I have United Platinum, Marriott Platinum, and Hilton Gold. All are pretty nice to have, and I've certainly gotten my share of free food and free upgrades that have made loyalty worth it most of the time. But that's only if you are going to travel anyway, which I would have. High level Hyatt is nice, too.
For those who have high level status but never get an upgrade, I have a tip. Take the road less traveled if you can. If you fly hub to hub, or basically anything in and out of SFO, I don't like your odds. You want the janky, beater flight where they slapped a United sticker on the plane that leaves once or twice a day, on a Wednesday, or the 4th of July, or something like that. That almost never fails to move you up front. You're welcome.
There was a worthless status crisis as airlines made it really easy to earn or keep status during and immediately after COVID. I boarded a United hub to hub flight after a conference and I was laughing uncontrollably because the entire plane was group 1, and a bunch of people got on before that, presumably global services, traveling with kids, or whatever. Group 1 gate checking their bags. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I'm not suggesting you do this, but it's possible to avoid paying for food or alcohol entirely on a trip if you have airport and hotel lounge access. There are people on YouTube bragging about just that. I personally prefer to venture out, but I might enjoy a drink or a snack from a hotel lounge. The food offerings for dinner are usually decent, but not enough protein for my liking. There is usually a killer view and a nice environment and if you invite a guest, they feel fancy.
For those who have high level status but never get an upgrade, I have a tip. Take the road less traveled if you can. If you fly hub to hub, or basically anything in and out of SFO, I don't like your odds. You want the janky, beater flight where they slapped a United sticker on the plane that leaves once or twice a day, on a Wednesday, or the 4th of July, or something like that. That almost never fails to move you up front. You're welcome.
There was a worthless status crisis as airlines made it really easy to earn or keep status during and immediately after COVID. I boarded a United hub to hub flight after a conference and I was laughing uncontrollably because the entire plane was group 1, and a bunch of people got on before that, presumably global services, traveling with kids, or whatever. Group 1 gate checking their bags. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I'm not suggesting you do this, but it's possible to avoid paying for food or alcohol entirely on a trip if you have airport and hotel lounge access. There are people on YouTube bragging about just that. I personally prefer to venture out, but I might enjoy a drink or a snack from a hotel lounge. The food offerings for dinner are usually decent, but not enough protein for my liking. There is usually a killer view and a nice environment and if you invite a guest, they feel fancy.
Statistics: Posted by whodidntante — Wed May 15, 2024 10:35 pm — Replies 42 — Views 4930
