In airline travel today, the time spent between cab and gate is often more taxing, physically and financially, than the flight itself. As a result, elite status is now appreciated as much for its upgraded ground experience as it is for its flight benefits.
While most of the flying public is being tapped for baggage fees (and now, on Spirit Airlines, a carry-on fee) and enduring the long-and-winding security line, elite members get to breeze through the airport relatively easily.
Elite ground services are largely the same from carrier to carrier: Priority check-in lanes, priority security screening (at select airports), priority boarding, fees waived for checked baggage, and elite members’ companions traveling on the same reservation receive elite ground services. The big difference is who qualifies for which services from airline to airline. Here’s what you need to know:
American: PriorityAAccess
Introduced in 2008, PriorityAAccess is offered to all AA elites, all oneworld members, AAirpass holders, uniformed active U.S. military personnel, and full-fare (Y) economy, Business and First Class ticket holders. Other elite perks include preferred economy class seating.
Continental: EliteAccess
Continental’s program, introduced in 2003, is available to all its elites, full-fare (Y) economy ticket holders, Star Alliance Gold members, and Business and First Class travelers. EliteAccess promises that passengers won’t be put in that ultimate purgatory, an economy class middle seat, and that their bags will come down the chute first.
Delta: Sky Priority
Here the caste system prevails: Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members get the perks, Silver Medallion members do not. Delta is the only airline that, in effect, tells its lowest-tier elites to go fly a kite. (In its inscrutable wisdom, Delta also took away benefits from Sky Club members, formerly Crown Room Club members.) The new program, called Sky Priority, is offered to Business and First Class passengers and SkyTeam Elites Plus. Other benefits include “expedited baggage service” and for members traveling in economy, earlier access to exit rows and forward cabin seats.
United: Priority Services
Walking a tightrope between pleasing the preferred and drawing more revenue from the rank-and-file, United puts elite privileges up for sale, on a one-time or annual basis. Economy Plus seating (five more inches of legroom) starts as low as $9 one-way and goes to $425 for the year, and priority check-in and security lanes start at $19 one-way. The benefits come free to all United elites, Star Alliance Gold members, Million Mile, Business and First Class travelers.
US Airways: Preferred Benefits
Bestows the goodies equally on all elite members, Star Alliance Gold members, Business and First Class passengers. And it has built a stairway to the top, too: You can buy the miles or segments you need to get to elite status, starting at $249 for 1,999 preferred miles/two segments. Also included in the service is first dibs on Reserve Choice seats—that’s exit row and bulkhead to you and me.
New Elite Status Promotions Get You in the Door
United Challenge Match
The Offer: United is matching the elite status a Mileage Plus member holds on a competing airline, up to Premier Executive (mid-tier), for 90 days. To maintain the status, during that time you must fly 15,000 flight miles or 20 flight segments for Premier Executive, or 7,500 flight miles or 10 flight segments for Premier. Members who achieve their goal after July 1 will have their status carried over to the following year. However, United will not bump you to the next level no matter how many miles you fly.
What makes this deal worth pursuing is that the elite status match may also get you elite status on Continental (for upgrades and Economy Plus seats) by mid-2010, thanks to an agreement between the carriers announced in Nov. 2009. (The pending merger won’t affect this.) For details, contact United Mileage Plus Customer Service at (800) 421-4655.
US Airways Double Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs)
It’s not as good as last year’s elite qualifying promotions, when most airlines were offering triple EQMs. But it’s a gift horse, good until June15. Look for other airlines to match soon and maybe even up the ante. For details: US Airways EQM Promo