It all started on March 29, 1997. I was on the 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. and had become intrigued when the flight attendants discussed their frequent flyer program.
Being the precocious 13 year old I was, I quickly hopped on that white courtesy telephone to enroll myself during our layover. No one questioned my age and I began accruing miles for flights. And that’s how the madness began!!!
Now, to put it mildly, frequent flyer miles run my life. I have learned now that a little loyalty with one airline or alliance can make all the difference. I used to have to board last, pay for my extra luggage, and would look at the first class cabin with envy. Now I am boarding first, checking three bags for free, and actually sitting in the first class cabin. How did this happen? I started flying one airline alliance and was able to reap the rewards of the elusive Elite Status.
Getting started, let’s give you a general overview. The three major U.S. carriers, American, Delta, and United all belong to a different alliance (a partnership of airlines worldwide). Respectfully, they are oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance. When you fly a partner airline within your alliance, you can earn miles on the same carrier (example: you can earn Delta SkyMiles while flying Delta, Air France, or KLM, among others). By keeping your loyalty in one place, you can begin to earn some clout with the airlines which is when free upgrades and other perks come into play.
Every time you fly, you earn miles based on the fare you purchased. Typically, for a normal economy ticket, it will be 1 frequent flyer mile per mile flown. If you purchase first or business class, the rate typically goes up. These miles are golden because they accumulate towards your elite status. Each airline has different rules so, instead of getting into too much detail, here are the links to their programs, what you need to get to qualify, and what the perks are at each level: American’s AAdvantage program, Delta’s SkyMiles program, and United’s Mileage Plus program.
Additionally, you can also earn miles by never leaving the ground. While these typically do not count towards your elite status mileage bank, they do count towards the miles you can leverage for free flights, upgrades, and other incentives. Everything from using the airline-affiliated credit card to hotel stays to online purchases can count towards miles. For info on these programs, please visit the airline’s website and search for the page that highlights how you can earn miles.
When choosing an airline to align with, consider the availability of flights from the airport closest to your home, where the “hub” cities are located since you’ll be making connections at these airports, and where they fly to. Also, consider how much you’ll be flying internationally. These long-haul flights are a gold mine for miles! Combining one big trip with lots of shorter, domestic trips can help get you to elite status faster. This is when signing up for a larger, international carrier like American, Delta, or United will prevail over domestic-only airlines like Southwest.
In future posts, I will be highlight specific earning opportunities as well as airline-specific programs in an effort to educate you on the earning potential. If you have specific questions, please post them here or email [email protected].
