Here we are in April and my travel year is shaping up to be so different than I could have ever imagined. The bad news: I just lost my Executive Platinum elite status with American Airlines and dropped three tiers. Furthermore, I’m not sure I will re-qualify for status with either United Airlines or Hyatt. The good news: it has been fun being a free agent lately.
Elite Status Lost: Loyalty Proves Elusive For Me
On April 1st, I dropped from Executive Platinum to Gold status on American Airlines, all because my Hong Kong trip was cancelled last autumn. It’s dangerous to stake your elite status re-qualifcation on one trip and I fell on my sword when American Airlines did not extend status another year, like Delta.
No more Qantas First Lounge in Los Angeles, just as it prepares to reopen. No more Platinum Wing in Helsinki. My trip to Australia this year (fingers crossed) will not include access to the lovely Qantas First lounges in Sydney or Melbourne. Sadly, my status AA status was largely worthless during the pandemic, with the exception of a handful of domestic upgrades.
But I just could not justify the time and money required to re-qualify, even at reduced thresholds.
Keeping top-tier status on two airlines is difficult, but certainly I can keep my 1K status with United, right?
I’m not so sure. I’m about 1/3 of the way there, but that’s only because of a generous starter bonus United deposited in my account. Flights have been full lately, I really don’t think Untied needs to help out elite travelers any longer…travel is back.
And I’ve been traveling prolifically lately…details of which will be forthcoming and I cannot wait to share. But even Hyatt, which I’ve been unflinchingly loyal to for the better part of a decade, has been out of the picture lately. Over the last month, I’ve stayed at more Four Seasons, Accor, Kempinski, and Marriott properties than Hyatt.
It has been great and when your use Virtuoso or the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts program, you essentially enjoy “elite” status without having to be elite.
Hyatt will always be my first love, but as I prepare for a long season at home in Los Angeles, even justifying the push for 60 nights is difficult. I’m currently only at nine nights for the year…
The good news is that being a free agent is fun…I’ve flown some amazing products, enjoyed some amazing hotels, but it does cost money. I far prefer to be upgraded for free versus paying out-of-pocket for it with miles or dollars.
Then again, my Platinum status with Marriott has been worthless in terms of upgrades and readers are reporting such full flights domestically that upgrades are not even clearing with instrument support or miles.
That too makes me wonder whether I will just embrace life as a free agent and make the most of it, even if it means paying for upgrades and breakfast, which I have traditionally shied away from.
CONCLUSION
We’re now more than a quarter of the way through the year and my elite status progress is stalled in terms of both airlines and hotels. Not only am I unsure whether I will be able to pass the finish line, but I’m really questioning whether it is even worthwhile.
“Flights have been full lately, I really don’t think Untied needs to help out elite travelers any longer…travel is back.”
Just 3 days ago I seem to remember reading “48 SEATS IN BUSINESS CLASS. ONE PASSENGER. ME.” I think it was on this site.
Part of travel is back. Part of it is not back. Transpacific premium travel is very important to United. Large corporate travel is not yet back.
United is going to need to make some efforts with elite travelers, though perhaps not with all elite travelers. They still care about those who pre-pandemic were buying long haul business class to Asia.
Indeed the global Asia flyer is a big hole and they may need to top up again
But Matt you’re right on not missing much with hotel elite status – why go out of the way for it when you can use programs to get the breakfast, other benefits at better properties
I would say that I’ve missed being in suites lately…I get “upgraded” but from “deluxe” to “premium” or “garden view” to “sea view.” While nice, Hyatt has been so good about upgrading me to suites.
Did you spell check? United is spelled untied….
A mistake or the truth?
Ha I thought the same thing!
Yes, Asia is the exception and there may be some targeted offer, but Europe is hopping. Looking at flights next week and J cabins are sold out!
My experience is shaping out to be the same. I’m 1K on UA and Diamond at Hilton for the best part of a decade. Free upgrades on UA have been very rare, hardly worth the loyalty. Hilton is worse. I’ve not had any upgrades from them, and post Covid service is in the tank, with sketchy room service, closed restaurants and lounges being the norm. I may give it a go with 1K. But it’s almost certain it’s not worth it to be Diamond anymore. As you said, especially if you have an Amex Platinum card.
My AA Ex Platinum has been worthless lately. I flew non-stop all through Covid, and I still fly quite a bit. The new program is a little confusing and the 300K miles I have to use are becoming less useful period.
