Max Katz

I made it United 1K again. This means I flew more then 100,000 miles this year. I did have to do a number of mileage runs (I flew a little bit less as my daughter was born this year), but trust me it’s worth it. Being an elite flyer, the travel experience is usually enjoyable compared to the horror stories you hear in the news. You get priority everything – checking in, boarding, seating. You also get free upgrades. For example, when you fly to Europe (that’s about 11+ hours from San Francisco) I have a good chance of being upgraded to Business class basically for free (after purchasing a regular economy ticket). To buy a Business class ticket would cost at least $5,000.

If you fly a lot, it makes a lot of sense to fly the same airline.