Mileage Runs ....

[RonaldCol]

I just got into researching Mileage Runs (MRs). I joined FlyerTalk.com shortly afterwards.

I have some basic questions and decided to ask them here instead of in FlyerTalk.com. The pros make that their hunting grounds but with TUG I figure there would be some MR experts who would understand some novice questions.

Here goes ...

I have the flexibility to do MR, and also stay over for a few days in the cities I'm flying to/out. Are there ways to design MR so I can stay a few nights in one city to sightsee and dine, or are MR geared toward more mileage with no thoughts to staying off the airplanes?

It will take at least a good 12 hours away the flights to see some of any city.

[Pat H]

A true MR means that it's a trip you would have not have taken other than to get miles/status. However, if you want to make it a pleasure trip instead and it accomplishes your goal, who cares what they call it. Most of the MR's I have done have been geared towards getting me enough miles to obtain/keep status.

I am in SFO now waiting for my return flights home. We went to Singapore, stayed 2 nights but only 1 full day. We flew over 21,000 miles round trip. To me that was a MR but the purists wouldn't agree.

[somerville]

Pat, we did the Singapore trip from DC a few years ago. However, we stayed a week. It was part MR and part vacation. We were able to fly business class both ways using confirmed worldwide upgrades. I can't imagine doing it in coach.

[Hoc]

What Pat said. The definition of a "mileage run" is purely the creation of Flyertalk.com. There is nothing official with an airline that makes something a mileage run vs. a vacation. In addition, some airlines (Northwest or Continental come to mind) actually have "revenue protection" departments that will take away your mileage credit if they think that you took an intentionally circuituous route just to accumulate more miles.

I recently took a 3-day weekend in New York. I got 11,000 miles for the trip and the total round trip airfare was $134. Was that a mileage run? Not according to the Flyertalk definition, because I actually spent time in the city. But I certainly liked getting the miles.

[RonaldCol]

Originally Posted by Pat H

A true MR means that it's a trip you would have not have taken other than to get miles/status. However, if you want to make it a pleasure trip instead and it accomplishes your goal, who cares what they call it. Most of the MR's I have done have been geared towards getting me enough miles to obtain/keep status.

I am in SFO now waiting for my return flights home. We went to Singapore, stayed 2 nights but only 1 full day. We flew over 21,000 miles round trip. To me that was a MR but the purists wouldn't agree.

Now we're talking. Going to Singapore for one day and two nights is a bit short, but really acceptable to me in terms of finding an MR. Then to cumulate 21,000 miles in the process. This is turning out to be Nirvana heaven.

Where has this been all my life?

[RonaldCol]

Originally Posted by Hoc

What Pat said. The definition of a "mileage run" is purely the creation of Flyertalk.com. There is nothing official with an airline that makes something a mileage run vs. a vacation. In addition, some airlines (Northwest or Continental come to mind) actually have "revenue protection" departments that will take away your mileage credit if they think that you took an intentionally circuituous route just to accumulate more miles.

I recently took a 3-day weekend in New York. I got 11,000 miles for the trip and the total round trip airfare was $134. Was that a mileage run? Not according to the Flyertalk definition, because I actually spent time in the city. But I certainly liked getting the miles.

A three day weekend in New York and the airfare was only $134 roundtrip and you got 11,000 miles? This is like manna from heaven.

We bought a resale RHC for the sole purpose of getting to New York more often. The alternative, a Manhattan Club, didn't make any economic sense. Now with these numbers staring at me, I'm going to make this a priority research item.

We like the urban type resorts, e.g. Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Vancouver, etc., and we are located in a hub sity, Chicago. The MRs are ideal for our situation. AND we can fine tune it so we can stay a few days in a city to visit and hang out. How wonderful can life be? LOL.

[RonaldCol]

Originally Posted by somerville

Pat, we did the Singapore trip from DC a few years ago. However, we stayed a week. It was part MR and part vacation. We were able to fly business class both ways using confirmed worldwide upgrades. I can't imagine doing it in coach.

Upgrading to more legroom is one of the key objectives for us when we accumulate traveled miles. From what I gather this is another whole ball of wax to deal with. One thing at a time for us novices.

