Low Level Airline Status: More Than It's Cracked Up To Be

At last weeks Frequent Traveler University in McLean, VA the butt of most jokes was our poor Delta flying friends who try to redeem their miles and find out that you can only get a trip from Chicago to New York for 335,000 skypesos in coach. But the second butt of most jokes was low level airline status.

Most of the presentations on airline status seemed to insinuate that most airline status isn't worth it until you get to the top levels, your 1K or Executive Platinum, and that's when the real benefits kick in. While that may be true for the ultimate business traveler or the supremely hardcore flyer, for me I don't actually think that low level status is that bad for the average miles/points enthusiast who doesn't travel for work.

This is the first year that I have had any kind of status and I squeaked into United's Premier Silver  level of status for flying just over 25,000 miles in 2012.  When I qualified I was actually really excited to have my first level of status and to check out the benefits.

This year I have flown just about 25,000 miles in the first four months of the year so I have had a few trips to experience what the lowest level of status can get you and have been pleasantly surprised!

Many of the benefits of the lowest level of status on United can, of course, be obtained with their MileagePlus Explorer Card (link directly from Chase; we do not have affiliate links). Those include the free checked bags and Priority Boarding. But I can count the times that I have actually checked a bag on one hand so this benefit doesn't really matter that much to me. The Priority Boarding is nice with everyone bringing their "carry on" sized bag onto the plane, but the added benefits that come with status can add value beyond the credit card.

One of the main benefits that most people hope to enjoy when you have status with an airline is the chance to get upgraded to first class. I've actually had decent luck as a Premier Silver. Most people told me that I would be lucky to get one upgrade as a Silver. So far this year I am 5/16 in upgrades and have been number one or two on the waitlist for about seven of the remaining flights. On our mileage run to San Francisco yesterday (which JD wrote about from the perspective of his first ever mileage run) I went 2/3 on the upgrade front, including a flight from Chicago to San Francisco. On our flight back from San Francisco to Baltimore I was number one on the list, but ended up as number two because they accidentally oversold first class.

But I think the biggest benefit of Premier Silver status is the access to Economy Plus at check in and the ability to add a companion into Economy Plus with you. I have never had trouble getting an Economy Plus seat at check in and always get the seat that I want. I've never had to choose between sitting in the middle in Economy Plus or sitting in an aisle at the back of the plane. That could change if my travel habits were to ever change...but for now it's not a problem. If we take yesterday's set of flights as a starting point (Baltimore - Chicago - San Francisco - Baltimore) access to Economy Plus saved me around $150 if I would have paid for every leg, including the hefty $87 charge for the SFO-BWI flight. That level of savings really adds up over time.

I personally think that most of the value of having a low level of status comes if you are a casual traveler who travels mostly on the weekend. The loads on aircraft are much much lower on the weekends and so your competition against the road warriors during the week is significantly reduced and your chances of an upgrade are much better.

If you are a casual traveler, like me, that is willing to go on "mini mileage runs" or "weekend trips" along with your regular travel and don't mind missing out on an upgrade more often than not there is real value in low level status. In fact, I would argue that it makes those times when you ARE upgraded even sweeter because you aren't expecting it!

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Observations from My First Milage Run

I completed my first mileage run, yesterday early this morning. Chris, his GF and I flew from DC to SFO for lunch. It was a great experience and I came away with some interesting observations in my journey.

1) Flying across the country for lunch is AMAZING and also great conversation starter!

         I was a little drunk still when Chris picked me up at 3:45 yesterday. See, I went out drinking
         the night beforehand and telling  girls that you are "flying to San Fran tomorrow for lunch and
         coming right back"  is a great conversation/pick-up line. I may need to keep that in my
         arsenal for use more often.

        Similarly, the club agent at ORD thought it was funny that I was coming right back to BWI last
        night. He comment that he "only thought airline employees fly to go get lunch," and told us
        that he takes his family to lunch in Boston, New York and Miami all the time.

2) Getting bumped from First Class is worth at least $500

        This did not happen to me. However, on our flight home from SFO to BWI they
        upgraded/oversold too many first class by 1. They asked for a volunteer to bump down
        to Economy Plus and were offering $500 to do so. Someone jumped up and took the offer
        within seconds of the offer. Most likely a person who was upgrade with status.

3) The United Fleet Is Old

        On everyone one of my three flights, I notice that the United Fleet is showing its age. Two
        of my seats were not secured properly making for some fun landings:

     

        The paneling on any other flight was peeling:

                                                       

Chris mentioned to me that the 757-200 we were flying is being replaced with the new 737-900s United purchased. So, that's a good sign.

   4) United Lets A Ton of Economy Plus Seats Go Unsold

        On each of my three flights yesterday, Economy Plus, which I was sitting due to Chris's
        status, was 1/2 empty, while the rest of economy was full. When I checked in Saturday
        morning they wanted $17 for an economy plus seat and Saturday evening they wanted $87.
     
        Why doesn't United firesale these seats? It doesn't cost you anything more for people to sit
        there. This is income that United is leaving on the ground. If day of flight, you have 1/4 or 1/2
        of Economy Plus empty, why wouldn't you auction them off or sell them for $5. This is going
        to sound weird, but "shame on you United for leaving money on the ground." That's almost
        as leaving points on the table!

   5) The Plant Burger Does Not Taste Good

        We went to the Ferry Terminal for lunch and I got the Plant Burger, a beet burger:

                   

 
  6)  Boudin Sourdough (SFO Food Court) Rocks!

       The GF, on the trip, told me I needed to get a sandwich from this place. I got the
       Turkey Cranberry for my dinner on the way home and it was amazing. Also, they had
       bread bowls filled with soup that look yummy! If you have a layover in SFO, go to Boudins!

Boudin's at SFO Food Court

7)   A Street Performer's Sign Can Sum Up A Trip

             

Chris and I in Front of the Ferry Terminal

SFO thanks for a great day!

     

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