First time here? Check out the site's "greatest hits" or read a random post from the archives. Feel free to ask a question, and consider subscribing to the latest posts via RSS or e-mail. Thanks for visiting!

In just a few days, my mother will get on a plane (with my dad dutifully accompanying her) and fly to Florida. It’s not a vacation they really planned to take. They’re doing it for the miles.

For those who don’t know, a mileage run is the process of taking a trip just to get the miles. (Usually this means elite-qualifying miles, and not redeemable miles.) For the mileage-running purist, your destination is irrelevant. You might not even stay there — you just fly there, and fly back, to collect the miles. (Wired Magazine’s Dave Demerjian recently jetted around the US just for the miles and lived to tell about it. Even crazier, The Global Traveller recently went on a one-month-long mega-mileage run to establish lifetime elite status.)

Is her son to blame? Perhaps… Indeed, like the dealer helping a junkie get one more high, I pointed my parents to FareCompare’s search engine for mileage runners. The tool searches for flights on a cost-per-mile basis. It turned out that Florida was both inexpensive and desirable.

Yes, my mom has gotten hooked on elite frequent flyer status. She was a few hundred miles short of making status again for next year, and while she wasn’t enjoying the mega-uber-perks of top-tier status, she still appreciated the shorter check-in with business class at crowded airports, the dedicated security lines, and the bonus miles.

Maybe we should call their trip a comfort run. They’re leaving the airport, after all. And they’re actually staying at the destination for a few days. They also used some Starwood points for a Westin and lowballed an Avis rent-a-car via Priceline. In this instance, I think my parents were looking for an excuse for another vacation. And the elite status that results is collateral damage. So this trip isn’t just for the miles…

So is a mileage run really worth it? Elite status is still worthwhile, if you travel enough with one airline (or within one alliance) and if you’re going to take advantage of the perks. If the price is right, and it gets you the perks you want, that mileage run may be an investment worth making.

(image)