Frequent Flyer Schemes -- Mileage Running
A mileage run is a trip designed specifically to earn miles or points from an airline frequent flyer programme. It may be possible in some circumstances to make enough “points” from flying on strange itineraries when the prices drop low enough to buy a much more expensive flight or holiday via the airlines frequent flyer milage scheme. More often though people will engage on a mileage run in order to go from one status level to another, e.g. from silver to gold and so get the extra benefits which could be complimentary lounge access. The video below shows someone’s “milegae run” from 2006
Typically the milage runner will go for a multi-stop cheap trip at off peak travel time and perhaps not even visit the destination city. It’s a mad mad world, or is this only something that happens in the USA ? Would be interesting to get some comments on this. A couple of things have occurred to me:
1) From the airlines point of view this will mess up their data on what routes are popular and which aren’t. Probably not a problem though unless this activity is very widespread.
2) Environmental pressure groups must think this is awful. OK it’s not as bad as flybe paying passengers to fly or bmi flying empty flights to keep Heathrow slots
It has spawned a whole sub industry including popular forum websites and even travel agents that specialise in putting together itineraries that will maximise the points balance for the mileage runner. Detailed article on mile running from Wired.com
No related posts.
February 21st, 2009 at 8:55 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/7901764.stm
“BBC presenter Julia Bradbury has taken time off while police investigate “suspicious activity” on her Virgin Atlantic loyalty point account.
The Watchdog host said she had “done nothing wrong” but had requested leave until the matter had been resolved.
The airline said it had closed a number of its frequent flyer accounts and passed the matter to the police.
Officers are looking at “suspicious activity relating to earning miles and tier points”.
March 1st, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I think this is mostly a USA thing.
The frequent flyer schemes in Europe do have “levels” and “tiers” though so I’m sure it does happen. Mostly the frequent flyer schemes exist to keep corporate travellers loyal to an airline, as in general corporate travellers book late and don’t care what they pay so it’s worth it for the airlines to “blackmail” them like this.