A couple of years ago I made a similar post revealing my mileage tracking spreadsheet for United (or any airline for that matter). And while I love technology and my favorite app that still tracks my United balance (and so much more: PageOnce), I get a certain satisfaction out of my old school method.

I made a couple of changes since the last time I posted it, so I thought I’d share my updated version below – click it for a full view.

United Mileage Tracking Spreadsheet

Each line represents mileage earning or redemption (none currently showing) activity and I currently track redeemable miles (RDMs), elite/Premier qualifying miles (PQMs), cents-per-mile (CPM) fare information and lifetime miles.

The first line is my beginning MileagePlus balance as of January 1, 2013. My first flight of the year on January 19 was United Express flight number 6228 at a purchased fare class of “T” on a Canadair CRJ-200. I use the leading letter of the fare basis code – “T” in this case – as it’s the one that determines mileage accrual rates. I geek out tracking aircraft registrations, so I keep a record of those in the next column.

Continuing on, it shows I was seated in 4B, I earned 500 “butt-in-seat” miles for the flight, another 500 miles as my 100% elite Premier 1K bonus, and zero for any fare bonus to total 1,000 redeemable miles for the flight. I keep a running tally of those miles to quickly compare my spreadsheet amounts against what United shows online.

Next, I record my individual PQMs for each flight and a corresponding tally. After that comes the cents-per-mile (CPM) calculation, which is a formula dividing my out-of-pocket cost (the $ SPENT column) by the total PQMs for the itinerary. And since I’m oh so close to million-miler status, I have a lifetime mileage column that progressively adds each line’s flight mileage (so long as it’s United metal).

I add everything booked and not yet flown (the redacted portion) to reveal a total CPM and airfare spend for the calendar year, along with the amount of miles remaining to hit million-miler.

And this year I decided to add e-cert data at the bottom as a back up to my paper versions filed away.

Do you maintain a spreadsheet or have you gone totally online to track your miles & points with a service provider?

Related posts:

My United Airlines Mileage Tracking Spreadsheet (2011 Edition)

Airfare Pricing Buckets and Airline Fare Basis Codes Explained

Well, it’s happened. The first frequent flier program to officially change to a revenue-based accrual model in 2013 is… Sun Country’s Ufly. Yeah, not earth-shattering at all for most readers.

And in doing a little background on the program, it appears the previous incarnation of Ufly was more akin to the former Southwest system where a flight – no matter the distance – earned a set number of points. Five points were awarded for coach travel and seven points for first class. Once you racked up 100 points, you were eligible for a free ticket.

Now, Ufly members will earn 10 points per dollar on the base airfare. Redemptions start at 6,500 points and Sun Country revenue manages those redemptions based on peak/off-peak flight demand, distance and other factors as shown in their example chart below.

Sun Country Ufly Redemption Calendar Example

So if I wanted a weeklong trip from Minneapolis to Orlando leaving on a Saturday, it would cost me 40,000 points roundtrip, the equivalent of spending at least $4,000 on base fares to accrue that amount of points. Perhaps that is indeed a fair price, but it’s shocking to me as a mileage-based junkie who earns similar free tickets at much lower spend. But again, that’s just me… a flier who needs to wake up and smell the eventual new reality.

Which Legacy U.S. Airline Will Be the First to Throw Down?

Many airlines, especially non-U.S. carriers, have had revenue-based programs for years. And it’s increasingly likely our beloved mileage-based programs here in the U.S. are slowly on the way out.

Southwest now has a revenue-based model, Virgin America launched Elevate from the get-go as such and rumors (I really should say all-but-certain-truths) abound that the legacy airlines will follow suit. Delta is frequently named as the large airline most likely to come to bat first with the change.

And call me crazy, but I read into the introduction in my United Airlines Premier 1K credentials kit that arrived last week (bolding mine):

Darren,

Congratulations on achieving MileagePlus Premier 1K status. We truly value your travel spending and flight activity with United, and we look forward to providing you with exceptional privileges to make your experiences with us more rewarding.

