How to Pick a Flight for Your Year-End Mileage Run

Dear Tim

Dear Trevor,



For the sake of readers who may be unfamiliar with the concept of a [[Mileage Runs | mileage run]], it's simply a flight taken for the express purpose of earning enough miles to qualify for [[Elite Programs | elite status]] in an airline's frequent flyer program, or, as in Trevor's case, to elevate one's status from a lower elite tier to a higher one. There's typically an upsurge in interest in mileage runs during December because elite status is based on activity during the calendar year, which is coming to a close.

There is indeed a website that does exactly what a mile runner would like it to do. What FareCompare.com calls its

FlyerTalk Fares widget

displays flights from your chosen departure airport, showing the flight length in miles, the fare, and the cents-per-mile cost of the flight. Oh, and the destination is shown as well, although in mileage runs that's usually irrelevant.

I would suggest using the FareCompare widget in conjunction with some tip-sharing. That can range from exchanging suggestions around the office water cooler to participating in online discussion groups. As an example of the latter, the

FlyerTalk forums

include a Mileage Run Deals area, dedicated specifically to sharing mileage run intelligence. (Hint: Among the many abbreviations and acronyms is 'EQM' for elite-qualifying miles.)

Neither of the above is guaranteed to pinpoint the very best flights for mileage runs. But if you do both, and pay strict attention to the cost-per-flown-mile, you'll be well on your way to enjoying the perks of elite status.