Mama

totally agreed.
I know plenty of people who do MRs to get elite status just for the sake of having the status. It is an obsession or addiction (or sickness?), and can not be explained.

astroflyer

Yeah,I have a friend in that category. He gets really defensive about it. I can see augmenting baseline work/personal travel to reach a level. I don't really get flying 100K in mileage runs when work/personal travel is < 25 K/year.

PDXPremier

I think this quote from the movie "Up in the Air" sums it up best...

"We’re two people who get turned on by elite status."
- Vera Farmiga as Alex Goran in "Up in the Air"

LilAbner

You're ALL crazy except me, but at least I made 1K getting there (and back)!

exerda

[raises hand]

I actually do very little MRing (had one scheduled earlier this year, but cancelled it). I do a lot of short 3-day weekends, 2-day mid-week trips, in conjunction with 2-3 week+ vacations/semi-vacations on longhaul.

Ironically, I used to MR a lot to make 1P (Gold), but as a 1K, it's been over 2 years since I did a true MR where I flew just to earn miles on a good fare. I do look for inexpensive places I'd like to visit, but have real purposes in going there (dental work in BKK, photography in the West, etc.). Closest I have this year is a WAS-ANC trip where I took advantage of the $300-ish fare (in addition to a $500+ ANC trip this summer), but I'm spending several days doing photography, so it's not a MR by any stretch. I'm writing it off on my photography business' taxes, anyway.


2008 IIRC was a cheap year for me to make 1K due to all the DEQM promos--both spring and fall, open to everyone, with no registration fees. I flew around 53k BIS miles and made 1K. Still, I had some business travel in the mix that year, which was expensive for the miles earned when compared to MR fares.

I typically spend somewhere around $12k-$16k; not a high-spending 1K, but not a MRer, either. You hear tales of people getting 1K for sub-$3k, but those folks are crazy and few and far between.


^ indeed!

I'm thrilled when I find a fare to somewhere I actually want to go which costs less than 4cpm, and those are quite rare. For example, the WAS-ANC deal in the 3.2 cpm neighborhood, or DEN-NRT which after rerouting due to the 787 fiasco and the "mistake" B fare came in at 2.2 cpm. I'm usually spending 8cpm+.


And the fact that it's much less likely on a MR or near-MR fare that one will actually get F these days! It's even less fun when you contemplate dozens of hours of travel in Y, even if you're really looking forward to the destination.

I used to enjoy a transcon hop to go have In-N-Out Burger near LAX (yes, I once did a MR to finish that year's status which involved going to LA, catching the Parking Spot shuttle to In-N-Out, and flying home later that day). Or to see a new airport somewhere. Now, I find it a chore even going somewhere I really want to go--like my recent trip to Yosemite, where I just wanted the flights to end and wasn't looking forward to getting on the plane. The UA experience has just fallen off that much!

mediator

Same as above. Typically taking 3-day weekend trip, no pure MRs. I don't aim for 1K, PP or even 1P is good enough for me.

vandrei

I do. I have friends and family all over the country, and I make it a point to go visit them whenever possible. National parks out west are really pretty, too! But I *usually* don't do straight mileage runs...I do mini-vacations (like the $193 IAD-PDX or $344 IAD-ANC fare specials).

pbd456

unfortunately, some people have too much time and too much money.
MRs do make sense for those. me include.

valor155

And some folks actually just like the adventure of flying.

I enjoy going to new places and the experience of human flight. It is all the folks crammed into a small space and a select few of said folks behaving badly that bring it back to reality.

Only done 1 MR myself to get status. Work usually has me traveling a lot.

Kmxu

You heard that DL would introduce MQD next year. UA will likely introduce PQD (Premier Qualifying Dollar) sooner, with help of this kind of thread. You can kiss your MR plans and elite status goodbye.

rankourabu

Sure as long as the PQDs go to the entity that actually pays for the ticket. Then all people who dont pay for their own tickets can kiss your elite status goodbye. Only fair

exerda

My god, not this discussion again!

Surely UA has the numbers and doesn't need to rely on some FT thread to drive them to do something?

AFAM-DFW

Good Goal. When I retired, I had about 5mm AA miles and Plat for life for both of us so my wife and I could travel in F whenever/wherever we wanted.

I am now doing MR on UA in E+ to get 1k so we can travel F/J on their map easier. Thanks to Chase for the UA miles.

As others have said, explaining the rationality of a MR to friends, family and border guards is next to impossible.

Karl-MDW

I have not done a mileage run in years.

First, when I got to the United Million Mile level, I thought that my status was secure.

Most of my mileage runs were in the 90s when fares were incredibly low, status was recognized and rewarded, and I was completely absorbed in the frequent flyer "game".

Now that I am older and wiser.....

PV_Premier

i am going to earn either very high PP or very low 1K this year on about 65% personal travel. i have already wrapped up gold (current 60k EQM) and about 40k of that is personal travel, so it is very doable. no MRs yet, one long one later this year and one emergency ripcord booked for 12/30 in case the 1K line is not yet crossed.

it is very doable domestically if you don't mind being gone 2-3 weekends a month and if you are based in or near a favorable MR city.