A quick glance at previous years’ kits didn’t have the “travel spending” language. They were more flowery with words or phrases like “loyalty” and “your business.”

I think Delta will definitely be first to announce a change, followed by United. Depending on what happens with a possible American-US Airways merger, I think they’re both just too busy to work it out this year.

Which major airline do you think will be first?

Related posts:

US Frequent Flyer Programs Focusing More on Revenue

Stick With United as a 1K or Switch to Virgin America as Elevate Gold?

Looking Back at 2012 and What’s In Store for 2013

According to Flyertalk member SFOFastAir, allegedly a United employee, new irregular operations guidelines were recently introduced. And it sounds like they might be pretty darn good. Here’s what (s)he said on Flyertalk:

New guidelines for handling customers during IRROPs were published this week. The new guidelines have just about everything that I’ve seen that FTers want. These guidelines are more similar to what pmUA did but go somewhat further in the customer’s favor and from what I gather here on FT represent a radical change from pmCO procedures. So if you’re in an IRROP situation and don’t think you are getting what you deserve ask the agent if they’re aware of new guidelines communicated in early Jan 2013.

If they do indeed contain everything Flyertalkers want, I’d imagine hotel rooms for Premier 1Ks for weather-related delays/cancellations may be back. And I wonder what “going somewhat further” could include?

If true, I hope they publish the new policy on United.com, or at the minimum UA Insider on Flyertalk will confirm and provide the details.

[Update:] A new Flyertalk thread has been started exclusive to this topic. And SFOFastAir added (bolding mine), “Believe when I say they offer just about everything FTers have ever said they should get in terms of getting to where they are going. They do not address or change the amenities provided during IRROPs.” So if this means the former unpublished 1K benefit of hotels during weather is/will be back remains to be seen. Some of the commentary points to simply “better” protection on other airlines and/or rebooking in full Y-class.
Related posts:

United’s Generous Compensation, Yet Impersonal Reply About My Cancelled Flight

Upgraded, Downgraded and Well Compensated Flying United Yesterday

Involuntary Denied Boarding Compensation Explained

According to this Flyertalk thread, United will once again prioritize meals in premium cabins for 1Ks (and Global Services, of course). An email was sent to flight attendants on November 27^th with new prioritization as follows:

1/ Global Services (GS): our invitation-only membership program exclusively for our top members.
2/ Premier 1K customers (1K): 100,000 Premier qualifying miles or 120 Premier qualifying segments.
3/ All other revenue customers
4/ Pass riders

The effective date is November 30.

I’m a bit surprised they didn’t add in full-fare passengers after 1Ks and before “all other revenue customers,” as was the case on pre-merger United. Still, it’s a marginal improvement for those of us 1Ks a bit miffed when meal service switched to a front-to-back system. Rather… whatever system the crew decided to use on any given flight.

Now we’ll have to see if it’s actually followed.

Hat tip: Matthew

My next favorite United Airlines flight out of LAX after any of the premium service departures to JFK is the morning 777 to Washington Dulles. I’ve never missed an upgrade on it and the flight is perfectly timed for a great array of connection opportunities at IAD.

I flew it again this past week, but I didn’t clear the upgrade at the 100-hour 1K window. I assumed I would the next day, though, as I’ve noticed lately that my complimentary upgrades rarely confirm right at the window on heavily booked flights. It didn’t clear the next day, however, or the day after that.

At 100-hours out, the business cabin showed availability as C9 D9 Z9 with oodles of seats unassigned, so I wasn’t worried. When Premier Exec’s usually clear at 72-hours out, availability again showed C9 D9 Z9, so I assumed they were just holding off upgrade space, possibly due to an aircraft swap. At 48-hours out, availability went to C2 D0 Z0. Wow, this would be a first for me to miss an upgrade if it really remained a 777, even if it did swap to a new configuration aircraft with fewer business class seats.

