Because every once in a while it's okay to pay for an airline ticket
If you only take the plane to go on vacation a couple of times a year, this article is not for you. If [...]
If you only take the plane to go on vacation a couple of times a year, this article is not for you. If, on the contrary, you travel a lot for work and leisure, or plan to, here I explain why it's okay to pay to fly, what it means to chase status, and what benefits you can gain.
For a mileage seeker, as well as a farmer, the tickets paid are part of the sowing that leads to the harvest; the more abundant and careful the sowing, the richer and higher quality the harvest will be.
In this article:
The first thing to know is. award flights don't earn miles and do not help achieve statuses, unlike hotel chains that also count award nights in the account that allows a customer to advance in loyalty clubs.
As mentioned in dozens of other articles on our site, when the first loyalty programs appeared in the early 1980s the idea was precisely to reward the most loyal customers, whereas today miles or points are earned in a thousand other ways, but the most valuable points i.e., those that help you level up in frequent flyer programs those are not, they are earned only in the field.
And this is precisely why one should always carefully consider whether to pay for a ticket or seek the premium seat. For a frequent flyer, having status means saving money time (at check in, boarding, baggage claim) have less stress thanks to dedicated routes, relax in lounges in the silence being able to take a shower, recharge your cell phone or work connected to the Internet in a pleasant environment without the chaos of airport terminals.
Did you get your flight cancelled, miss your connection, land late?
You could get up to 600€ compensation per person
In addition to all this there is also a significant economic savings since having the status allows you to choose your seat at no extra charge or check in extra baggage or even get upgrades and other pampering from airlines.
Each loyalty program has its own rules and the benefits are then also recognized by all alliance partner companies, further multiplying the benefits.
Therefore, it is important to study the particularities of the programs of the preferred airlines, to know the weaknesses and to take advantage of any bonuses that make it easier to achieve status. One of the main rules in this area is flexibility: for example, if an airline grants status after X flights flown, one should consider flights with one or more stopovers, rather than a direct flight. If, on the contrary, a company such as BA assigns a fixed score that varies only according to class of travel and distance flown, one will have to study the booking of flights precisely to maximize earnings.
If, on the other hand, like Alitalia, the qualifying miles flown are important, you will have to pay close attention to the class of travel, because often hyper-discounted fares entitle you to very few miles, so sometimes spending a few tens of euros more for the ticket will yield many more miles.
Beware, however, that paying for a ticket does not necessarily mean spending money; cash-and-miles solutions or the ability to use credit card points to write off the balance or individual spend are becoming increasingly popular. In the end, for the airline, that ticket will turn out to be paid and carry with it all the benefits associated with earning miles and status.
Why is it right to chase status?
Anglophones call this activity "Status run" that is, trying to obtain/maintain status as easily, cheaply, and quickly as possible. Having a high status only brings benefits, especially if you travel economy class. With a super low-cost ticket. but a Gold status in British Airways we can get access to first class lounges and that means having a starred restaurant at our disposal and being able to feast on champagne while waiting for our flight paid a few tens of euros.
Elite passengers can often choose seats on board for free, take advantage of class upgrades, and earn more miles/points during flights. All this translates into benefits that often extend to companions and ultimately to more comfort and less stress throughout the trip.
