Memories of the Elite Status Chase

Years ago I used to care about the elite status chase, the pursuit of frequent-flyer status with airlines and frequent-guest status with hotel chains. Silver, Gold, 1K, Diamond; these metals, minerals, and other adjectives made a difference in the comfort of traveling. They still do make a difference, albeit less so than before. But at this point I've been away from running the race for so long I feel like all I've got left are memories of the game.

There are a few reasons why the has the race become a memory. First there's the obvious elephant in the room: Coronavirus. Coronavirus shut down travel almost 14 months ago. I've had zero business travel since then, and the few leisure trips I've taken I've chosen to drive instead of fly to reduce risk.

But even before Coronavirus cast a pall over travel my pursuit of the elite status chase was on the wane. Partly that's because I don't have the same level of job related travel I used to. Back in the late 00s and early 10s I averaged flying 150,000 miles a year, plenty to get high level elite status on a preferred airline. With lessening business travel since then I've averaged 50k miles a year, much of it leisure travel.

The third part of why I'm not really running the race anymore is that I've got some fairly decent status through other means. As I explained at the start of last year, I've got lifetime status with United Airlines and Marriott hotels. This is a result of all those years of heavier travel. So in a sense I'm not running the race anymore because I've already won. Then, too, there are some statuses I get via credit cards. That's part of how the rules of the game have changed over the past 10 years. High level status with Hilton and IHG hotels are perks of owning the right credit cards.

Still it's weird, like a form of self alienation, how this chase that used to be so important to me is now mostly just memories.

Resuming the Status Chase with Southwest Airlines?

I wrote recently about falling out of the race with the elite status chase. I don't travel as much as I used to, making chasing elite status with airlines and hotels worth less than before; plus I've locked in a number of statuses via lifetime achievement and owning the right credit cards. So, with status with one airline and three hotel chains taken care of, what's left?

Southwest Airlines is the other company I'm a regular traveler with. They're the one airline/hotel I've cared about chasing status with the past few years. But with Coronavirus shutting down my travel for 14 months I feel like I've fallen out of the race.

Southwest did extend statuses last year and extended them further this year. That helps a lot with not feeling like I fell completely out of the game. But if I want status after this year I've got to be running the race now. And right now I've got nothing booked with Southwest.

Will I ramp back up into travel soon? I'm sure I will though I'm not so sure how soon or how fast. Hawk and I have a cross-country trip booked in June. But while I've got my Coronavirus vaccination, making it safer to travel than before, the US still isn't close to herd immunity. In fact in many states the infection rates have been going up for several weeks. There's a non-zero chance— small, but not zero— we'll opt to cancel the June trip. 😰

As for the rest of the year.... I've been thinking of taking a flying trip before June but I don't have anything booked yet. It all just feels kind of "wait and see" still. And as for travel later in the year.... We're debating taking an international trip over the winter holidays. The fact remains many countries are worse off than the US right now, so we're not sure where, or even if, we'd want to go.