5 ms·

If you are a frequent flyer, I can see the point. "Waste" a weekend and bump yourself up to the next level and get free upgrades on all your future flights for

by smackfu 11y ago

If you are a frequent flyer, I can see the point. "Waste" a weekend and bump yourself up to the next level and get free upgrades on all your future flights for the year.

monksy 11y ago
I did a business fare from ORD-MKE, to take the train back to Chicago.. just for the silver status at the end of the year. At the bare minimum status does count for things.
- maaku 11y ago
  > At the bare minimum status does count for things. Why?
  - mseebach 11y ago
    Priority check-in, fast-track security, lounge access, priority boarding, priority for upgrades, increased luggage allowance and priority access to customer service. And in general, things just start flowing a little smoother when a FF status card enters the equation.
    - gav 11y ago
      > priority access to customer service I don't think people value this enough, I have really appreciated this in the past. For example, on a MEL to LAX flight, our 787 had mechanical issues and the flight was cancelled. As the 270 passengers lined up in front of the two customer service agents, I had a mere 15 minute wait in the priority line and was able to get booked on another airline. Not to mention, if you show up to the airport early, they'll re-book you on an earlier flight at no charge (assuming available seats).
      - monksy 11y ago
        I appreciate it. It's great to call the gold desk as soon as you hear that we're going to be delayed again but there is other planes. It also helps that I know how to look up flights and ask for specific ones before hand.
  - ghaff 11y ago
    Preferred seating and boarding, free checked baggage, potential upgrades, a multiplier on miles earned. (Although the minimum status level doesn't buy you a lot on most airlines these days.)
  - steveklabnik 11y ago
    I was diamond on Delta, and now have lost it. The little perks really adds up, and make travel significantly more comfortable. One example off the top of my head: when I had status, if I had an issue, I could call a phone number and a representative would answer after a single ring. Shortly after I lost my status, a snowstorm complicated some of my travel... I was on hold for a few hours in the general queue. Free bags, priority boarding, lounge access on layovers, free upgrades... Each one of these things isn't a big deal, but when you're on a plane three or four times a month, it really helps you cope.
  - TYPE_FASTER 11y ago
    If you travel frequently, priority check-in alone is worth it.
  - vidarh 11y ago
    In a year when I was flying to the US a lot, the mile-multiplier my status gave me got me extra business upgrades equivalent to an additional $10k or so of ticket costs (alternatively I could've taken lots of free flights). They also got me free premium economy upgrades on every flight, priority boarding etc.
    - monksy 11y ago
      The mile-multipliers were nice.. however from what I found the quickest way to get miles was to use your personal card to get reimbursed for work things.
      - maaku 11y ago
        And churn cards for the sign up bonus.
      - vidarh 11y ago
        Since I was UK based and primarily flying United that wasn't an easy option for me unfortunately (I did have a British Airways AmEx. though). But regularly flying London<->San Francisco got me up the tiers very rapidly anyway.
  - monksy 11y ago
    For me it was the priority access at security. As far as upgrades I only got those about a total of 3 times while being gold on UA. (Once on silver) I did enjoy being able to get econ+ for free. I've tried to complete the Global Access app twice now. I just can't bring myself to self incriminate/volunteer all of my information just for Precheck/expedited customs. As far as the lounge access, that wasn't given to me because I just reached as high as gold. Although it was provided when I did an international trip. I also did it to get the gold desk when an issue arose or that there was likely to have an issue arise. (I.e. you get an email notification of a delay in flight more than 5 hours before.. better switch flights)
  - pcl 11y ago
    If you travel in coach frequently, getting upgrades on long-haul flights (especially redeyes) is really a significant quality-of-life improvement. Among other factors, upgrades are doled out by airlines based on the relative status tiers that passengers are classified in. And those classifications are relatively coarse (for United, there's a tier every 25k miles flown [1]), so if you're just a few miles short of the next tier, you find yourself doing the calculus on whether it's worth it to do a quick flight somewhere before the cutoff to get to the next tier. There are other benefits, too. Ones that matter to me: priority boarding is great on busy routes, because it means there will definitely be room for your carry-on luggage. And on United, higher tiers get automatic access to a few more inches of legroom in economy, which is great if you're tall. And you get lounge access on international flights, which mostly means that I can take a shower upon arrival when I fly overnight to Europe. [1] Airlines are now adding a dollar component to it, as discussed elsewhere in this thread, which roughly works out to "the cost of 25k miles' worth of regular-ish fare tickets"
  - aidenn0 11y ago
    All the other replies mention the obvious perks, but when I flew a lot on United, the biggest one was being treated nicely by the airline. Punch in your frequent-flier number, hit the option for a representative, and they treat you much better if you have even the lowest premium status. I talked to someone about it, and basically the airlines all assume you booked purely on price, so have no incentive to treat you nicely, since if the next time you search, if they are $50 more than the competition you will book with the competition regardless of how you are treated. If you have FF status, then the equation is different.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

by smackfu 11y ago

If you are a frequent flyer, I can see the point. "Waste" a weekend and bump yourself up to the next level and get free upgrades on all your future flights for the year.

