Why I don’t care about airline elite standing

Opposite to fashionable perception, not all of us at TPG profit from a ton of journey perks … even perks that we write about each day, like elite standing.

Once I joined TPG in 2021, I had by no means had any form of airline elite standing. I didn’t have a cobranded airline bank card, and I traveled inconsistently — particularly in comparison with my colleagues, a few of whom journey weekly. Attaining even entry-level elite standing appeared out of attain.

However because of successful 30,000 Loyalty Factors in a raffle, I did handle to acquire AAdvantage Gold standing on the finish of 2021; that assured me entry-level American Airways AAdvantage standing by February 2023. This expertise additionally impressed me to take drastic steps to attain AAdvantage Platinum standing for the remainder of the yr (like willingly taking a 66-hour and 15-minute round-trip flight on Oneworld associate Finnair).

I did not journey a lot within the first half of 2024, so after I misplaced that standing earlier this yr, I wasn’t shocked. I used to be excited to get again to touring in July for my birthday, however a world IT outage canceled that journey. For the second half of 2024, I traveled persistently from August by December.

Though the surprising time spent in my house metropolis made any standing positive aspects much more unlikely, I really had no plans to chase standing this yr for just a few causes.

This is why.

American Airways AAdvantage standing wasn’t that good

As an AAdvantage Gold member for one yr, I did not discover a lot distinction between being a member with elite standing and one with out it. The principle distinction was the power to preselect complimentary most well-liked or Primary Cabin Further seats when checking in for my flight.

The choice was primarily based on availability, and Primary Cabin Further seats have been the one seats the place I seen a distinction, primarily based on the extra legroom (33 to 39 inches of pitch, relying on the plane, versus the 30 to 32 inches in customary economic system seats).

If Primary Cabin Further seats weren’t accessible, choice was restricted to most well-liked seats, that are nothing greater than what the identify implies. They’re merely in most well-liked areas of the airplane, reminiscent of nearer to the entrance, in a row of two versus three seats, and so forth. However since they typically don’t supply any extra legroom, this is not sufficient of a perk for me.

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In any other case, the one different perk I ever obtained from having AAdvantage Gold standing was a regional improve on a flight from St. Louis Lambert Worldwide Airport (STL) to Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD).

There have been two variations on this first-class expertise. Essentially the most notable was a roomier seat (19.9 inches vast with a 37-inch pitch in comparison with the 34-inch pitch in Primary Cabin Further and the 30-inch pitch in the principle cabin) on an Embraer 175 plane. The second distinction was receiving complimentary snacks.

With AAdvantage Platinum, I appreciated the precedence boarding in an earlier group however sadly obtained no upgrades.

General, my AAdvantage Gold and Platinum experiences have been lackluster and thus didn’t compel me to pursue standing any additional.

I like United as an airline, however not sufficient to go after standing

In letting go of my American standing objectives, I began to suppose whether or not it made extra sense to prioritize one other airline, particularly United Airways.

Though I had solely flown United as soon as earlier than transferring to Chicago in 2022, the airline has grow to be my go-to when flying from ORD. (The airport is a United hub.)

By way of my reporting and travels on the airline, I feel it’s at present probably the most modern, and, thus, I’ll proceed to prioritize flying it from ORD. Earlier this yr, I attempted United’s TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program at ORD; this enables eligible United flyers to cross by safety and examine luggage biometrically with out having to point out their boarding cross or a driver’s license.

That have left an enduring impression on me as a result of it made passing by Transportation Safety Administration checkpoints straightforward, significantly when individuals proceed to query the worth of Clear.

I additionally suppose the United app is the very best airline app. It has options that really assist vacationers, together with dwell climate updates and a real-time flight countdown.

As a TPG reporter, I’ve gotten to know the United workforce on a private stage, so I really feel a stronger connection to this airline than some other in the intervening time.

All of this has led me to think about changing into a United loyalist sooner or later, spearheaded initially by its stronghold in Chicago. However, as I’ve mentioned with a lot of my Chicago-based mates who additionally fly United, it is irritating that the airline continues to boost the thresholds for United MileagePlus standing.

United isn’t alone on this — all airways are making it tougher to grow to be elite. Quite a few vacationers expressed outrage when Delta Air Traces introduced adjustments to its SkyMiles program in fall 2023.

Lengthy story lengthy, neither United nor some other airline is doing something to assist or persuade me to chase standing.

I fly a number of airways

Once I journey, I attempt to spend as little time as attainable within the airport. That is largely attainable because of each TSA PreCheck and Clear, which usually make my TSA safety expertise lower than 5 minutes.

If I had elite standing or a bank card providing complimentary lounge entry, I might be extra inclined to reach earlier; nonetheless, even with entry to a lounge, I might not run to at least one since most lounges don’t accommodate vacationers, like myself, who’ve dietary restrictions. Whereas I acknowledge that it is a “me” drawback, I do suppose there are different vacationers who would admire having wholesome meals choices in airport lounges.

I prioritize my time by making an attempt to spend as little time as attainable on the airport earlier than and after my flight. Due to this mindset, I prioritize flying the airline with probably the most ideally suited schedule for my desired routes. In fact, one other issue I contemplate is value. I additionally choose to fly out and in of Chicago’s Halfway Worldwide Airport (MDW) as a result of site visitors to and from ORD is annoying. (It could possibly add as much as an hour every method to my travels.)

Because of this, I regularly elect to fly Southwest Airways as a result of it has a hub at MDW. When I’m flying out of ORD, I attempt to fly United, but when I discover a cheaper or extra handy flight on one other airline — reminiscent of American Airways, Delta Air Traces or Alaska Airways — I will take it.

No program provides me every part I would like

As an entire, I discover frequent flyer program necessities too difficult. That is additional exacerbated by these necessities continually altering and there being too some ways to earn standing.

Past buying portals — that are among the many lowest-lift methods to contribute to standing — I do not wish to stress myself out by chasing an airline’s standing when it does nothing to steer me that the standing is even price it.

Even when I used to be prepared to take action, no frequent flyer program or bank card would offer me with every part I search in return: constant upgrades, lounge entry and precedence boarding.

Backside line

The attract of standing is not price it for me. Because it appears unlikely that any airline will make it simpler for the typical traveler to earn standing, I do not foresee going out of my method to chase standing in the way in which that I’ve beforehand.

Touring is meant to be enjoyable. Whereas I all the time anticipate some form of journey stress alongside the way in which, that is one space I refuse to emphasize about.

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