When I checked in for the flight, I noticed via United’s mobile iPhone app (love the transparency it provides) that I was number two on the upgrade list of about 20 or so passengers. I didn’t like my chances, though, since I knew more 1Ks or Global Service passengers would check-in and likely be on higher fares than my ridiculously cheap G-fare.

The aircraft did end up switching to a new configuration lie-flat International Premium Travel Experience 777 after I checked in, so I assumed that’s why United’s Inventory Management held off on releasing space. Later that day (since I obsessively check and re-check my flights), I noticed my name was gone from the upgrade list on the mobile app. I had to call three times until I finally got an agent that was able to get me back on the list, and again I was number two for a business class seat. I resigned myself to accepting it was going to be a battlefield upgrade at the gate.

When I got to the airport, I inquired with an agent at the United Club what my position was on the list. I was still number two, but it looked good with three seats open an hour before departure. I headed to the gate and took a seat close to the counter.

A fellow mileage runner with whom I’ve flown with previously noticed me and came over to say hello. He mentioned his upgrade cleared right at the window and that he, too, was on a G-fare. Ack! Why didn’t I clear? In the end, I did end up getting my upgrade and survived a middle seat in the business class cabin, but I realized a mistake I made and wanted to share it here.

When my upgrade didn’t clear at the 100-hour window, a new segment did appear in my itinerary showing the waitlisted segment, so I just assumed NC (upgrade) space was indeed zero. Each time I checked availability, I simply looked at standard flight availability and didn’t go deeper into the “Book with miles” (advanced mode) option to view NC space. Big mistake.

Had I gone in and viewed the total picture of availability, I would have likely seen that NC space was available and then called in to confirm my upgrade. In the grand scheme of things it really wasn’t a big deal, of course, but when I saw availability drop to C2, I have to admit I was sort of panicked.

So… this post is a friendly reminder to investigate deeper if your upgrade doesn’t clear as expected since automation does sometimes fail and human intervention is required. I’ll certainly be more vigilant my next waitlisted upgrade.

I thought I’d post an update as to where I am in re-qualifying for Mileage Plus 100,000-mile 1K status for 2012, and reveal just how much I’ve spent to get there & the end return-on-investment for my passionate hobby. As of this morning, here are my total elite qualifying miles (EQMs) and segments (EQSs):

I’ll most likely never achieve 1K status in segments, which now requires 120 per year, so you’ll see I’m a little more than ¾ of the way to 100,000 EQM miles. Not bad considering it’s May 11^th and I have an entire half-year to fly another 22,691 miles. In fact, I already have enough reservations on the books to achieve 1K, so I thought this would be a perfect time to break it down financially. Anyone employed by United Airlines can stop reading now, please.

The metric used for mileage runners in determining the viability of a mileage run is known as cents per mile (CPM). This is calculated by dividing the all-in fare (including taxes & fees) by the total amount of elite qualifying miles for the trip. So, for example, my first mileage run of the year had an all-in fare of $159.30 and I earned 4,490 EQMs for the trip. This results in a CPM of approximately 3.55.

Historically, a “good” mileage run fell at 3 CPM, with anything lower considered a great find. Fares this year, especially after February, have increased considerably so finding runs around 3 CPM has been difficult, although I was able to find a run early in the year for 2.46 CPM, and I did two of those.

I keep a running tally of all of my flights each year, including the fares and EQM amounts, on a spreadsheet that totals everything up for a nice annual snapshot of my flying patterns (I’ll share it in a future post). For now, I can tell you that the amount “spent” on airfares for the reservations flown and upcoming to hit 1K status is $4,061.92. The amount of EQMs I receive for those reservations is 95,854, which then yields a CPM average of 4.24. (Not all of my trips are mileage runs, by the way.)

You probably noticed the EQM total is only 95,854, not 100,000. My total EQM, however, is actually more than 100,000 because of bonuses achieved for rebookings into higher classes of service during irregular operations.

Now, it’s important to know I haven’t actually spent more than $4,000 on airfares this year. Through using a combination of bump vouchers where I volunteered my seat on oversold flights, and redeeming e-certificates for service failure issues, my total out-of-pocket spend as it stands right now is $1,962. Achieving the top-tier mileage-based elite status for under $2,000 is downright ridiculous, and probably sends United’s CEO Jeff Smisek and the Revenue Management (RM) department into a tizzy.

If the revenue factor isn’t shocking enough, the amount of redeemable miles I will earn this year and their value will certainly make them cringe. In total, for the reservations flown and on the books later this year, I will earn 196,284 miles for all of my flying. That’s enough for a free roundtrip First Class flight to Australia and an economy roundtrip within the 48-States, or even to the Caribbean, Central America or Northern South America under the current Saver award chart.

A discounted first class roundtrip to Australia on United currently runs about $20,000, and I’ll use $1,000 as the value of the economy class award redemption. The return-on-investment, then, for the $2,000 I will spend out of pocket this year to achieve 1K status and the $21,000 in free trips comes to 950%! There is basically no way to put that figure into perspective as it’s way off any chart, but uber profitable big oil company Exxon Mobile, for example, is showing a ROI of 17.03% according to Reuters. And yes, for technicality, additional factors come into play when calculating ROI, such as the value of my time, meals while traveling, etc., so this is a unscientific calculation simply for demonstration. Also, 950% is low since I didn’t factor in the value of the six Systemwide Upgrades (SWUs) I earn for flying 100,000 miles each year. Conservatively, those could be valued anywhere from $600 to $800 or more.

So my hobby not only brings me immense joy in flying around, it also pays significant dividends in award redemption opportunities for grand vacations. I have a prediction of how frequent flyer programs might evolve in the future to inhibit such an incredible return for people like me, so stay tuned for that post in the near future. In the meantime, I’m enjoying a fantastic time having United Airlines pay my way around the world in style.

[Edited June 1, 2011] R.I.P. to the 1k-Only Website! It’s gone & was replaced simply with a link for the “1K Calling Guide.”

For the myriad of United Airlines 100,000-mile flyers out there, let me save you some time and tell you I’m lying. For everyone else, a perk for being in the top mileage-based elite level of Mileage Plus is access to United’s 1K Only Web Site. It’s a nice premise and adds to the allure of 1K status, but I’m going to pull a WikiLeaks, if you will, and reveal to the world right here the top four exclusive offers & news items appearing as of right now:

Sigh. It’s March 4, 2011, and every 1K already has their 2011 Systemwide Upgrades, we’ve known about the Cleveland gate changes since this time last year, the 2010 Elite Choice program has long been over, and they’re reminding us to submit our photos for the A Thousand Words contest by September 19, 2010.

It’s pretty embarrassing, actually, and a major letdown for new 1Ks as evidenced in this FlyerTalk thread. I know they’re busy integrating with Continental Airlines, but this problem has been around for a couple of years, if not more. Let this stand as my call to United Airlines to either update the website and allow me to eat my words, or just take it down and remove this exclusive “benefit.”

Happy New Year!

Every January 1^st is a bittersweet moment for the ranks of frequent flyers. We’ve all been knocked down to zero miles & segments flown for the year, so the race to achieve status begins all over again.

Since I once again took a voluntary denied boarding (VDB) last night, I have a booking today to get me back home to LAX, and earn my first elite qualifying miles (EQM) for 2011. In full disclosure, not including today’s flights, I have about 43,000 EQM booked for travel before even February is finished, including my first ever flight on Continental Airlines. So I’ll be nearly halfway to 1K by the time March rolls around this year, and I should have oodles of blog-worthy travel experiences and trip reports to share.

There is a chance I could win the VDB lottery again today, and will likely tweet the outcome this afternoon. My party years are behind me, so my New Years Eve consisted of watching Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin on CNN from a hotel room, and going to sleep around 12:05 last night. For me, it was an ideal start to 2011, and I look forward to blogging and expanding this site in the coming months.