Travel Deal of the Day (May 15, 2008)

I know quite a few people that are taking 10,000 mile roundtrip (or greater) journeys over the next few months. If you are taking such a trip, you might want to consider consolidating your travel on the airline you are using for that trip to attempt to earn elite status and all the perks that come with elite status.

The Deal:
On most airlines, if you fly 25,000 miles or more in a calendar year, you begin to earn various perks (such as free upgrades, expedited check-in and boarding lines, free access to special seats on an airplane and dedicated reservation lines) that are associated with a frequent flyer “elite” status. If you know you are taking a very long journey in the next few months, you may want to attempt to consolidate your travel with that airline to attempt to earn this elite status. Given the frequent delays and mishaps that occur when traveling, elite status can often mean the difference during a disruptive event such as a snowstorm between being re-accommodated the same day or getting stuck in a city for three days.

How:
To find more information, research your airline’s frequent flyer program.

The Inside Scoop:
Note that some low-cost carriers have no elite status – which brings me to an important point. I do not value elite status enough that I would constantly pay a significant premium to fly on the same airline to consolidate my travel on one airline (when lower cost options exist on other airlines). If you find that the airline you are choosing has higher fares than other alternative airlines, you need to consider whether elite status would be worth that premium.