Four years ago, I was so excited I made elite status on Continental (now United) Airlines.
Since then, I’ve hit “Premier Silver” status on the airlines MileagePlus program. That is until this year where I will easily break 50,000 miles and reach “Premier Gold Status.”
Thing is, I am not that excited about it. Why?
(1) Traveling is tiring
(2) Traveling means I am away from family
(3) Traveling means I am away from work and have a lot to catch up on
(4) The MileagePlus program is not what it once was.
Back in 2008 with Silver it meant I got to have the front row for free when I booked, if it was available. I rarely got first class upgrades but it happened. Now since the merger with United, Silver status has to not only pay for front row (bulk head) but also has to pay for the “economy plus” rows.
It is a bit of an insult to pay for “reserved seating” when you are loyal to a specific airline.
So now with Gold, I will get to book economy plus when I book my flights. Something I had for years but taken away this year with the merger.
Now, 50,000 miles is a lot for me because most my travel is domestically within the US. But this year, I am flying to Israel twice and flew to Germany to speak. That has helped between flying enough domestically.
Anyway, here is to making Platinum at 75,000 miles in a year.
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