from a 727 doing 130 kts, or you're in a climb a mile behind a 737 passing 3000 ft. Don't get me started about flying over DC (back in the day) or right over EWR when CO is having their arrivals puch, crossing three NYC airports in about ten minutes, and watching the arrival streams for each. BTW, the view up front beats the view from the back. Sold yet?

And if that weren't enough, I worked for an airline for awhile as well. I flew all of the time, but it's been about two years since I've collected an FF mile.

Last year, I remember being forced to tell a large group of high school kids how many miles I had in my FF account and when I said, "something like 300,000." it was as if I were Hercules (or a really big freak.)

Though I really like them, I don't really have a miles "addiction" so there's not much to be shamed about--but I am uncomfortable with telling the average Joe that I just about always fly first class. Sure, flyertalkers, close friends and people who do likewise or just make a lot more money than me--that's fine, but I feel uncomfortable telling some friends, my parents and rest of the fam. (who don't travel much.)

Once I brought a fairly talkative ex-girlfriend to a party some friends of mine were having--she didn't know anyone there very well, and she "outed" me. "...oh the goat flies first class all of the time..." I didn't like that. It's that good old Minnesotan false modesty in me.

I've learned to quit talking about it at work. I passed a ton of FF tips such as status challenges, promo codes, and so forth to about 20 co workers and senior managers. Very valuable info that also saved us quite a lot of money. Actually made it up as a monthly tip sheet on an email distribution. Instead of thanks, I was called in and counseled about using company time for such nonsense. Of course, the old farts made sure their administration assistants put them in for the codes. I've never been as hard core as a lot of you. No pure mileage runs for example. Just extra segments and mattress run type activities. Still do all those activities certainly, but quit talking about it. I suppose afraid is a close enough term although a little strong.

Heh. I'm thinking of handing out Kellogs 100 mile certificates to my passengers and describing in detail my FF relationship with AA http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

birdstrike

Was pulling into a Sheraton tonight with family for one night. Used status to end up in Suite, with ajoining room for kids. No shame here other then when my 6 year old talks about a mileage run in front of his teacher or classmates and I need to remind him about what things we don't talk with others. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Afraid?...I wear it like a badge! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif One friend is addicted to basketball, another to nature, and a third to her kitty cats. Me, I am addicted to miles. It gives my friends and coworkers a good laugh when we talk about it. (But they were not laughing this summer when I flew BE to Stockholm for a conference, and they flew coach.)

On the other hand, my family supports my addiction. My dad is envious. He loves to travel, and he loves a good upgrade. Unfortunately, my stepmom is sick, and my dad cannot travel. As for my mom and sister, they save Kellogg's AA certs for me!

I guess there's nobody waiting in the wings to do an intervention on my addiction! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

The girlfriend thinks I am insane. For some reason though, she doesn't mention it when we are spending 2 first class weeks in Italy and France for next to nothing.

Who me, what?

We've been doing the Kellogg's AA miles coupons thing for a couple years. Not only have we gotten a terrific amount of AA miles, but we've lost a lot of weight!

I realized how bad my addiction is when I was issued a ticket on an airline I don't use much....I didn't pay for the ticket, but have been very sad about the miles that could have been!

OK, so now I'm thinking of how to wake up that ff account so I can get some benefit of those miles in the future.

I happy, however!

I'm probably more hooked on travel than on miles...one led to the other. Quit a corporate job to do travel for 1 year at 33 (sort of a "gap year" I never got when younger) but have stretched it to six, even on very thin funding (just above stay-in-hostels level). That's probably addiction.

Peoples' eyes glaze over if I get too much into the mechanics of mileage maximization. Flying up front most of the time seems to get more of the muted "wows" than talking about earning 20,000 miles on a trip that your average person would earn 4,000 on. But most people will quickly figure that it takes more travel than they'd see themselves doing (at lowest fares and on their own dime) to get the thing to work.

I love the looks I get sometimes...

Asked my neighbor if she would mind feeding the cats for me on Sat. night & Sun morning. Told her I was flying to ANC for 12 hours and would be back by noon Sunday.

When she asked why, I was tempted to tell her it was a mileage run, but that would necessitate a long explanation. Instead I told her I had this major craving for fresh caribou steak...the look was priceless. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

As to the original topic, there are some folks who will just NEVER understand, and I don't even try to get them to. They are the first ones to ask "Is FC really that good?" To which I answer..."if you ever flew FC you would know."

The last 2 free tickets I gifted were both F instead of coach, but I didn't tell the recipients. The phone calls afterwards were worth the extra miles spent for their F tickets.