The Race To Gain Status (Frequent Flyer, That Is)

In our democratic, capitalistic society, status is everything. The car you drive, the house you live in, even your spouse are indicative of status.

With airlines having their glut of issues, the only real status one has in the air is when they fly their own Citation jet, or the closest equivalent. Unfortunately most of us aren't so lucky or wealthy to have one of those so we have to settle for less.

Enter the frequent flyer program. What American Airlines started out as a marketing gimmick has grown into a whole economy. You can now earn, spend, gift, buy, trade, donate and do much more with your program miles.

The result of this is the race to accumulate miles. Sure, it's not a neck on neck race to the finish, but a race to gain a one up in the status ranking over the other frequent flyer. Towards this end, numerous methods have been introduced that allows the flyer to accumulate miles.

For those who don't fly often, the value of this status may be muted. With the security concerns of today and the finite nature of the day, every benefit offered by the program is well worth the effort.

Let me explain ... In a later post.