[grest]

Originally Posted by Hoc

What Pat said. The definition of a "mileage run" is purely the creation of Flyertalk.com. There is nothing official with an airline that makes something a mileage run vs. a vacation. In addition, some airlines (Northwest or Continental come to mind) actually have "revenue protection" departments that will take away your mileage credit if they think that you took an intentionally circuituous route just to accumulate more miles.

I recently took a 3-day weekend in New York. I got 11,000 miles for the trip and the total round trip airfare was $134. Was that a mileage run? Not according to the Flyertalk definition, because I actually spent time in the city. But I certainly liked getting the miles.

Hoc,
Can you explain how you got 11,000 miles for this trip? I'm trying to understand all of this, and it gets complicated for me on FlyerTalk. Thanks.
Connie

[camachinist]

Originally Posted by grest

Hoc,
Can you explain how you got 11,000 miles for this trip? I'm trying to understand all of this, and it gets complicated for me on FlyerTalk. Thanks.
Connie

Heh, then ask for an explanation of EQM/BIS/RDM (all miles), elite bonus, Double EQM promo, MP VISA promo, etc, etc (UA lingo)....things always seem easy on the surface

I'll only do two MR's this year, both transcons, one of which is coming up in a week, where I visit most of UA's major hubs. Reason? Status...

BTW, with a current promo for UA elites, Pat's SNN MR could be a 63K RDM deal (exclusive of elite bonus) if flown during March 06. We're looking at Japan for a 43K deal right now. Gotta burn 500.00 in Expedia TC's for the Osaka deal.

If a travel junkie, this stuff is more addictive than timesharing...be careful

Pat

[RonaldCol]

Originally Posted by camachinist

If a travel junkie, this stuff is more addictive than timesharing...be careful

Pat

I don't want to read that.

I got into timesharing and just had to maximize value. I've gotten more weeks to use in a year than there are weeks in a year. I've got RCI points coming out of my ears, figuratively. What am I going to do with 400,000 RCI points this year?

Now I'm flying ... and to have the chance to get free flights if the system can be tinkered just right ... is too much of a challenge to me.

Somewhere, somewhere, there just might be a book on all this. And I mean no pablum type book, but some real dynamic information for the addicts-to-be.

[Hoc]

Originally Posted by grest

Hoc,
Can you explain how you got 11,000 miles for this trip? I'm trying to understand all of this, and it gets complicated for me on FlyerTalk. Thanks.
Connie

The round trip was 5,000 miles. As an elite, I get double miles for all of my trips, and then I got an extra 1,000 miles for booking it on AA.com. Thus, 11,000 miles.

Ronald--

I stayed at the Affinia Dumont this trip with a 3-day package via my RHC membership. I just booked another week there next May. For a total of about $450 resale, this RHC membership was much more affordable than owning at the MC, and it gives me a week in New York every other year. Earlier this year, I used most of the RHC points for a week in Madrid, which I highly recommend. I used the balance for this Affinia Dumont weekend, and carried some over to next year for my May booking. Now, I'm out of RHC points until 2007.

But shop well, and you can really get some great mileage deals. I'm going to Dublin next President's day for the three-day weekend for $218 with a $40 Priceline hotel, and getting 23,000 miles. Plus I set it up for a 3-hour stopover in Chicago, where I can work out and get a massage at the spa in the airport. The rule of thumb for me is about a penny a mile.

[Hoc]

Originally Posted by camachinist

I'll only do two MR's this year, both transcons, one of which is coming up in a week, where I visit most of UA's major hubs. Reason? Status...

Pat--

I don't do pure mileage runs that frequently, but I bit the bullet on the latest AA promotions, and booked a few round trip turnarounds on weekends between LAX and Denver. I got my round trips for $138 each, plus got $50 back on each one due to AA's "low price guarantee." Travelocity had updated its site to show the fare war before AA.com did. So, on weekends only in Jan. and Feb., I am flying back and forth (leaving LAX at 12:54 pm and arriving back at 6:19 the same day) eight times, for a total of 102,000 miles, for a total out of pocket cost of $704. And I figure I can do work on my laptop on the trips, or watch my TV shows (which I record to DVDs).

That works out to just under seven tenths of a cent per mile, with four weekend afternoons on a plane, watching TV or doing work. Seemed worth it to me for the equivalent of almost a first class round trip Europe flight, plus another hundred thousand miles toward lifetime elite status.

So, yes, get into it and it can be quite addictive. But unless the deal is this spectacular, it's hard for me to spend the time on a mileage run.