In my last 3 round trip flights with AA, I upgraded to business select 1 time. Nothing is ever available. I’ve had a first-class upgrade 1 time in 6 months. It’s very disheartening. Unfortunately for me, Phoenix is a major hub for AA and it’s hard to switch as I have a lot of destinations. I may just start purchasing upgrades, what else can I do.
Waiting for my systemwide for travel to Australia, but then who knows.
I think it’s time for you to join the dark side, upset >half of your readers, and status match to Delta. They have Biscoffs and water waiting for you.
But AA EXP is so easy to get now. I accidentally got over 250k Loyalty points thru March. I say accidentally cause I forgot to switch spend over to a better card. I use my miles to fly short flights which get upgraded due to EXP and that will make the 30 segments super easy.
You’re spending over $80k/month and not paying attention to which credit card you put it on?
I was thinking the same thing. Must be a noob.
Understanding that you accidentally used the wrong card, the “ease” of how you upgraded to AA Ex Plat still had a dollar cost to it at 2% to 3% cash back, which is no less than US$5,000.
@ Matthew — There is zero doubt in my mind you will re-up for 1K. I know you too well.
Honestly, unless there are more promos like last year, I cannot see myself spending another $9K on UA travel. We will see. Of course I’d like it.
@ Matthew — Have you looked at the RTW *A J flights originating in CDG? I looked at it for a minute and then decided it was too hard for us to plan, but maybe would work for you.
If there is any better place to be a free agent from an airline perspective, it is Los Angeles. Being a hub or focus city for American, Alaska, Delta, Southwest and United plus lots of International options means there is likely to be something. I’ve largely been a free agent for several years (though have enough volume to maintain varying elite status) and it’s great.
AA status has never made sense to me and I live in an AA fortress hub city (chalotte). I fly a ton of domestic flights directly out of Charlotte. But when I fly international it’s always from another airport and I just use CLT AA flights to position me there. I pay less to fly first class out of JFK on airlines better than AA (LX/LH, AF) than I would flying AA international business out of CLT. The AA/BA first class fares out of JFK are sometimes 1/3 the cost of AA business class out of CLT.
I have never taken a flight just for status. I am a 1K, but that is because I still fly a lot domestically on UA routes, and got the various bonuses last year. And I have yet to be able to use any of my PlusPoints for an upgrade, since most of my flights are ones I would not want to take a chance on being in coach, so buy the best/cheapest F at booking. It is not like you have any chance of an upgrade on most UA domestic flights while the flights are so crowded. So I am effectively a free agent and it is fine. Sure, I will be flying some UA F, but I will be flying AA and Alaska in F in the next couple of month where they have the best option (on a particular route, but also for a much small price than UA), and AF, KLM and BA in international business where I prefer them for the soft product and they were cheaper or available with miles on a saver award. I’d have bought UA for international had they offered an upgrade on even one leg or had a better price. But frankly, I think I will have a better flight on all those other airlines.
So yeah, while it is nice to board 30 seconds before group 1, and better telephone service (which I have not had to use in a year or so), it is not like 1K offers much benefit. Free agent is fine.
Only thing I miss no longer being AA plat was free seat selection on BA.
I’ll finish out Marriott Lifetime Platinum this year just on business travel, but I agree with your assessment that it’s not really an “upgrade tier” – I think this is true across all Marriott levels, though. I can’t say I’m upset – I’m planning some travel in NYC soon and the FHR rates + perks make that program much more worthwhile, IMO. Free agency among hotels seems to be the new normal, with points being a nicety vs. a driving cause of booking with a chain.
Airlines? I still prefer all my miles in one place. The crowning glory for me would be if Avios just became the default OneWorld currency…. or at least if Alaska joined Avios. I’m strongly considering moving my primary accrual to an Avios-based airline next year.
I made the jump. I’m booking all my OW flights to a foreign airline, though its Qantas. (I’ll earn emerald faster that way, based on my travel pattern.)
Surprisingly the pandemic (once it hit 2021 and vaccines were widely available) has been the boost for me into elite status, for the ones that don’t have spending thresholds. Beforehand I only hit the minimum levels but I’m now at Alaska 100k, Hyatt Globalist (w/ 60 nights last year) and Marriott Titanium
As prices (especially for hotels) revert to normal though, I don’t see myself being able to keep it up entirely in 2023, and in 2024 may fall completely back to “normal”, sadly
It was crazy easy to keep Executive Platinum with AA last year. Like you, I didn’t fly too much but AA made it super easy to just spend $15,000 on any AA branded credit card last year. That was really easy and I got extended for another year.
