The Mileage Run forum on FlyerTalk proves mileage runs and mistake fares are real! But do people actually do this? Does it make sense? Do you have to be insane to do it? And what about mistake fares where we see prices for tickets that are so absurdly cheap, they cause you to take a trip somewhere that you might not otherwise go? I was recently interviewed as a part of a piece on NPR and last year the Today show followed me through a trip to Istanbul.
- This year, as a part of our trip to Hong Kong and Thailand, we came back in paid First Class (where we earned miles) for pennies on the dollar.
- Last year, we went to Brussels for less than $250 each round-trip. Again earning miles!
- In 2011 we spent 4 nights in Copenhagen on a Delta fare that came to $150 round-trip.
A mileage run is a trip taken solely to maximize the amount of frequent flier miles or credit towards airline elite status – to maintain or increase status level. Mistake fares can definitely help in that goal, but they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive. The goal is to minimize the cost while maximizing the number of miles; simple and straightforward.
In addition to the examples above that I’ve found in the forums, I’ve done mileage runs to maintain status. Last year it was a trip to Istanbul and Hawaii, and this year I haven’t done any; next year though is a different story.
From the end of January through the beginning of March, I’ll be mileage running to China. I’ll come home once, go to Disney World (with family for my niece’s birthday) and likely make a trip to the office once, but other than that I’ll be spending over a month traveling to/from China.
None of this is non-stop back and forth, back and forth…but something more like this. I’ll fly over 100,000 miles; all of which is currently in coach. I’ve requested upgrades, but who knows if they’ll clear. 12 and 13 hour long-hauls and all the domestic flights are sure to get me tired of flying with 60 flights in that time-frame. I bet I’ll get caught up on a bunch of movies and work while I’m disconnected though.
The reason behind this? All of this flying is on American Airlines, which is in the process of merging with US Airways. US Airways has excellent service along the east coast and often has prices on par with Delta (sometimes a few bucks cheaper) and with the frustration I have with booking saver Delta awards, I decided it was time to seriously consider something else.
Heck, Rick did it! So I could mileage run for Executive Platinum as well. While I currently have Executive Platinum status with American, it will be expiring on February 28, 2014. I achieved it in 2012 due to a status challenge from my Delta Diamond status, but did not fly American enough in 2013 to maintain status; flights out of Savannah are typically 2x-3x the price of others, so it was just not possible. With US Airways merging with American Airlines, it is now a possible option for me (assuming American will keep fares reasonable to legacy US Airways hubs).
If this all works out for me, I’ll re-qualify for Executive Platinum 2-3 days after it expires and will have just one flight where I’m not at that top tier. I’ll keep that status through Feb 28, 2016 (Status earned in 2014, good for all of 2015 and through February 2016)…that’s if I don’t fly again; but with my plan to potentially switch all my business to American, this torturous flying will get me to the top of the Elite line with my new airline.
Sure this is crazy, and Sara isn’t pleased, but life is all about what you do and this is going to be one heck of an experience. I’ll earn a bunch of miles (about 240,000), have plenty of “me” time, a few sleep deprived nights, but hopefully I’ll survive and actually complete it all. Think my Macbook Air will be enough to keep me occupied? Oh and work! Well conveniently I’ll probably have Wi-Fi on most of my domestic flights and for the international flights, the timing generally works out so I will be on the ground for most of the east coast business day.
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