Contrary to popular belief, not all of us at TPG benefit from travel perks… perks that we write about every day, like elite status.
When I joined TPG in 2021, I never had any kind of airline elite status. I didn’t have a cobranded airline credit card, and I traveled inconsistently — especially compared to my colleagues, some of whom traveled weekly. Achieving entry-level high status also seemed out of reach.
But thanks to winning 30,000 loyalty points in the raffle, I managed to get AAdvantage Gold status at the end of 2021; Which guarantees me entry-level American Airlines AAdvantage status until February 2023. This experience inspired me to take drastic measures to reach AAdvantage Platinum status for the rest of the year (such as voluntarily taking a 66-hour and 15-minute round-trip flight). on Oneworld partner Finnair).
I didn’t travel much in the first six months of 2024, so when I lost that position earlier this year, I wasn’t surprised. I was excited to go back traveling in July for my birthday, but a global IT outage canceled that trip. In the second half of 2024, I traveled continuously from August to December.
Although the unexpected amount of time spent in my hometown made any status increase very unlikely, I really had no plans to get status this year for some reason.
Here’s why.
The American Airlines AAdvantage situation was not so good
The choice was based on availability, and the main cabin extra seats were the only seats where I noticed a difference, with extra legroom (33 to 39 inches of pitch, depending on the aircraft, versus 30 to 32 inches in standard economy seats. ).
If main cabin extra seats weren’t available, the choice was limited to select seats, nothing more than the name suggests. They are only in select areas of the plane, such as near the front, in rows of two versus three seats, etc. But they don’t usually offer any extra legroom, so this isn’t enough for me.
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Otherwise, the only other benefit I received from earning AAdvantage Gold status was a regional upgrade on a flight from St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
There were two differences in this first-class experience. The most notable was the spacious seat (19.9 inches wide with a 37-inch pitch Another difference was the availability of complimentary breakfast (compared to a 34-inch pitch in the main cabin extras and a 30-inch pitch in the main cabin on the Embraer 175 aircraft).
With AAdvantage Platinum, I appreciated priority boarding in the previous group but sadly did not receive an upgrade.
Overall, my AAAdvantage Gold and Platinum experiences were uneventful and therefore did not compel me to seek higher status.
I like United as an airline, but not enough to go after status
Abandoning my American status goals, I began to wonder if it made more sense to prioritize another airline, specifically United Airlines.
Although I only flew United once before leaving for Chicago in 2022, the airline became my go-to when flying from ORD. (The airport is a United hub.)
Through my reporting and travel on the airline, I feel it is currently the most innovative, and thus, I will continue to prioritize flying it from ORD. Earlier this year, I tried United’s TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program at ORD; This allows eligible United fliers to pass through security and biometrically check bags without showing their boarding pass or driver’s license.
That experience left a lasting impression on me because it made getting through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints easier, especially when people continue to question the value of CLEAR.
I also think the United app is the best airline app. It has features that actually help travelers, including live weather updates and real-time flight countdowns.
As a TPG reporter, I got to know the United team on a personal level, so I feel a stronger connection to this airline than any other airline at the moment.
All of this has me thinking of becoming a United loyalist in the future, led initially by its stronghold in Chicago. But, as I’ve discussed with several of my Chicago-based friends who also fly United, it’s disappointing that the airline continues to raise the threshold for United MileagePlus status.
United isn’t alone in this — all airlines are making it harder to become elite. When Delta Air Lines announced changes to its SkyMiles program in fall 2023, countless travelers expressed outrage.
Long story short, neither United nor any other airline is doing anything to help or persuade me to pursue status.
I fly multiple airlines
When I travel, I try to spend as little time as possible at the airport. This is mostly possible due to both TSA PreCheck and Clear, which usually makes my TSA security experience less than five minutes.
If I had elite status or a credit card offering complimentary lounge access, I’d be more inclined to arrive early; However, even with lounge access, I wouldn’t rush to one as most lounges cannot accommodate travelers, like myself, who have dietary restrictions. While I admit this is a “me” problem, I think there are other travelers who would appreciate healthy food options in airport lounges.
I prioritize my time by trying to spend as little time as possible at the airport before and after my flight. Because of this mindset, I prioritize flying the airline with the most ideal schedule for my desired route. Of course, another factor I would consider is price. I also prefer to fly in and out of Chicago’s Midway International Airport (MDW) because the traffic to and from ORD is annoying. (That can add an hour to my commute each way.)
As a result, I often choose to fly Southwest Airlines because it has a hub at MDW. When I’m flying out of ORD, I try to fly United, but only if I can find a cheaper or more convenient flight on another airline — like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines. Lines or Alaska Airlines — so I’ll take it.
No program gives me everything I need
Overall, I find the frequent flyer program requirements too complicated. This is exacerbated by the fact that these requirements are constantly changing and there are many ways to gain status.
Even if I were willing to do so, no frequent flyer program or credit card would provide everything I want in return: constant upgrades, lounge access, and priority boarding.
The bottom line
The attractiveness of status is no longer valuable to me. Since no airline is likely to make status easy for the average traveler, I don’t foresee going out of my way to chase status the way I used to.
Traveling is supposed to be fun. While I always anticipate the stress of road travel, this is one area I refuse to stress about.
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