It’s been pretty worthless as I could never use my Systemwide upgrade certificates. I tried and only was able to use 1 of them to Paris. And I didn’t know until the last minute. I have 3 that are expiring at the end of July so let me know Matthew if you needed them and I’d be happy to give you 2 of them to use. I already have a ton of trips lined up and not flying AA.
My wife and I have both been Hyatt Globalists for years but I also will most likely not qualify this year but she will as she has the Hyatt Visa and can spend her way to whatever nights we are short.
I would really really miss Hyatt Globalist as Hyatt treats us so good. We have 3 kids and always book 2 rooms and it really comes in handy with free breakfast, etc. But on airline status, I can live without that. I mostly use frequent flyer miles/points to fly business/first anyway so it’s fine.
Unfortunately, I am not a CITI customer.
No Barclay’s card either? They have a REALLY easy and basically no brainer to get deal. I got it on a flight where they were handing out this application. You get 60,000 points for just making one purchase of ANY amount. I charged $10 and got the 60,000 points. NO annual fee the first year. Plus the card gives $25 each year for AA internet which I used and they credited it back.
Been a “free agent” when it comes to airline status for years now and I have zero regrets. I just pay for whatever flights I want now, especially when traveling domestically. Do I want First Class? Paid. Do I want extra legroom Economy? Paid. Money that I otherwise would have spent towards MRs go towards these “upgrades” now.
Hotel status is the only one I actually think is worth qualifying for, specifically Hyatt Globalist. They haven’t diluted any of their benefits compared to Marriott.
If someone is in the financial situation like you where they can afford to buy up rather than rely on loyalty perks, there’s a lot more freedom to be had. Unfortunately, my investment accounts would need another zero to reach that point so I’m going to have to slog through the hard way like most people.
Have bounced back and forth between EXP & PP for the past few years, earning it without the extensions as I flew monthly during the “pandemic”. But with the changes in qualifying criteria, no way I’m getting there this year. The days of cheap cross country flights that added up the miles are gone. And AA is now more about card spend than for frequent travelers. And the bonuses I got for spend on my Barlclays Silver Aviator to reduce qualifying dollars are gone. A few levels of 5000 loyalty points aren’t going to get it done.
It will be interesting to see how many elites they lose this year and what offers they make in February 23 to retain them.
I’ll likely be in the same boat at the end of the current cycle. As an EXP who’s always earned status the old fashioned way – butt in seat, mostly to/from Asia – the pathway to renewal is practically impossible.
Even without border closures, the new rules would require a ridiculous 6 trips to HKG (or an even more ridiculous 13 for non-elites) to hit the EXP threshold. That’s not exactly conducive to retaining customers.
My partner and I have already managed to confirm 9 SWUs with AA on long-haul flights this year, and we have 11 more in the bank. I haven’t missed a domestic upgrade on AA in recent memory. I’m loving reciprocal elite status on AS, and I’ve had really good luck with Globalist upgrades. Right now elite status seems as valuable to me as ever.
You can still apply for a status match woth Royal Air Maroc, although I see that they are no longer matching to Gold. Silver maps to oneworld sapphire, so you still get lounge access. By the way, what happened to your AC status? Perhaps you could focus on that as opposed to UA.
I m enjoying free agency when it comes to hotels, currently have useless silver status with three chains (Accor, Hilton, NH) with no plans to aim for anything higher. I take advantage of the best deal (price in relation to location, amenities, room size etc) for each trip, and I pay to upgrade myself whenever I need/feel like it. Airline status, however, is still very important to me as I hugely value the benefits on the ground- lounge access is a big plus, priority luggage works surprisingly well at *A, and I just can’t bear thinking about long queues for check in, security etc.
I still have and enjoy AC status.
Are you going to try and renew it this year?
Don’t see how I can. We will see.
Ditch them all, you don’t need them.
As Dave Ramsey says: “you don’t build wealth with credit card rewards and airline miles. You can’t beat the credit card companies at their game”.
That’s so true…
It will be hard to keep my Hyatt Globalist this year (at 10 nights now) and with a switch from many international travel to more domestic ones I don’t think I can reach $15k in Delta spending to keep my Diamond status. I noticed that being Diamond with Delta and living in a Delta hub has become a huge challenge. Just last week I was in Denver and after being Diamond and 360 for almost 10 years I was #28 on the upgrade to first class list even as a Diamond. It never cleared and when the agent called Diamonds to board almost half of the plane got in. I agree that having high status helps but having the freedom to go anywhere also makes total sense.
