Sounds like a plan, Drew! I just checked, I land at 622, and I know I'll be at the c2 gates since it's a horizon flight (Wenatchee).

Cool. I leave on an Alaska flight at 7:27, so I should be able to meet you near your gate and we can have coffee before I hop on my flight.

aha! a FLYING F2F!

Yes, I know I'm a little crazy, but the MVP gold benefits are worth it.

Hah. You are SO not crazy. I did the same thing for Delta this year. It's completely worth it. I need the free luggage, and Sky Priority is necessary if I don't want to be arrested for homicide in the airport. As long as I'm careful in choosing flights, I get the upgrades too. I think I'm around 85% as of my last trip. You're now eligible for upgrades on Delta as of the middle of last month, Drew.

We are not the only ones who do this. There's a entire community/culture around mileage running and frequent flyer programs: www.flyertalk.com/forum. I've gotten some fantastic advice over there.

aha! a FLYING F2F!

They exist. There was one revolving around a massive round-the-world trip earlier this year. We're more fun though!

Now I want to book a flight to Seattle just so I can meet up with meara and ND in the airport for coffee. I was actually planning a trip this weekend, but I ended up not needing the miles. Last minute work trip took care of that for me.

There's a entire community/culture around mileage running and frequent flyer programs

Ha! Did you see Up in the Air ?

How does the upgrades thing work if you're a frequent enough flyer?

You're now eligible for upgrades on Delta as of the middle of last month, Drew.

Oh I'm well aware, the vast majority of my flying is actually on American Airlines and Delta. The reason I use Alaska Airlines for my miles is because they are partnered with both airlines so all my miles end up in one bucket.

I also follow Flyer Talk, I've gotten some great information on how the Delta/Alaska partnership has been going. There are rumors that they will be doing the same type of integration with American Airlines in the future. If that happens I will be very happy.

As for upgrades, since one of my main flights in LAX to MCO I can rarely get an upgrade. The last 4 flights I had through that corridor the upgrade list was 20+ people deep with maybe one available seat in first class. However, for my mileage runs coming up I stand a better chance as almost all of the flights are showing sparsely populated planes with first practically empty. I did two two flights on Horizon turbo props though, just so that I get the bonus milage for a leg under 500 miles between PDX and SEA.

Um, yeah, FF geekage going on.

How does the upgrades thing work if you're a frequent enough flyer?

It depends on the program, but with Alaska and Delta, if you are on one of the rungs on their FF program when you check in you get placed on a free upgrade list. Any unused first class seats get given to people on the upgrade list for free. Your position on the list is based on the fare class or your original ticket, and the level of your status in the FF program.

Ha! Did you see Up in the Air ?

Not yet. I started watching it on a flight, ironically enough, and ended up falling asleep in the first ten minutes. Hey, I was tired and it was a red-eye. I have a feeling that it's going to be in my Christmas stocking this year.

How does the upgrades thing work if you're a frequent enough flyer?

To put it very basically, if you're a good enough customer of the airline, then you can be upgraded without charge into first class on a space-available basis, even if you've only purchased an economy class ticket. In practice, it becomes much more complex and one needs to take into account fare classes, how many other elites could be on the flight and if they have a higher status, time of check-in, and a host of other factors. In order to qualify as an elite, most airlines require one to earn a minimum of 25,000 elite qualification miles (usually by flying; miles earned with a credit card don't count for the most part).

For me, the greatest benefit isn't the first class seat, though the free liquor and food (on long-enough flights) is a bonus. It's the opportunity to check 2 bags without charge, board first to secure overhead space, the ability to do same-day flight changes without charge, and the way I'm treated when things go tits up during weather and mechanical delays. I'm often rebooked on another flight even before I know there's been any delay. Oh, and I can use the elite security lines at the airport. That alone has saved me from going crazy. The last time I flew out of Chicago, it was a Friday afternoon. The regular line was wrapped all the way around the concourse and it would have taken an hour to get through, but I was the fifth person in the elite line. Ten minutes from start to finish and I was through security. That is a lifesaver.

The reason I use Alaska Airlines for my miles is because they are partnered with both airlines so all my miles end up in one bucket.

If Pix didn't already have you... be still my beating heart.

Um, yeah, FF geekage going on.

t swoon

I'm never upgraded DTW-ORD. That's such an elite-heavy route that the gate agents call for zone 1 boarding, and the gate area's empty after that. I've seen upgrade lists with more than 60 names. I'm happy with whatever upgrade I get, especially considering it's a perk and not something I paid for.

I was a flyertalker before I was a Buffista.