Beating the status addiction - one case of success!

[Fifa]

I achieved LTG last year - all self funded and leisure travel.
The old any seat awards helped to get there as did a few mileage runs in the US when our dollar was at parity.

But I really don't want to give up WP, so while I am still working I figure I can justify the extra expense to retain it . Oh and my +1 is still 2,000 SC from LTG so the DSC offers are very attractive and make for an unexpected additional holiday or two!

 

[Jet L]

Let's hope VA doesn't start a LT program for me to aim for with them as well

I pray VA will eventually have LTG (and backdate status credits of course)

 

[serfty]

...
But I really don't want to give up WP, so while I am still working I figure I can justify the extra expense to retain it . ...

Same here for me since I passed 14k some years ago.

Now that's over 31k since WP is where it's at for me, and will do so while I can.

It does help that I basically fly for a hobby these days.

 

[Jet L]

Hopefully QF will one day have LTP(100,000) and LTP1(1,000,000)

 

[samh004]

Hopefully QF will one day have LTP(100,000) and LTP1(1,000,000)

I see the introduction of LTP as being a shake up of the existing levels/moving the goal posts, and I'm not sure I want that!

Based on the numbers, 7k for LTS and 14k for LTG, the magical number would seem to be 28k for LTP. But there are probably far too many who would automatically qualify for them to set it at that level.

If you look at BA for guidance, their highest regular tier, Gold (Emerald), requires 1500 TP/year. Their equivalent to P1 is called Gold Guest List and requires 5000 TP/year (but 3000 TP/year to renew) and also comes with the coveted Concorde Room card. LTG requires 35,000 TP and Lifetime GGL requires 100,000 TP.

Comparing the two programs, it would take a regular Gold member 23.33 years to attain LTG, which is about 28k SC. However a GGL member would take 32.66 years to get LGGL, which would place LTP1 at 117,600SC. All hypothetical of course.

Personally, if I had earned over 100,000 SC I would want Chairmans Lounge, not LTP1.

Back on topic.

 

[VPS]

I decided against the DSC promotion for a J trip to Europe this year but will probably do a couple of status runs in Europe if I can as I'm ever so close to LTG so I think my FF addiction isn't too bad.

But the alcohol addiction is still strong as I'm sipping on a nice glass of red!!

 

[Pleb Status]

I am now in what I call a 'post-status' world, where I will not go out of my way to earn status on any airline. Most status benefits can now just be purchased (possibly more cost effectively) if they are required. The QF LTG fallback may make this new world a little more easier however.

After being a 'Qsheep' and reaching the 'pinnacle' of Australian status tree for a couple of years, QF P1, experiencing how little QF actually does for their top 0.01% of customers destroyed my loyalty to them and to all other airlines by extension. It was good to experience the 'pinnacle' because I now know how little I am really missing at WP and in October, LTG.

Since going 'post-status', I travel almost exclusively using a BFOD policy and have saved ~$15k (over travelling exclusively on QF/EK/OW) by doing so over the past two years. I still travel enough to easily earn VA WP (I will do it in ~5-6 months this qualification year) but this is generally due to VA being the most cost effective airline for me being based in PER more than specifically chasing VA status.

Cost is now my number one criteria when selecting my flights, closely followed by my seat selection options and then status benefits. Prior to going BFOD, I had only flown JQ once. Now I am a bit of a veteran in 1C on ~AUD200 return 3K starter flights PER-SIN v.v using the PBG off TZ. Excellent price, exit row seats are good value and lounge access both ends. I would never have considered this previously as it would not have earned SC...

Overall, I am far happier now (and travelling in J more) in the 'post-status' world than at anytime when I was chasing status.

 

[juddles]

..... if I had earned over 100,000 SC I would want Chairmans Lounge, not LTP1.....

If I had ever earned 100,000 SC the only thing I would want is to never see a damn plane ever again!!

 

[defurax]

If I had ever earned 100,000 SC the only thing I would want is to never see a damn plane ever again!!

I chatted with a guy on a MEL-SIN flight once. His partner had a very good job in SIN and he was flying there from MEL almost every weekend (told me about 40-45 weekends). That's about 10,000SC/year. Not sure I'd like to do 10 years of that to get 100K SC!!!

 

[Jet L]

I remember seeing a post a while ago from a member who said they have accumulated circa 87,000 SCs, I wonder if QF will do something special when they hit 100,000

 

[juddles]

I remember seeing a post a while ago from a member who said they have accumulated circa 87,000 SCs, I wonder if QF will do something special when they hit 100,000

Probably send him a double-SC offer, or equally well-thought gift :/

 

[NZflygirl]

I would like to post in this thread however I am not fully reformed and succumbed to the recent DSC offer on a TT trip (it was only 1 and I had to fly anyway! But I didn't need to fly J). I was already aiming for the 2400sc but this just puts me out of my misery earlier. Although I'll take the 50,000 points I don't actually have an award trip in mind and there are otherwise no new tangible tier benefits so - it does make this a stupid use of $$ IMO.

But I have vowed to be smarter about it next year I have learned that I can actually use the DSC to save $$. SURELY this justifies its use! (Actually there may be a small hole in my theory...)

Still learning from the pro's.

(I'm totally in the wrong thread...)

 

[Per_Travels]

I'm attempting to beat the addiction - and it's actually going quite well. I realised at the start of my QFF year that I was unlikely to maintain WP1 this time - 5 months of being grounded during the year due to a variety of personal reasons would see to that. Initially I was pretty disappointed, having been a member since it started. However, what I've now discovered is the joy of booking flights that exactly match my needs - no more needing to 'game' the work system so that I ended up with QF flight numbers. Also - I'm not expecting much change in recognition/op-ups etc as I very rarely fly on QF metal, being based in Perth. I'll likely end the year on about 1500 SCs, with only 500 or so on QF (but getting the important 4 ~).
I think the mistake that I've made is in continuing to credit EK flights to my QFF account (for the very small number of points) - I've done about 15 flights in J which would have seen me getting close to EK platinum and I suspect that in future years this will be the new sweet spot for me.

 

[JohnK]

I love flying. I also love Platinum status while it still provides some benefits over Gold.

For me it makes sense to try and get Platinum status as cheaply as possible and if that means a few extra flights then so be it. Especially now with a wife and young daughter I will be trying to reduce the number of flights communting SYD-BNE from 3-4 flights/month to 2 flights/month.

 

[juddles]

... with a wife and young daughter....

One of the "big" extras that P1 gets me is Platinum for my wife. That "bonus" has always puzzled me - QF is fairly family-friendly when travelling as a group, so I don't see that the average family would get much benefit from this - we always tend to travel together. In the past year of her ptr-Platinum my wife has never travelled solo. I suspect that is pretty much the norm. If I did have a wife who travelled extensively without me she would probably earn her own status. It is a bit of a throw-away benefit as far as I am concerned. But maybe others really like that. For what it would cost me extra to reattain P1 I could pay for my wife and two kids to each earn WP of their own accord.

 

[Princess Fiona]

One of the "big" extras that P1 gets me is Platinum for my wife. That "bonus" has always puzzled me - QF is fairly family-friendly when travelling as a group, so I don't see that the average family would get much benefit from this - we always tend to travel together. In the past year of her ptr-Platinum my wife has never travelled solo. I suspect that is pretty much the norm. If I did have a wife who travelled extensively without me she would probably earn her own status. It is a bit of a throw-away benefit as far as I am concerned. But maybe others really like that. For what it would cost me extra to reattain P1 I could pay for my wife and two kids to each earn WP of their own accord.

I tend to agree with you there. Being able to gift WP to a friend or colleague similar to PG at 2400 would be much more useful.
IIRC the two BA Silver and one BA Gold that GGL gets have no restrictions on who you can gift them to. That plus the ability to have an extra guest in the lounge.
I think QF could definitely do some tweaking of the benefits that P1 has.

 

[Pushka]

I think QF could definitely do some tweaking of the benefits that P1 has.

But then people might actually be able to use them which would cost money

 

[Princess Fiona]

But then people might actually be able to use them which would cost money

Silly me

 

[cougar_df]

Reading through these posts, I would define myself as a mild addict. Had been travelling extensively for work (99% overseas) for 20 years and am a member of QF, VA, SG and AA. Most of my travel was with QF so ended up with WP (this was before the introduction of P1) and stayed at that level for 10 years. A few years after that I got laid off work and haven't found work since. My QF status finished up with a LTS at which point my LTC totalled 11370. Since I'm fairly close to getting LTG (requiring 13000), I've been tossing whether I should struggle to get there since all my limited travels are now on personal expense. I'm not as obsessive as some I know who would take up SC offers and re-arrange flights to increase earns, but I just can't seem to give up the idea that LTG is achievable. Incidentally my VA gold status has also dropped to silver and my Elite status with SG is down to nothing - but now that my resources are limited, my loyalty would go to QF. I have no fancy wishful thinking about reaching any kind of status - I just want lounge access every time I do travel without having to pay for it. I'm still having a philosophical debate with myself about this .... !

 

[serfty]

So, you need 14000 for life time SG ... how short are you?

Status is only useful if you are flying the carrier or a partner.

However to be (I presume) that relatively close would gnaw at me as well.