AA status very valuable with kids for free economy plus seats. Or whatever they are called. Upgrade at time of booking for free has always been my fav benefit. Odd upgrade helpful too.
You should def continue to be loyal to United! You’ve been loyal since day one, now isn’t the time to abandon them. Future of the airline is bright.
I am a Hyatt Globalist, BA Gold and Delta Platinum. For the first time, I will be Delta Diamond at the end of May for 2023, just because of rollover MQMs and some expensive trips this spring. But I have no intention of trying to renew any of those three for next year (or 2024 in the case of Delta).
I get almost no benefit from airline status at this point because I am paying for the seat that I want and I have lounge access in almost every case because of the class of service (Intl) or a credit card (domestic). The status mileage bonus I get from loyalty is of little use to me because I have more miles than I can use (3m).
As for Hyatt, I certainly prefer them to Marriott or Hilton, but the best stays I’ve had in the past two years have all been at hotels that are non-points hotels…Mandarin Oriental, Loews, Langham, Historic Hotels of America, etc. Every one of those stays has been more pleasant and memorable than my Hyatt stays in 2020-20222, and that included a stay at the Park Hyatt Paris. My Hyatt stays have been nice but picking the hotel that best fits your taste, trip plans, amenity preferences, etc. is so much nicer than picking a hotel by brand.
Well, there are some benefits of status with both Delta and Hyatt. As for Delta, getting international upgrade certificates is huge when you have a family of four and fly over 15 hours to South America. Getting free upgrade to Delta One (business class ticket on those flights can get to $10k a piece) is huge. As for Hyatt, breakfast for 4 people (2 adults + 2 kids) is a nice perk. Just spent 5 nights at Grand Hyatt Vail and breakfast for 4 was around $140/day. They also do not charge $45/day of resort fee. Thus, if you travel a lot with family that adds up to great savings.
Good points. I feel like status was more beneficial to me when I had my kids traveling with me. That is no longer the case (most of the time). I can also generally buy my breakfast for $20 a la carte if I need to, and my perception of value from premium int’l upgrades is tainted by my past experience as a AA EXP, I had upgrades then that I could never use for the routes that I fly.
Agreed. Being a free agent is fun. 60 nights at Hyatt is excessive in this economy
How is 60 nights excessive at Hyatt? I will spend 250 nights at hotels this year. Nearly half will be at Hyatt. Am I supposed to sleep in my car? Perhaps 60 nights a year at Four Seasons could be understood as excessive, lol. But Hyatt?
I feel sorry that you spend 250 nights per year in a hotel. I rather spend those night with my wife and kids at home. Don’t get me wrong, I used to that but it is not fun or healthy when you have a family.
I’m perfectly happy. I love it. I respect and understand your preference, Santastico, but in the end it’s a lifestyle I really enjoy. I could not imagine anything but this in my life. I’ll sleep and stay in one place when I’m dead.
My Costco card is more valuable these days. AA EXP, Marriott Ambassador, and Hyatt Globalist/Lifetime Glo….but only at Hyatt do I ever see any tangible recognition in upgrades etc. I’ve actually switched to United this year to get 1K as it seemed like a good time to jump the AA ship. Why? The new program will make EXP the equivalent of nothing over time in how many members there will be. Domestic Upgrades will be a blood bath. Even before I could barely find anywhere to use my systemwides on intl. I’ve held on all these years to crap AA as at least I got upgrades most of the time and didn’t want to spend time at a lower tier with another airline building up status. Those days are gone now. Star Alliance is a far better focus for me out of DC and for the Intl routes I take, so that’s what I’ll go for. In the end though, it’s not like I feel I will get BETTER service, but it will be more convenient. That’s all I care about now. Loyalty is dead otherwise.
I ditched my BA Gold, Delta Platinum, and OW Saphire a few years ago….and couldn’t be happier.
Chasing status for the few upgrades isn’t worth it.
If I want the First, Business Class, experience, I purchased First or Business Class.
At the end if the day, these are all Business who could give two shi*s about you…..why should you care two shi*s about them?
Be at those levels for years and then retire….. watch the door slam shut. Loyalty goes one way.
What a travesty. How can you go on?
You should hire a loyalty programs advisor 🙂
AA? Forget it. Not worth the money and efforts. Hard and expensive to achieve and still low changes to get upgraded.
