What's the point of a run
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 30
What's the point of a run
Will someone please explain to me why you pay money to just fly around for no other purpose than to fly around and get miles? I've begun to fly alot for work and couldn't imagine flying more just for more miles. What am I missing?
#2
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,831
1) You're close to achieving the next status level on your carrier of choice and so the cost of doing an extra trip or two makes it worth while to receive the extra perks.
2) The cost of the trip is so cheap that the miles gained are worth more than the fare paid.
2) The cost of the trip is so cheap that the miles gained are worth more than the fare paid.
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
Check out my report at:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003113.html
Total money spent: $852.00.
Total mileage accrued: 140,610 miles
That's 7 tickets from Fairbanks to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies in the U.S. or about $122.00 per r/t ticket.
Take a look at the cheapest r/ts you can find from FAI to places like MIA, LAX, DEN, PHX, or BOS and tell me that wasn't money well spent. I probably threw in about $130.00 extra for hotels over the course of that trip. And, if you read the report, you'll see that I was sitting in First Class more often than not.
Also, that 140,000 miles would fetch me a First Class ticket to Australia - also not a bad trade off finanacially when you go find out what the F Class fare is r/t to Oz.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003113.html
Total money spent: $852.00.
Total mileage accrued: 140,610 miles
That's 7 tickets from Fairbanks to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies in the U.S. or about $122.00 per r/t ticket.
Take a look at the cheapest r/ts you can find from FAI to places like MIA, LAX, DEN, PHX, or BOS and tell me that wasn't money well spent. I probably threw in about $130.00 extra for hotels over the course of that trip. And, if you read the report, you'll see that I was sitting in First Class more often than not.
Also, that 140,000 miles would fetch me a First Class ticket to Australia - also not a bad trade off finanacially when you go find out what the F Class fare is r/t to Oz.
#4
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: MA
Programs: DL DM/2MM Marriott Platinum, HH Diamond,
Posts: 8,906
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Seat 2A:
Check out my report at:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003113.html
Total money spent: $852.00.
Total mileage accrued: 140,610 miles
That's 7 tickets from Fairbanks to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies in the U.S. or about $122.00 per r/t ticket.
Take a look at the cheapest r/ts you can find from FAI to places like MIA, LAX, DEN, PHX, or BOS and tell me that wasn't money well spent. I probably threw in about $130.00 extra for hotels over the course of that trip. And, if you read the report, you'll see that I was sitting in First Class more often than not.
Also, that 140,000 miles would fetch me a First Class ticket to Australia - also not a bad trade off finanacially when you go find out what the F Class fare is r/t to Oz.
</font>
Check out my report at:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003113.html
Total money spent: $852.00.
Total mileage accrued: 140,610 miles
That's 7 tickets from Fairbanks to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies in the U.S. or about $122.00 per r/t ticket.
Take a look at the cheapest r/ts you can find from FAI to places like MIA, LAX, DEN, PHX, or BOS and tell me that wasn't money well spent. I probably threw in about $130.00 extra for hotels over the course of that trip. And, if you read the report, you'll see that I was sitting in First Class more often than not.
Also, that 140,000 miles would fetch me a First Class ticket to Australia - also not a bad trade off finanacially when you go find out what the F Class fare is r/t to Oz.
</font>
#5
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Join Date: Jun 1999
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Of course, that is assuming that the 6 or 7 weekends it took to do this were complately worthless!</font>
#6
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: YHZ
Posts: 281
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by stapleton:
Will someone please explain to me why you pay money to just fly around for no other purpose than to fly around and get miles? I've begun to fly alot for work and couldn't imagine flying more just for more miles. What am I missing?</font>
Will someone please explain to me why you pay money to just fly around for no other purpose than to fly around and get miles? I've begun to fly alot for work and couldn't imagine flying more just for more miles. What am I missing?</font>
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#7
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Land of 10,000 Upgrades
Posts: 9,465
#8
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 63,609
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RobertS975:
Of course, that is assuming that the 6 or 7 weekends it took to do this were complately worthless!</font>
Of course, that is assuming that the 6 or 7 weekends it took to do this were complately worthless!</font>
It's entertainment for some, uninterrupted work time for others. Some people use the time to catch up on reading, personal time for relaxation. Then there are those who enjoy the opportunity to empty the "bar in the sky" for a couple of days in a row.
In many cases, it can be more entertaining than a weekend in our home city.