monksy 11y ago

I did a business fare from ORD-MKE, to take the train back to Chicago.. just for the silver status at the end of the year. At the bare minimum status does count for things.

maaku 11y ago
> At the bare minimum status does count for things. Why?
- mseebach 11y ago
  Priority check-in, fast-track security, lounge access, priority boarding, priority for upgrades, increased luggage allowance and priority access to customer service. And in general, things just start flowing a little smoother when a FF status card enters the equation.
  - gav 11y ago
    > priority access to customer service I don't think people value this enough, I have really appreciated this in the past. For example, on a MEL to LAX flight, our 787 had mechanical issues and the flight was cancelled. As the 270 passengers lined up in front of the two customer service agents, I had a mere 15 minute wait in the priority line and was able to get booked on another airline. Not to mention, if you show up to the airport early, they'll re-book you on an earlier flight at no charge (assuming available seats).
    - monksy 11y ago
      I appreciate it. It's great to call the gold desk as soon as you hear that we're going to be delayed again but there is other planes. It also helps that I know how to look up flights and ask for specific ones before hand.
- ghaff 11y ago
  Preferred seating and boarding, free checked baggage, potential upgrades, a multiplier on miles earned. (Although the minimum status level doesn't buy you a lot on most airlines these days.)
- steveklabnik 11y ago
  I was diamond on Delta, and now have lost it. The little perks really adds up, and make travel significantly more comfortable. One example off the top of my head: when I had status, if I had an issue, I could call a phone number and a representative would answer after a single ring. Shortly after I lost my status, a snowstorm complicated some of my travel... I was on hold for a few hours in the general queue. Free bags, priority boarding, lounge access on layovers, free upgrades... Each one of these things isn't a big deal, but when you're on a plane three or four times a month, it really helps you cope.
- TYPE_FASTER 11y ago
  If you travel frequently, priority check-in alone is worth it.
- vidarh 11y ago
  In a year when I was flying to the US a lot, the mile-multiplier my status gave me got me extra business upgrades equivalent to an additional $10k or so of ticket costs (alternatively I could've taken lots of free flights). They also got me free premium economy upgrades on every flight, priority boarding etc.
  - monksy 11y ago
    The mile-multipliers were nice.. however from what I found the quickest way to get miles was to use your personal card to get reimbursed for work things.
    - maaku 11y ago
      And churn cards for the sign up bonus.
    - vidarh 11y ago
      Since I was UK based and primarily flying United that wasn't an easy option for me unfortunately (I did have a British Airways AmEx. though). But regularly flying London<->San Francisco got me up the tiers very rapidly anyway.
- monksy 11y ago
  For me it was the priority access at security. As far as upgrades I only got those about a total of 3 times while being gold on UA. (Once on silver) I did enjoy being able to get econ+ for free. I've tried to complete the Global Access app twice now. I just can't bring myself to self incriminate/volunteer all of my information just for Precheck/expedited customs. As far as the lounge access, that wasn't given to me because I just reached as high as gold. Although it was provided when I did an international trip. I also did it to get the gold desk when an issue arose or that there was likely to have an issue arise. (I.e. you get an email notification of a delay in flight more than 5 hours before.. better switch flights)
- pcl 11y ago
  If you travel in coach frequently, getting upgrades on long-haul flights (especially redeyes) is really a significant quality-of-life improvement. Among other factors, upgrades are doled out by airlines based on the relative status tiers that passengers are classified in. And those classifications are relatively coarse (for United, there's a tier every 25k miles flown [1]), so if you're just a few miles short of the next tier, you find yourself doing the calculus on whether it's worth it to do a quick flight somewhere before the cutoff to get to the next tier. There are other benefits, too. Ones that matter to me: priority boarding is great on busy routes, because it means there will definitely be room for your carry-on luggage. And on United, higher tiers get automatic access to a few more inches of legroom in economy, which is great if you're tall. And you get lounge access on international flights, which mostly means that I can take a shower upon arrival when I fly overnight to Europe. [1] Airlines are now adding a dollar component to it, as discussed elsewhere in this thread, which roughly works out to "the cost of 25k miles' worth of regular-ish fare tickets"
- aidenn0 11y ago
  All the other replies mention the obvious perks, but when I flew a lot on United, the biggest one was being treated nicely by the airline. Punch in your frequent-flier number, hit the option for a representative, and they treat you much better if you have even the lowest premium status. I talked to someone about it, and basically the airlines all assume you booked purely on price, so have no incentive to treat you nicely, since if the next time you search, if they are $50 more than the competition you will book with the competition regardless of how you are treated. If you have FF status, then the equation is different.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]