With last weekend’s mileage run, I’m happy to report I have flown 30,000 elite-qualifying miles (EQM) on United this year, which puts me 5,000 EQM over the threshold to qualify for United’s lowest elite status, Premier, for 2010. I’m most pleased. The benefits of Premier are myriad:
-A 25% mileage bonus on all miles flown (watch that 500 mile flight turn into a 625 mile flight!)
-Priority boarding (after First Class, Business Class, Global Services, 1Ks, Premier Executives, and Star Alliance Gold members. Ah, but, don’t you feel special boarding after 75 people, at times. That’s what I call a priority).
-Complimentary Economy Plus seating (five more inches of legroom than regular economy – and, you don’t even need to tell anyone that you can’t book exit rows more than 24 hours in advance as a Premier).
-Priority upgrades (You’ll pretty much always clear the upgrade list on the 5.45am 357 mile Sault Sainte Marie to Chicago flight, with no other elites, and no one else on the plane, for that matter!)
-Reserved check-in counters in some airports (basically a card table with a sign taped on it, at which there are usually 50 other Premiers waiting in line, but, by golly, at least it’s my card table).
-More recognition from United during bad weather, irregular operations, and maintenance-related delays (they’ll put you on the next flight out - 48 hours later. Hey, the non-Premier guy isn’t leaving until 50 hours later).
-A cool Premier card to keep in your wallet, to distinguish yourself from all the other flying masses, that indicates to the world that you are a Premier member (yeah, it’s scrawled on a cracker with a Sharpie, but no one’s counting).
Just 70,000 miles to go until I reach the hallowed 1K status for another year . . .
ROFLMAO! ‘Nuff said!
How many miles were gained from said mileage run?
This one was about 6,500, or so – not as prolific as some, but good enough. Usually, I try to average about 7,000 – 7,500 a run. Sometimes, on European runs you can grab 10,000 miles. My best is still to come in May: SFO-HNL-LAX-SYD-LAX-HNL-SFO in 70 hours, or so, for 25,000 miles. It might, however, kill me.
I’ll write a post in the coming days on the “art” of mileage running.
So, all in all, I’m got about 50,000 miles booked, thus far, for this year. Hopefully, the Australia mileage run will happen during United’s double elite qualifying promotion (fingers crossed), and will turn into 50,000 miles. I’m definitely going to make sure to keep 1K status for next year, tho. What everyone said was true – once you have it, you don’t want to lose it.