Airline Gold Elite Status: The New Silver
Ah, the good old days when there used to be three elite levels for airlines – Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Generally, those levels were recognized at 25K, 50K, 75 or 100K respectively for miles flown annually.
I realize this is a bit of an oversimplification because not all the legacy carriers followed this strict status. Also, there are some frequent fliers who qualify for elite status through segments, not air miles. Nevertheless, the points here remain valid.
In days gone by, Silver status had some value though it varied by airline. It was considered an achievement and there were rewards. Indeed, it was very possible for Silver status fliers to get upgrades to first class as long as they flew at non-peak times.
Those days are gone. Here are the frequent flier status programs today:
