V-Flyer

Morn all ,here's the situation
I need 17 TP by the end of aug to reach FC gold ,my plan is this
Book and take 9 domestic return flights between now and then ,after a little bit of research I have allowed £150 per return just to be on the generous side so that's £1350 on flights to reach gold ,
I do not travel for business and I have no real need to be gold ,I just enjoy flying and want to become gold so I can say I've done it so am I mad or just plain sad
Blacky

The question is how many flights are you then going to take with VS having reached Gold status, and how many of those would not be in UC?

It would be on an as when basis pjh,I only travel for pleasure and if I got gold I would prob end up taking more flights but in Eco or PE rather than UC

Gold is most useful if you fly regularly enough -- but not in UC -- to obtain it without laying out (much) extra cash. If you are not flying that regularly, then the extra cost is high when you consider the value of the benefits received. If you are going to fly in UC anyway, then the main benefit is extra miles -- not the best inducement, really.

I value my gold card because I fly a fair bit for work, but they only buy me economy tickets. Upgrades come out of my own miles (or pocket!), so the benefits of AU are really appreciated and help me to work at the airport and recover quickly from long-hauls.

Having said that, I think that sometimes we can get a bit carried away on flying forums. Status and the CH are great but they come at quite a price (both financial and otherwise), and maybe the money could be better spent elsewhere?

I agree with at240 on this.
The main benefit for me is on East Coast US flight that I can now only fly PE(Grrr) the Au status gets me out the main terminal and I can normally eat, drink and work well. Asking for bulkhead seats in the CH normally seems to work if they are not taken.
The rest, if I am honest, is not really worth a lot.
Wouldn't really be paying for it. If it's going to cost you £1350 then for the use of the lounge the cost of a PE flight plus lounge access would be a hell of a lot cheaper.
Saying that, if I get to 100 TP's this year it may be another story........

Thanks for the prompt replies all,
In all honesty I just want to reach gold just so I can say I did ,i can't see me flying as much next year so I prob wouldn't retain it but you never know ,
At240 I think my wife would agree with you about the money!
Forgot to say that I will be going back to NY in aug with my eldest two so that will cut down the num of Dom flights I would need to take,
I think the general opinion is that I'm mad then !
Blacky

Just do it then ! Why are you mad if it is something you want to do ?

If it must be one or the other, then I would choose MAD, but it is a madness that afflicts, as far as I can tell, the entire human race not just yourself. You are asking the question I guess because your plan does not seem strictly rational and yet you feel emotionally compelled to pursue it. Assuming you will not unduly harm yourself or family either financially or otherwise, sometimes it is instructive to follow compulsion like these if only to gain an understanding of your underlying motivations.

In this case however there is an additional challenge, which is how to turn each of the nine flights into an enjoyable experience rather than a repetitive chore, necessary only to attain you goal.

Thought I would just jump in with my two cents.. If the endgame is the status of AU then I would say madness However there is a lot of madness in this world, why be any different.

The decision is purely yours Blacky, if you want my advice I would weigh up the worth in it to you against the cost. If you are planning on flying less in the coming year, where AU benefits are best served by flying either in PE or ECO, then is it worth the extra outlay?

Like several on this site I travel for business and have gained my AU card that way, often renewing months ahead of the renewal date. I shall be changing jobs soon and will be waving adios to the travel aspect of my career (at least for now ):) and also to AU, I imagine, for 2014.
Am I sad.. yes and no.. Yes for nostalgia sake and no because I won't really need it any more. The occasional leisure flight can be tolerated, and I always have the option to upgrade or pay access into lounges..

17 TPs is a lot for leisure travel by August, the TP runs are a fair idea, but in my view should only be used to get the last couple of TPs - not all of them!! The mundane nature of flying back and forth would verge on the pointless for me, especially given VS AU is not worth all that time and effort.

That all said, if it is something you want, whatever your personal drive, go for it!! y) y)

Look forward to seeing you in the lounge 8D

Pkatmk
Good last point,given me something to think about in how to make the trips worthwhile , I should only need to do 5 ish flights if I do NY again in aug so a couple of hops to both Edinburgh and Manchester and a little flit to Aberdeen and I would be there
Joey
I know financially it makes no sense at all and I guess I'm just setting myself a bit of a challenge really .
And if I have a little trip to Vegas or San Fran at the end of the summer I will be well on my way for next year ! Know anyone who fancies that joey ,lol

Ha ha ha. Still in the planning stage, won't be putting anything in the books for a while yet. Don't worry will give ya a heads up if so. Actually whilst over in that neck of the woods, some VX First flights between LAX, LAS and SFO might be in order to rack up some TPs.

Mmm good thinking joey,hadn't even thought about vx flights,now that's got me thinking !

Oh no..... what have I done

Indeed joey,have got lots of thoughts rattling round my head now most of them not cheap!

Ha ha ,just read it SR ,looks a wicked place ,just discussing it with wife now for in between Xmas and new year

Although the idea is great Blacky1, one thing I found out very quickly - when I was flying just once every month - was that the constant travel to/from airport became boring very quickly. Tedious even.

I think going for gold is a great goal - (that's almost a tongue twister!) Remember, you're asking people who got up at 5.00am on Easter Sunday just to be on the first Little Red flight, so mad or sad doesn't even cover it!) but... but.... from my point of view the journey is part of the experience, and I'd rather get to gold while expanding my horizons rather than do same route repeatedly. Using Little Red crossed my mind, but I decided that I'd rather save that kind of money for a nice UC flight somewhere.

If you want a bit of lux, then book the VIP experience. Limo, fast track, ch entry, uc bag tags 250 I think. Much cheaper than 9 little red flights

Well the situation for anyone interested is this
My 17 TP req is now 13 as my return from boston hadn't been added because they had to do it manually when I rang FC yesterday and with yesterday's booking which will app give me 6TP means I will by the end of may only req 7 TP to be achieved by the end of aug.
I also have to ring the FC back up with the receipt no for my cash upgrade back from JFK in jan as I never got miles or TP for that as it was put thru as a G fare instead of a Z so assuming that gives me 4 TP I should only need to get 3 more after my flights in may

Always interested Blacky, wow.. nearly there

A poss San Fran/Vegas adventure would be done in pure AU style with economy tickets

Whatever happens joey I will get them last few TP by hook or by crook to reach gold so a season finale somewhere in the states in aug is def on the cards

I think you two should get a room

Don't be crass silver fox !