Finally, I Have Status

(photo source)

If you would have told me a year ago that I would have elite status on a major airline, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that, my fellow traveling friends, is exactly what I have finally earned 11 months and 11 trips later.

So how do I benefit from having the first level of “status”? Good question.

Aside from all of the arbitrary benefits (ie. priority check-in and boarding on Alaska Airlines), there are three benefits which definitely have purpose:

• Priority Security and Boarding Privileges: No longer do I have to wait in the long line at security or wonder if my carry on bag will have a place in the overhead bin. These may seem like incidentals to most, but tell that to someone who nearly missed her flight because she had to go through “regular” security.
• Same Day Standby: This allows me to standby for a different flight on the same day without incurring a fee – truly important for business travelers who would do just about anything to get home early after a long day of meetings.
• No Checked Baggage Fee: That’s right! No more fees for my two checked bags – at least for the next year. Oh what I wouldn’t have given to have this little perk when I went to Vancouver last November.

As you can see, having the lowest level of status on an airline has merely minor perks – but having bragging rights can not be overrated.