Definitely less this year. Probably 50k, most of it leisure travel.

I lost my elite status this year owing to a dropoff in business travel in '07, and I find domestic travel without status stressful and unpleasant, so I have no desire to get out there more than I already am.

For various reasons, I'm taking only one flight this year, but it has nothing to do with fares.

I looked at my finances and my miles and realized that I had a couple of upgrades due to expire, so I decided to book a trip to a Stateside professional conference, both to take a tax deductible trip and to see if I can use up those upgrades.

However, if all goes according to plan next year, I should gain status again.

Absolutely less this year. Both to save money and I've just grown tired of the whole ordeal of flying the past couple of years.

Way less! My boss took pity on me and got me a local client. How ever the fares have gone up so much, travel would have been cut down anyway.

I am not flying less this year. I just got back from Texas and will be going to Hawaii next month. Before my Texas trip I went to Los Angeles and New Mexico. Last fall I went to Colorado and Florida in the winter and in February I went to Atlanta.

Yeah, cut back quite a bit so far this year. Our company has asked everyone to help curb expenses and are utilizing local personnel more and more to cover shows, meetings, etc. I fly to LGA next week and LAS in August, but that's all we have planned right now.

It sucks as I love to travel, and despite all the pains, I still love to fly....

Safe travels,
Tim

Quite a bit more, actually.

My travel has increased dramatically actually...in fact it is going to keep increasing so I will definitely have no problem re-qualifying for elite status on all the airlines I fly. ^

I've been making roughly the same number of trips but not as many segments. I prefer to fly from MKE usually connecting in ORD but it seems that trips that start in MKE are way more expensive than they were a couple years ago. I keep my status based on segments so it's very possible I may fall to 2P with United next year.

Update Nov. 16. Maybe I am flying just a tad more. I'll hit my 60 segments this week to keep 1P although I have nothing else planned in 2008. My BIS miles is around 40K. Lots of RJ flying. (I really don't like RJs.) I also didn't have to make any MRs to get the 60 segments. (Had to make several in 2007 to keep 1P.)

No, looks like it will be about the same. Some places are just too far to walk.

Since I'm trying to burn miles, I suppose I'll actually end up flying a bit more in the forseeable -- just took an award trip with hubby and have two more planned.

Flying a lot more this year than I have in years past - it's only the middle of July and I've already flown more this year than I've flown in any other year. Will easily make Gold Medallion on Delta this year, and quite possibly Platinum.

I'm 100% self-paid leisure and can't bring myself to do pure mileage runs ('cept maybe at crunch time in December).

I'm still on-pace to maintain gold-level, but the field of acceptable trips for doing that has been cut WAY down. I have to do a lot more research and fare-shopping overhead per trip taken, and am finding even some good-sounding sales have hardly any seats!

Some of the old standbys aren't working. Dead-of-winter Europe is $500s a-i rather than $300s. Hawaii sales are non-existant, and west coast ones on NW from ATL are rare. Sometimes they'll lob a bomb at US for something out of CLT or will have to match WN out of BHM, so I'm having to fly from alternate airports more. BHM-PDX around $200 a-i has already gotten a couple of trips.

The new award surcharges, especially $100 for an Asia award, certainly don't help motivation. Airlines will try to hold onto these fees even if fuel goes down!

Then there's Spirit, on which I've done 5 short trips so far this year to MCO or FLL at fares ranging from $21 RT all-in to an outrageous $83 RT a-i. I do get 50% EQMs but the miles are basically worthless; it's the next-to-nothing fares that are the draw (all so that I can spend well in excess of the fare on $4/gallon gas once there!). Spirit has cut back to only FLL from ATL now, though.

The new order to things may be opportunistic short trips on an airline like Spirit, and long trips on someone where I collect miles at 1:1 for a free trip maybe 1 time in 5.

In other words, price is king and no more mileage-motivated leisure trips.

I am actually flying more this year.

My travels are 100% leisure. I have been away from home at least 3 weekends per month starting in Feb this year. In around April this year, I just realized that I should consolidate all my travel to one airline to get a status. (A bit too late after traveling for so many years on so many different airlines) So I am concentrated on using *A and mainly AC because I live in Canada. However, I have already booked a lot of trips on other airlines for the rest of the year. So with my limited available weekends for trips, I have booked a few MRs to rack up some status miles. Hopefully, with the SE status in AC, I will be able to travel with more upgrades next year.

I have flown about 130K in various airlines since the beginning of the year. I only did about 120K last year.

Although prices are higher than ever, I haven't given up on my vacations or visiting friends and family just yet. I do try harder and use every trick in the book to search for savings. Thus, I'm still salvaging those trips.

I'm still doing about 50k miles this year. And with no decision yet on a new carrier, it'll be at least next year before I have any status again.

The pricing, however, has forced my hand on other charges related to travel. Hotels, rental cars and additional outings have been severely cut back this year. I'll manage, but be a little grumpy about it.