WOOT! Silver

Just checked my frequent flyer status for next year. I'm SILVER again :D Priority boarding! YIPPEE!

How? Last Friday, I became a mileage runner.

What are mileage runners? They are people whose only purpose in flying is to obtain flight miles to reach a specific airline frequent flyer status for the current or next year. As I plan on making trips next year, I want to maintain a level that gives me priority boarding -- gotta get my overhead luggage space as I don't check bags!

Until this year, I've always been able to obtain at least the lowest frequent flyer status as part of my work perks when it winged me from place to place, but I don't have that perk anymore. In October, I thought I had to get about 17,000 miles -- ok, 3 trips out to the West Coast and 1 down south. Thank goodness I rechecked the requirements as my carrier is in the midst of finalizing its merger stuff with the other carrier. I only need 7,000 miles -- easy peasy, a trip out west and one down south.

I was able to get a great deal out west before the carrier discovered it's mistake with pricing :D However, I could not find one south that I was willing to pay for. I kept looking for deals in November but nothing was acceptable. I just needed less than 2,000 miles to make the lowest level.

What's acceptable? It comes down to cost per mile. I try not to go over 6 cents a mile. My west trip came to 4.5 cents a mile.

I went to Flyertalk, a forum for all travel affinity programs, and hope it would give me a tip on where I could go to get my missing miles to get me to 25,000. It did!!!

I traveled 5,950 miles in less than 24 hours. I left my house at 4am and got back home the next day at 2am. It would have been a shorter day if I flew out of my home airport, but I had to drive an hour to another airport.

Yes, I'm crazy, but I know I'm not the only nut that does this. Yes, it's more miles than I need for next year's status, but it will not go to waste. I'm working towards my goal of 1,000,000 actual flight miles.

With a million miles, I will never need to do a mileage run. The 1,000,000 miles will give me LIFETIME Gold status -- priority boarding and 3 free checked bags ;)

I could obtain this level within four years. I might try to get it over with in the next year or two in case the carrier decides to change rule. With my kid-sitting funds, there will be more mileage runs next year *LOL*