A terrific post and within is some great advice for younger frequent flyers. As I get near the end of my business flying days my biggest regret is that I won't have enough miles on any one airline (unless there is a fortuitous merger) for lifetime status on any airline. That's despite being platinum, gold, 1K etc. on 6 US airlines at different times. That's what I get for moving every two years. Fortunately I have a Lifetime Marriott Platinum elite card so that lessens some of the sting.

Since you mention several "life of the card" based status, you could also include comped SPG Gold (and VS Silver?) from the Platinum Amex, SPG gold from $30k/anum spend on the SPG Amex, and HHonors Gold from $20k/anum spend on the Hilton Amex. I believe there are other CC-based statuses available, but these are the only ones that I can recall right now

other potential costs of getting lifetime status to consider
 

hmmmm has anybody checked the accident record of Air China? I want to be around to enjoy my lifetime status....:D

From what I've heard, once they stopped hiring fighter jockeys out of the Taiwanese Air Force, and actually got some commercial pilots (Aussies?) who understood that airliners don't handle like fighter jets, they did much better at the whole thing of not crashing into each other or otherwise self-destructing in mid-air. Now they just burst into flames on the tarmac, and not until everyone's evacuated. :D

Air China, not China Airlines
 

Taiwaneses Air Force jocks fly for China Airlines, based in Taiwan, Republic of China. Air China is based in Beijing, Peoples' Republic of China.

Since the SPG & HH ones aren't 'automatic' I haven't listed them (since any annual activity requirement means it doesn't fit the 'lifetime' model). The only CC's that are listed are ones that offer status to any card holder even if they don't use the card. As such I will add the Platinum Amex.

Can you point me to a URL that spells out the VS Gold benefit of the Amex Platinum card? I can find reference to SPG Gold as a benefit but not VS.

Ooh, my bad. I scrambled the words. Yeah, I should know better!

A colleague from Beijing seems to thing Air China is good. But then, he's from Beijing, so he might be a wee bit biased.

darn double posts

THANKS!!!! great information consolidated into one place. I'm going to bookmark this thread!^:-:^:-:^:-:^

Lifetime Status
 

Thank you very much for providing the list of lifetime achievable status. Is it any surprise to anyone on here that USAirways is glaringly missing from the list. When I inquired about lifetime status after 1M+ miles, I was told it would not be fair to the other travelers who have to qualify every year for their status. Does that not sound exactly like USAirways backward thinking? Why would they reward an obviously loyal client?

Compare the number of airlines on the list with the number of airlines that have frequent flyer elite programs worldwide and you can see that there are quite a few that don't have lifetime programs. Of course, the majority of the large global carriers do.

Since these programs traditionally haven't been published there is not as much market pressure to 'match' on the non-offering airlines. Still, it is odd when the major players in a particular market offer lifetime elite and the smaller competitors don't.

Personally, I find it surprising that any airline wouldn't have a published lifetime program since it is a great tool for retention of frequent travelers. I think AA is actually the smartest since they count any source of miles it is a great way of encouraging Credit Card use (which earns them money now, in return for miles that they can choose when to make available flights). Of course, since AA doesn't publish the details of the program they minimize both the positive impact (how many small business owners would use the AA mastercard vs some other small business card?) on AA and the competitive pressure on other carriers.

Other carriers that are interesting in their lack of a program include BA (since BMI offers one, as do alliance partners AA and QF), Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Blue (since QF offers one and they are trying to get business travel away from Qantas).

Still, it is surprising that US doesn't have a program, especially since after the merger of NW with DL (and assuming all USA airlines are still in business - a big assumption) - all the major airlines with elite programs in the US will offer a lifetime program other than US. The only other domestic carriers with elite status that don't have a lifetime program (discounting NW) are Hawaiian and Midwest. Hawaiian doesn't really need one (since they have a pretty strong market position and no other inter-island carrier has one), Midwest would no doubt do very well out of a program similar to BMI's (number of years in a row with status).

You can always shoot for AA lifetime based on CC spending etc and of course as an older flyer - LH's program is specifically designed for you :)

I vote for sticky-ing this thread! ^

I am mistaken about VS Gold from the Plat - it is the Centurion card that grants it. Amex Plat might grant VS Silver (I have read it from several sources googled, but do not see it listed under the list of bennies on the Amex site). I have amended my post.

Additionally, according to Wikipedia, Amex Centurion grants the following status:
CO Gold
US Plat
VS Gold
DL Gold
SPG Gold

I second dahorns thanks

Definately a really useful candidate for a sticky!!^^

Thanks ANDREWCX!!