Incredible Flight Deals and Mileage Running

Through a series of google searches, I happened onto the unlikely subculture known as Mileage Running. The basic premise is flying solely for the sake of accumulating Elite Qualifying Miles, or EQMs, from the carrier of choice. With enough time and money, a Frequent Flyer member can potentially earn their way to Elite Status, along the way racking up a heaping mound of spendable miles and member privileges.

I enjoy flying but scarce imagined there were passengers out there who fly across the country in a morning, only to touch ground for a short while and fly right back where they came from. There are.

I was intrigued by stories of flights from Austin to Portland to Seattle and back, traversing 8000 or more miles in a day. Now that wifi is on most flights, it's possible to consider an inflight seat as your personal office for a day. With laptop at full charge and skype enabled, there is little you can't do from 35000 ft.

So far, I've put figures into a spreadsheet to weigh the advantages. A Mileage Run costs convenience and comfort right off, as well as ticket costs, so the end has to justify the means. The end in this case is award miles.

Award miles can be used to book award travel, whereby the ticket carries no cost, but you must still pay airport taxes and additional fees. The additions can easily cost over $100, depending on the airport and country of arrival. Miles can also be used for hotel stays and car rental. I have to ask myself

Is it really possible to come out ahead, with a free first class flight to, say, Tahiti, for pennies on the dollar?

The jury is still out on that score, but now that I'm aware of this stats game, I'll be monitoring prices to see just how good the deals get.

For insight into the mind of a Mileage Runner, there are blogs and well-known forums such as FlyerTalk and FrequentFlier where promotions, ideas and strategies are shared.

To calculate value on flights, MileCalc is a great resource. Just enter in the details including your status multipliers and purchase bonuses, and the app will return the exact cost per mile, or CPM, you receive. Of course, that is only half the data. The value of miles has to be determined by a comparison of miles vs dollars for your ticket purchase, factoring in the loss of miles you incur by flying on an award. No EQMs on award travel!

Finally, even if you don't get into Mileage Running, you have to try out a couple of features on FareCompare. I used to use Kayak, but FC is a new paradigm. Their interactive map and Fare Filter fare search features are pure gold. Let me know what deals you find. You never know who you might end up sitting next to on that flight!

-j