Choose BA. One trip to Europe with connection in London, Madrid or Barcelona and your 4 segments are done. Rest you can easily fly inside of North America with AS and AA. Then open IB account to transfer Avioses and use to redeem IB flights when flying to Europe.
UA? Not worth unless your goal is lifetime GS. Star Alliance has better options for status, maybe CM is closer to UA what comes to achievment and using the upgrade vouchers on UA flights. Miles&Smiles and Miles&More giving status for two years period, easier one year status members are A3 and SK(lifetime Gold after 10 consecutive years).
Hyatt? Globalist is not easiest level to achieve. Better book through Prive.
Marriott? Focus to lifetime Platinum and put it ahead any other chain.
Hilton? Focus on Marriott or obtain the Aspire card.
Maybe this would be a time to take a writing/English class. Does no one spell check and advise you on wording. United is one and this paragraph…”On April 1st, I dropped from Executive Platinum to Gold status on American Airlines, all because my Hong Kong trip was cancelled last autumn. It’s dangerous to stake your elite status re-qualifcation on one trip and I fell on my sword when American Airlines.”. See anything wrong? Why is it in 2 years your spelling/grammar is well, unacceptable. I’ve enjoyed reading your reviews for years, but stopped reading as you continue to write like a school child. Learn or relearn as you are bringing up two children. This is something you don’t want to pass on!
I’ve asked Kyle to issue you a 100% refund for the content. Thank you for your comment.
Very snarky and not kind. Your constant butchering of the English language is cringe- worthy. It is your sarcasm and high level of defensiveness that makes me feel bad for you.
#thoughts_and_prayers
“Why is it in 2 years your spelling/grammar is well, unacceptable.”. Really? You should take some of your own advice.
Do you proof read anything or just skip straight to the comments section?
Demand your money back Jason!
Then please go far, far away.
I am tired of wasting my precious eyesight on comments like yours.
Nobody likes people like you…..
Looks like we have a new jacker on Southwest.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/southwest-passenger-antonio-sherrodd-mcgarity-arrested-for-masturbating-during-flight-from-seattle-to-phoenix
I could possibly see you following through on losing your airline status. But I’ll bet you a BBQ dinner that we’ll be hearing about a 20-night Hyatt mattress run come December…
Marriott =AA. Worthless.
That’s why “Bonvoyed Again” has become a generic term for “cheated.”
AA has the same outlook on customer loyalty and benefits (turkey/pastrami sandwich anyone?) and bragged about squeezing more people into planes and saying “the customers love it.”
They will fail/go bankrupt soon.
Hopefully sooner…..
Oh, and in a just world Marriott won’t be far behind…..
I couldn’t agree more with what J said:
“I just pay for whatever flights I want now, especially when traveling domestically. Do I want First Class? Paid. Do I want extra legroom Economy? Paid. Money that I otherwise would have spent towards MRs go towards these “upgrades” now.
Hotel status is the only one I actually think is worth qualifying for, specifically Hyatt Globalist. They haven’t diluted any of their benefits compared to Marriott.”
My goal is to fly less but for the flights I do to be great. So I patiently plan my trips and hunt for the least expensive business class ticket with whatever airline will deliver the best price for the flight. Goodbye “loyalty”. So bye bye 1K status I won’t miss you.
Last night at DFW I experienced my favorite part of elite status: special treatment during IRROPS.
When dozens of flights are canceled and thousands of frustrated passengers will be stuck overnight, it is wonderful to have automatic skip-the-waitlist service, or have your phone call answered immediately instead of waiting on line for hours, then board the next flight out and make it home on time.
I have received IRROPS rescue in ADD, SIN, CDG, ANC, and other airports and value this even more than a lie flat in a suite.
I agree this is very valuable, but could this also not be achieved by stepping into an Admirals Club, paying for a day pass, and taking are of it there?
I have been Marriott Titanium for a few years now, and I am currently boycotting Marriott (and Hilton) over their continued business in Russia. I have written them about it but just got a “thank you for your thoughts” email in return, so I may never go back. I find myself wondering if the extra cost of staying at Marriott properties is worth the ever-smaller amount of benefits I receive. The only one I really value is late check-out. Being a free-agent with respect to hotels sounds good to me right now.
