PsuedoEuropeanGuy

Hi,

I've been reading the global services requaliyfing thread and am completely amazed by the numbers.

PQM of 300K+
PQD of 100K+

seem not uncommon.

So that got me curious. If I may intrude, what on earth do you do to do that amount of traveling and spend that amount of money? I'm guessing if the cost of the airilne tickets is $100K+ then the total cost of the trips is probably much more (i.e. your not staying a the econolodge)?

My company gets crazy if I spend more than $10K on travel.

aCavalierInCoach

While they span from consulting to global sales and some execs (particularly pond-hoppers), I would venture to guess the preponderant GS population hails from finance (and, by extension, OPM).

jcacciotti

4 million miler here: I am a consultant at a major strategy firm, and I regularly travel 250k + miles per year, with spend around $75k annually. About 1/2 of my travel $$ is in transatlantic biz class. Have qualified for GS for 10 + years and this year qualified for life at 4 million milestone.

boat9781

I’m a lucky beneficiary of a million miler. My sponsor (my Dad) does 50K a year on travel. I am close even on my own expense to be close to qualifying. My advise is — if your close, go do it. Otherwise settle at 1K or fly Delta.

John Aldeborgh

Okay, I'll bite, but I don't think I totally fit your model as my company only buy's coach tickets. I fly 300K+ BIS miles consistently, with 4.3M+ on UA. I'm a sales executive in a semiconductor equipment company (in English, that's the machinery used to manufacture computer chips). The vast majority of the factories used to make computer chips (IC's) are in Asia and my company is located near Boston. The result is I fly to Asia 15+/- and Europe 5+/- times a year. In addition once in Asia/Europe I jump around in region during my visits. Prior to reaching the 4MM milestone I was only GS one time based on UA BIS PQD spend.

As for hotels, I don't (won't) stay at Econolodge. When you travel as much as I do (100 - 150 nights/yr) you need full service hotels, including: a good restaurant (or two), a nice gym, quality room service and responsive laundry services. I am Platinum or above at Marriott, SPG and IHC so I am also very often upgraded at these hotels but I rarely spend more than $150 - $225 per night. Typically, I pay the highest hotel rates in large America cities, SFO and NYC, where $350 - $450 is not uncommon and service levels are far below Asian norms.

garykung

OP seems to misunderstand how GSs are obtained.

GS is an invitation-only level. While it is true that FF flying in certain amounts and spends may be granted the level, there are several ways you can get GS. For example:

1. You are a 4MM.
2. You are a celebrity.
3. You are sponsored.

Kacee

There's a thread every year where the members talk about what they do and why they fly, but I can't recall the name . . . .

I don't think OP has misunderstood anything at all.

PsuedoEuropeanGuy

I was referring to this thread 2017 GS Qualifying Discussion

Are you saying people in that thread are the minority in GS? That most people in GS are 1., 2. and 3. in your list.

ckidder331

I work with several GS at Disney.
We travel a lot for work to the various Parks and vendors all over the world.

OpenSky

I am not a GS ( but I have a GS equivalent on a foreign airline, "SQ" that requires high spend, if that means anything. ) I have to say something. Only buy coach and you have to go to Asia 15+ ( and Europe 5+ ) a year?. I think you need to renegotiate the next job contract. Thats brutal.

For comparison : my contract allows business class travel for flights 5 hours or longer ( this covers New York - LA), coach on all others flights. Since I have to fly long distances, the comfort makes the journey bearable. Though I am allowed to buy business class tickets ( not first) as far as our travel budget allows, which I have some control over. I am also responsible if the travel budget is exhausted ( so it needs to last and can't look bad on a report). Thankfully I am not controlled by a Travel manager, that would mandate I fly only certain carriers, I have discretion as to how the travel budget is spent. Almost all my intercontinental trips are paid business class on foreign carriers, my only domestic route is transcon, which these days I tend to give to AA. I used to fly United, but all the routes I flew got cut / curtailed. The final nail in the coffin was the closure of JFK ( and the ps operation there) . The milage plus changes and devaluations did not persuade me to stay. Anyway...

I disagree with most GS people working in Finance. Finance doesn't require that much face to face travel and physical presence. Finance tends to operate a lot on conferencing. In my experience and from some personal friends of mine who are UA GS that earned an invitation, "earned" not gifted, these tend to be

- large management consulting company ( like McK, though most people that work for McK I know fly DL), deloitte etc.
- technology consultants, "Accenuture, Cognizant" etc
- Technical sales and related industries. Tom Stuker ( the famous GS) trained people on how to sell cars, basically everywhere and was on the plane all the time, basically everywhere.

Live4Upgrade

Sales & Marketing for a specialty chemical producer. 10+ TPACs/yr, a few TATLs/yr, and heavy domestic travel. Our company allows J on TPACs after completing the first 3 TPACs/yr in Y.

PsuedoEuropeanGuy

Okay. That's got to be a dream job!

hdfdisk

Usually barely north of $40K every year and thus, usually barely made into GS..

as an Engineer traveling to our vendors and suppliers all over the places.

I would quit this job immediately if I can't fly in business for TPAC/TATL...

rubenswm

Friend with GS is a partner at a venture (capital) fund. Another works in the strategy group for a media company.

kittiyut

What year did United started Global Services?