Is airline status worth it?
42% View from the Wing
20% Monkey Miles
18% One Mile at a Time
20% Other
Whether airline elite status is worth the investment depends on how often you fly, which perks matter most to you, and how airlines are reshaping the value of those perks. View from the Wing +5
Benefits That Can Make Status Valuable
- Discounted or free upgrades to premium cabins can save significant money on long‑haul flights, especially when airlines sell first‑class upgrades for as little as $26 to $27.
- Complimentary baggage allowances, priority boarding, and early check‑in reduce hassle and can be worth the cost for frequent travelers. 🔗
- Access to airport lounges, extra mileage earn rates, and dedicated customer‑service lines add convenience and comfort for those who value premium experiences. 🔗
- Some programs, like Flying Blue Gold, provide 7× miles per euro spent and priority services across SkyTeam partners, enhancing overall value.
Drawbacks and Changing Value
- Many carriers now monetize upgrades heavily, making it harder to secure complimentary upgrades even with top status.
- The overall worth of elite tiers has declined; Delta’s Diamond and Platinum benefits are seen as “worth less than they once were,” and American’s top tier no longer guarantees easy upgrades. 🔗
- Low‑cost options to purchase status (e.g., $27 Delta upgrades, $69 Frontier Gold) can undercut the incentive to chase higher tiers. 🔗
- For occasional flyers, the cost of maintaining status may exceed the occasional benefit, especially when cheap upgrade purchases are available.
Situations Where Buying or Matching Status May Make Sense
- Buying Frontier Gold for $69 gives a free carry‑on bag, seat selection, and priority boarding for a year, which can break even after a single round‑trip.
- Flying Blue status matches let travelers unlock SkyTeam Elite Plus perks without the full mileage commitment, useful for those who need lounge access or extra baggage for a limited period. 🔗
- Southwest’s A‑List Preferred offers free checked bags, extra legroom seats, and a 100% points bonus, and the airline matches elite status from other carriers year after year.🔗
Tips for Deciding If Status Is Right for You
- Evaluate your travel frequency and typical routes; frequent flyers on a single airline are more likely to reap upgrade and lounge benefits.
- Compare the monetary value of specific perks (e.g., baggage fees saved, upgrade costs avoided) against the price of buying or maintaining status. 🔗
- Consider whether you can achieve similar benefits through paid upgrades or status‑match promotions rather than earning elite tiers organically.
- Factor in corporate travel budgets or credit‑card spend that may offset the cost of elite status, as some users find the expense justified when the employer covers it.🔗
Eye of the Flyer 6%
Delta is Selling $27 Upgrades to First Class(!?)
Depending on where and when you shop, twenty-seven bucks may or may not get you some bang for your buck. But that was the price tag for a First Class upgrade on my Delta Air Lines flight — this week! I was scheduled to fly between Los Angeles (LAX) and Las Vegas (LAS) on Tuesday. Just a quick day trip for a special event. I used 20,000-ish SkyMiles to purchase the Main Cabin (coach) roundtrip airfare (and $11.60 for fees). I was fine with an exit row to and from Vegas. I requested a complimentary upgrade to
Monkey Miles 20%
$69 Frontier Gold Status
For just $69 you can buy Frontier Airlines Gold Status through December 2026 and you don’t even need status with another airline to match. You only need an account with the following airline loyalty programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards®, JetBlue TrueBlue®, Spirit Airlines Free Spirit®, or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ Now, if you don’t have plans to fly Frontier in the next year and a half… this probably isn’t worth it. But, if you think there is even a slight chance, I think it is. You’re spending $69 to secure a carry on bag, seat selection, and priority boarding. You’d
View from the Wing 16%
Airlines Keep Selling First Class For $26 — Killing The Reason To Chase Their Top Status
Delta Air Lines led the industry in eliminating first class upgrades. Twenty years ago 90% of first class seats went to upgrades and awards. Ten years ago it was about half. Now only around 12% of seats are left for SkyMiles elite members. And that means on many routes and flights there are no upgrades at all. Other airlines have copied Delta, monetizing their first class cabins for ‘tens of dollars’ – they will sell once a year coach passengers an upgrade for $26 or $40 rather than giving it free to a $30,000 a year customer. At
