Contrary to popular belief, not all of us at TPG benefit from a ton of travel perks … even perks that we write about daily, like elite status.
When I joined TPG in 2021, I had never had any sort of airline elite status. I did not have a cobranded airline credit card, and I traveled inconsistently — especially compared to my colleagues, some of whom travel weekly. Achieving even entry-level elite status seemed out of reach.
But thanks to winning 30,000 Loyalty Points in a raffle, I did manage to obtain AAdvantage Gold status at the end of 2021; that guaranteed me entry-level American Airlines AAdvantage status through February 2023. This experience also inspired me to take drastic steps to reach AAdvantage Platinum status for the rest of the year (like willingly taking a 66-hour and 15-minute round-trip flight on Oneworld partner Finnair).
I didn’t travel much in the first half of 2024, so when I lost that status earlier this year, I wasn’t surprised. I was excited to get back to traveling in July for my birthday, but a global IT outage canceled that trip. For the second half of 2024, I traveled consistently from August through December.
Although the unexpected time spent in my home city made any status gains far more unlikely, I truly had no plans to chase status this year for a few reasons.
Here’s why.
American Airlines AAdvantage status wasn’t that good
As an AAdvantage Gold member for one year, I didn’t notice much difference between being a member with elite status and one without it. The main difference was the ability to preselect complimentary preferred or Main Cabin Extra seats when checking in for my flight.
The selection was based on availability, and Main Cabin Extra seats were the only seats where I noticed a difference, based on the additional legroom (33 to 39 inches of pitch, depending on the aircraft, versus the 30 to 32 inches in standard economy seats).
If Main Cabin Extra seats weren’t available, selection was limited to preferred seats, which are nothing more than what the name implies. They’re simply in preferred areas of the plane, such as closer to the front, in a row of two versus three seats, etc. But since they generally do not offer any additional legroom, this isn’t enough of a perk for me.
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Otherwise, the only other perk I ever received from having AAdvantage Gold status was a regional upgrade on a flight from St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
There were two differences in this first-class experience. The most notable was a roomier seat (19.9 inches wide with a 37-inch pitch compared to the 34-inch pitch in Main Cabin Extra and the 30-inch pitch in the main cabin) on an Embraer 175 aircraft. The second difference was receiving complimentary snacks.
With AAdvantage Platinum, I appreciated the priority boarding in an earlier group but sadly received no upgrades.
Overall, my AAdvantage Gold and Platinum experiences were lackluster and thus did not compel me to pursue status any further.
I like United as an airline, but not enough to go after status
In letting go of my American status goals, I started to think whether it made more sense to prioritize another airline, specifically United Airlines.
Although I had only flown United once before moving to Chicago in 2022, the airline has become my go-to when flying from ORD. (The airport is a United hub.)
Through my reporting and travels on the airline, I think it is currently the most innovative, and, thus, I will continue to prioritize flying it from ORD. Earlier this year, I tried United’s TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program at ORD; this allows eligible United flyers to pass through security and check bags biometrically without having to show their boarding pass or a driver’s license.
That experience left a lasting impression on me because it made passing through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints easy, particularly when people continue to question the value of Clear.
I also think the United app is the best airline app. It has features that actually help travelers, including live weather updates and a real-time flight countdown.
As a TPG reporter, I have gotten to know the United team on a personal level, so I feel a stronger connection to this airline than any other at the moment.
All of this has led me to consider becoming a United loyalist in the future, spearheaded initially by its stronghold in Chicago. But, as I’ve discussed with many of my Chicago-based friends who also fly United, it’s frustrating that the airline continues to raise the thresholds for United MileagePlus status.
United is not alone in this — all airlines are making it more difficult to become elite. Numerous travelers expressed outrage when Delta Air Lines announced changes to its SkyMiles program in fall 2023.
Long story long, neither United nor any other airline is doing anything to help or persuade me to chase status.
I fly multiple airlines
When I travel, I try to spend as little time as possible in the airport. This is largely possible thanks to both TSA PreCheck and Clear, which generally make my TSA security experience less than five minutes.
If I had elite status or a credit card offering complimentary lounge access, I would be more inclined to arrive earlier; however, even with access to a lounge, I would not run to one since most lounges do not accommodate travelers, like myself, who have dietary restrictions. While I acknowledge that this is a “me” problem, I do think there are other travelers who would appreciate having healthy food options in airport lounges.
I prioritize my time by attempting to spend as little time as possible at the airport before and after my flight. Because of this mindset, I prioritize flying the airline with the most ideal schedule for my desired routes. Of course, another factor I consider is price. I also prefer to fly in and out of Chicago’s Midway International Airport (MDW) because traffic to and from ORD is annoying. (It can add up to an hour each way to my travels.)
As a result, I frequently elect to fly Southwest Airlines because it has a hub at MDW. When I am flying out of ORD, I try to fly United, but if I find a cheaper or more convenient flight on another airline — such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines or Alaska Airlines — I’ll take it.
No program gives me everything I want
As a whole, I find frequent flyer program requirements too complicated. This is further exacerbated by those requirements constantly changing and there being too many ways to earn status.
Beyond shopping portals — which are among the lowest-lift ways to contribute to status — I don’t like to stress myself out by chasing an airline’s status when it does nothing to persuade me that the status is even worth it.
Even if I was willing to do so, no frequent flyer program or credit card would provide me with everything I seek in return: consistent upgrades, lounge access and priority boarding.
Bottom line
The allure of status is no longer worth it for me. Since it seems unlikely that any airline will make it easier for the average traveler to earn status, I don’t foresee going out of my way to chase status in the way that I have previously.
Traveling is supposed to be fun. While I always anticipate some sort of travel stress along the way, this is one area I refuse to stress about.
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