#9
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: San Clemente, CA
Posts: 376
Someone once said that people who like the Grateful Dead are a lot like people who like licorice; Not everybody likes licorice, but the people that do like licorice, REALLY like like licorice.
Having said that, most of my mileage runs center around that universe.
Having said that, most of my mileage runs center around that universe.
#10
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,831
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">I think that you either get it, or you don't. There doesn't seem to be any in-between.</font>
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Posts: 27,730
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by karns:
I think that you either get it, or you don't. There doesn't seem to be any in-between.
</font>
I think that you either get it, or you don't. There doesn't seem to be any in-between.
</font>
Needless to say, the $600ish bucks or so, and the lost weekend involved, spent getting EXP would be more than repaid (many, many times over, in fact) by the SWU's she would get, among many other perks. Especially in our current travel environment where top-level status talks and, well...
Her answer? "Please, don't get me involved in any of your crazy frequent-flyer schemes."
Some people get it, some people really don't!
#12
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 3,208
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by karns:
I think that you either get it, or you don't. There doesn't seem to be any in-between.
</font>
I think that you either get it, or you don't. There doesn't seem to be any in-between.
</font>
It distresses me to read about all the justifications to take random trips around the world for no other reason than to accumulate some miles. I especially love reading about how the spouse/significant other suddenly loves the other's mileage run habits/extensive travel and time away from home because the two of them were upgraded to First Class on a flight or a nice suite at a hotel during the one vacation they take together each year. SORRY, if my spouse was away all the time on random (or even business) trips, one or two upgrades, even in a First Suite/Sleeper, would not justify all that time away from me. PERIOD. I would rather hear about all the divorces and separations that occur because of this "passion" for collecting miles. I am sure they are out there too.
I agree that there are some convincing rationales for a pure mileage run, including when (1) you are very close to mid or top tier status on an airline from your normal and usual traveling schedule (i.e., JonNYC's example of a friend at 90K AA miles) or (2) if there is a super-duper bonus promotion with an airline that will net you some incredible amount of miles (let's say less or much less than a penny a mile) for little time and money. But let's use ANY rationale for a mileage run.
TIME IS MONEY. We all know that time is a precious resource. Regarding money, I don't have a lot or enough of it either, so I try not to spend it so freely. On this board, the spending of real after-tax cash (or the loose interpretation of a company's travel reimbursement policies) for mileage runs is made to appear normal. Without ever trying to understand the financial situation of an individual, the answer is always the same: "take the mileage run" because you get so many benefits. This is incredibly bad advice IMHO.
For the record, I have taken what can be called "mileage runs," but I have passed up many other opportunities to sit in coach. I did a 7-hour turnaround in SIN (on my Nteenth visit there) two years ago, because I could fly to HKG more cheaply as a stopover than as a destination (the fact that I got more miles was a bonus but not sleeping well was a real drag). I've done a half-day turnaround in London to get top tier status on United. And whenever I see a really cheap airfare to a PLACE I WANT TO VISIT, I'll go for a few days (like San Diego for $150 or Las Vegas for $88). However, I won't take ten of those trips just for the sake of some more miles and getting status from scratch.
Also, an interesting and relevant postscript to reaching top tier on UA was that I literally gave away three of my six SWUs to FTers at the beginning of this year, because I didn't travel so much and I couldn't justify hopping on a plane (to fly to the same old places again) just because I could upgrade to First or Business. At the end of the day, my sofa is still more comfortable than a first class seat in a flying tube.
Just another perspective...
#14
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 406
things I don't understand the most is:
why would you spend 10 hours in coach doing mileage run so you can have enough miles to fly 10 hours in first class later. won't you be better off just flying 10 hours in coach (not doing mileage run).
why would you spend 10 hours in coach doing mileage run so you can have enough miles to fly 10 hours in first class later. won't you be better off just flying 10 hours in coach (not doing mileage run).
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RobertS975:
Of course, that is assuming that the 6 or 7 weekends it took to do this were completely worthless!</font>
Of course, that is assuming that the 6 or 7 weekends it took to do this were completely worthless!</font>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Someone once said that people who like the Grateful Dead are a lot like people who like licorice; Not everybody likes licorice, but the people that do like licorice, REALLY like like licorice.</font>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">I think that you either get it, or you don't. There doesn't seem to be any in-between.</font>
[This message has been edited by Seat 2A (edited 10-26-2002).]