Kacee

Sorry to break this to you, OP, but six grand is not very much money at all for business travel. That's one Z fare to Europe or Asia.

Cargojon

OP....if you want Silver that badly do a Platinum challenge with Marriott and you can get Silver.


And be disappointed

jacroweORD

try multiple trips to and from the airport, security, rude CSRs and packed lines of unruly folks..i think i could handle 2 trips to qualify rather than the 110 or so trips to the airport i do in a normal year, or the large number of trips this silver is talking about..and spending for too..glad they have the spend mins now as those of us that REALLY fly UAL will benefit

UnitedFlyGuy

You're not banned at all. I just think complaining because you didn't fly as much as others? Frivolous. People have different flying patterns. If you want top status, then alter that, don't complain.

fastair

/agree

CDKing

I paid a little over $800 for a one way W fare BOS-HKG and upgraded w/ GPU. I have flown to HKG RT for the same amount as my one way of course it was a holiday weekend.

vandrei

The hypothetical $2K HKG traveler is named D. Barrett.

emcampbe

When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me how life isn't fair. And as I grew up myself, learned this was the case. OP is just learning this now, I guess. But until next year, status is based solely on segments or miles. Revenue hasn't been a factor.

As for me, since moving from Canada in 2005, I've been silver most of the time, gold starting last year, and plat this year. I don't have the data going back that far (nor, to tell you the truth, the will to spend time researching it), but I'd be willing to bet in each of those years, because of my routes, lots of flying to Canada, etc. that I'd spent more each of those years than some 1Ks (MRs), and probably would have hit the initial PQD threshold for plat most of those years as well. And pretty much all personal travel (I could count the number of biz trips on one hand).

Is it fair? Probably not. Is it life? Yes.

emanon256

Your speaking to someone why typically surpasses 120 segments a year. In the OPs case, he hasn't flown very much.

IflyfromABE

So you have 4 round trip flights and you want status?

Gee whiz. Fly more. 4 trips is not a lot.

stupidzbu

i've booked 85k EQMs worth of MRs for a cost of $2,300 for this year

LASUA1K

Wow that is really good! Congrats! I'm guessing it's your last year as a 1K.

chinatraderjmr

Unfortunatly, dollars spent alone means nothing......it should but it doesn't.....However, when buying full fare premium class tickets on foreign carriers, you don't need status as a full fare first class passenger will always be treated better then any elite. (as it should be)

But what you are complaining about is quite common. I flew Air France twice this year for a total of just under $20,000 in air fare. That gets me nothing as far as Elite status in the AF/KLM program.....but who cares really. I took those 2 flights cuz the schedule was exactly what i wanted......Even though I have ZERO status in the AF (or any Sky Team) program I was still treated better on those flights then ANY Elite. You get what you pay for.

A Great example is first class on Jet Air. I do get credit on my MP account but since Jet Air is not a member of Star Alliance, it makes no difference what i spend on Jet, I get no Elite status. But they treat their first class passengers flying from BOM-LHR better then ANY airline I have experienced. They have a personal assistant waiting curb side for you, and she takes you fro the curb to check in to immigration to lounge (all within 15 min) and thats worth its weight in GOLD at an airport like BOM...they don't do this for Elites, just full F passengers and i would much rather be treated this way and get no status then get status and be treated like the other million gold passengers

prestonh

OK, I'll bite. $3+/gal. Jet A means high fares, particularly since the majors are really not expanding as they have in the $1 something era. Someone pays and my guess is you have been booking 7 day advance or less fares (as do I). If you want value post merger, you either get the CC's and move spend there or look at another carrier for domestic travel (DL comes to mind for the domestic upgrades). Me, I can spend enough on the CC's to get intl. F or J on almost any *A carrier at least 1X/year for 2 people plus a trip or two domestically. E+ is good enough for me domestically, because as you I don't fly a lot anymore. Dropping 600+ on a domestic economy ticket is nothing in the $3 fuel world.

sinoflyer

I too have been there before, thinking that reaching silver (well, 2P waaay back then) somehow meant that my sense of self worth would be elevated. I'll pre-congratulate OP on reaching Silver--whenever that happens and after how much $ was spent on getting it. But I certainly won't be impressed. All of my work-related travels come out of my own pocket, and I'm reaching the point where I'd rather stay home instead of taking another trip. Even with all that, I don't think I deserve a medal.

So OP gets no sympathy from me. Live and learn. Maybe in 20 years you can make the same smug comment as I'm making now.