Economy Class & Beyond 9%
Flying Blue Status match returns for UK Residents
So it’s been… just over 12 months since British Airways did the dirty on its Club members, even though there has been a little backtrack. And most of us have a view if we are on track to retain our frequent flyer status with British Airways. Or not in some cases. Well, a new lifeline has been launched, with a paid status match with Air France-KLM’s frequent flyer programme – Flying Blue. The link to start the match is at https://flyingblue.statusmatch.com/. For British Airways “The Club” Members who are resident in the United Kingdom,
Live and Let's Fly 2%
I Tried Status-Free Airline, Hotel Free Agency And Hated It
After years of frustration with loyalty programs I proudly freed myself of the elite status grind. I hated it and came crawling back to both airline and hotel status. Every year the requirements get higher, the benefits are fewer – what’s the point in being loyal to a brand when it won’t be loyal to its clients? I had been loyal to American Airlines for more than 20 years achieving status (often Executive Platinum) for more than half that period. But following an experience in which Qatar sold business class for 40% less than American flying to the
Eye of the Flyer 3%
Is it Worth Going After Delta Air Lines 360 Diamond, Diamond, Platinum, Gold or Silver Medallion Status Anymore?
I have such fond memories of my very first ever mileage run to reach Delta Air Lines Silver Medallion status. I drove to Chicago and flew to Texas. I then, very quickly, boarded the exact same jet and flew back. The crew all just giggled and so enjoyed and maybe even respected the fact that I so loved and respected Delta that I would do this one day insanity to have amazing perks the next flying year. My gosh times have changed! Back in my day, really not that long ago, you earned your status on how far
View from the Wing 9%
American Airlines CEO Celebrates Taking Away Free First Class Upgrades — Says Customers Will Pay
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom enthusiastically cheered the end of first class upgrades. Speaking at the Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on Wednesday, Isom was asked by the host about frequent flyer upgrades: > s you think about the technology and that in-app buy-up experience, that’s something where I know just from my own experience, maybe a couple of years ago, it would seem like you guys were kind of far behind in terms of giving away the upgrades instead of asking to get paid for them. Do you feel like you’ve closed that gap relative to the
One Mile at a Time 5%
I Earned AAdvantage Platinum Pro Status, And That’s Good Enough For Me!
I finally once again earned oneworld Emerald status, and I’m really happy about that. Let me provide some background, and then I’ll share how I’m thinking about status with American going forward. In this post: For 14 years, I had AAdvantage Executive Platinum status, which is American’s top (published) tier status. At the beginning of the current elite status year I lost that, and dropped all the way to AAdvantage Gold status, which I receive on account of my million miler status with American. Why did I give up on Executive Platinum status? It actually wasn’t due
One Mile at a Time 13%
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Paid Status Match Promotion: Eligibility, Cost, Value
For quite some time, Air France-KLM Flying Blue has been offering a paid status match promotion. This status match has long had residency requirements for eligibility, and that continues to be the case. However, we’ve just seen an update to the eligible countries, for anyone who may be interested (so that I don’t bury the lede, the United States still isn’t eligible). In this post: The website statusmatch.com is currently partnering with Air France-KLM Flying Blue to offer a status match promotion, with the option to earn Silver, Gold, or Platinum status. This offer is available to residents
View from the Wing 17%
Southwest Is Matching Other Airline Elites To Top Status — And You Can Do It Year After Year
Southwest Airlines is promoting status matches and even emailing out Rapid Rewards program members who do not have status with them, asking if maybe they have status with a competitor? And their program is exceptionally generous because: They now match to their top tier A-List Preferred, not just to A-List status When you earn the full year of status but do not actually requalify for the following year, you can just status match again, as long as the current rules remain in force. And if you don’t fly enough to keep the status after the 120-day