Wow … having to rub shoulders with the rest of us. Do you even know what a regular hotel room looks like? I can’t imagine you having to actually sit upright in a seat for six or eight hours. And I can’t wait to see your reviews of economy class meals. But somehow I imagine you’ll always find a way to sitting in the front of the plane, and talking your way into hotel upgrades, I doubt your sense of entitlement will ever let you join the rest of us.
You give me far too much credit.
You took your downgrade with grace; I was less pleased when my AA Q4 promotion activity for EP retention was not recognized on the technicality that Amex GBS booked b6 flights with TrueBlue # and not AA #. Neither airline would budge to change the records despite the valid revenue travel over the threshold. I write this now from the ATL Sky Club. DL has gotten all my corporate bookings this year from Boston as a result.
Interesting.
I actually despise AA, but two years ago, actually just before the pandemic I had to fly them because of company travel, and for some reason they decided to status match me to my Delta platinum but without the usual stipulations that I have to fly them a bunch in the next few months.
Either way, I ended up with aa platinum, flew from Hawaii to NC and have had platinum status ever since because of the various status extensions.
I’ve only taken one regional flight on aa in the last two years, and I looked at my account last week and it said I’ll be downgraded on March 30th.
Just checked, as I have business travel coming up and I think I’ll be forced onto AA/Qatar and it now says I’m still platinum and it expires Sept 30th this year
I totally agree. American has not given any reason for their loyal customers to stay with them. As a 2.5 M flyer, I asked to have my Platinum Pro status continued through 2022, and they turned me down flat! Why should we be loyal to them when they show no loyalty to their frequent fliers???
Welcome to the European life! I’ve been top elite with FlyingBlue for years and never got an upgrade. This year I’m letting it fall where it wants. And here in the smaller cities of Europe we don’t have the major hotel chains either. So we’re free agents by default.
It’s not a bad life: you’ll choose the best / best timed flight; the most appropriate hotel for your needs (location vs cost vs amenities); and get to explore alternate locations for breakfast and, you know, coffee. I look forward to those reviews, as you expand past the classics but already done chain properties.
And yes, it takes money to get the best class or room or breakfast. But it’s something we in Europe have been doing all along, and having done my own calculus, it can actually make sense, rather than “investing” in loyalty : status as the big players would have us do. Happy travels!
It’s interesting that I have gotten more upgrades on Turkish than on my ‘home’ *A airline, and a happy coincidence that TK have one of a few European business class products where an upgrade actually means something.
The problem with the free agency approach in Europe is that, unless you only fly between hubs, you have to choose between infrequent/inconvenient schedules with the low-costs and flying with a connection. When you do have a connection, the ground benefits of status are pretty important and buying them means spending a lot more to buy a business class ticket which tends to be a lot of money for underwhelming onboard service.
I can see this in Europe and it may be a forgone conclusion that this is the future here in the U.S. There is little reason for any loyalty to carriers in Europe, for what? The quickest and easiest flight from A to B is all that matters. Who offers you anything on short haul flights that is so unique to warrant status? And for international I wonder if status means anything in terms of upgrades or a higher level of service for those of you based there. Sure, there are exceptions, if you are able to reach, say, HON circle with LH there is a tangible list of huge benefits like car service from even short haul flights. But otherwise, nah, go free agent. Pay for discounted business for long haul (there are always good deals out of Europe compared to out of the U.S.) and just go with the flow.
The problem is that the flag carriers in Europe don’t have focus cities (everything goes through a hub), and the low-costs don’t have frequent flights (so taking a direct flight often means not flying on the day you want and/or losing your sleep to catch a departure at 06:15 or something stupid). The ground benefits (particularly lounge access, but also priority security) are important when you fly with a connection. If you don’t live in a major hub, getting status with *A or SkyTeam remains the best option.
I used AAdvantage miles to pay to keep my wife’s Platinum status, of which I’ll be the beneficiary. I have Gold but too far short for my own Platinum upgrade. We build miles quickly even when not travelling much by putting our life expenses on Citi AAdvantage card. First Class, with sleeper, LA to Jamaica via Miami (got to have those Cubanos on the layover) on miles this Fall!
I gave up on airline status years ago and have been oh so happy with that decision. This will be my last year of Hyatt Globalist and I won’t miss it much. I rarely get an upgrade these days. Service at every hotel this year has been awful. Free breakfast a crapshoot. That leaves free parking but i don’t often both stay at city hotels AND bring a car that it makes little difference to me. Throw in the fact that Hyatt customer service just refers me back to the offending hotel now and there’s literally no point in caring about being loyal.