Frequent Fliers Wonder: Is Elite Status Worth It Anymore?

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Some travelers are beginning to question whether chasing elite status with airlines is worth the effort.

Airlines, hotels and other travel providers initially made it easier to secure and maintain status in their loyalty programs in the wake of the pandemic. They granted free extensions to people who had high levels of status, with the number of fliers in elite tiers ballooning as a result.

Now, those extensions have largely come to an end. At the same time, many status perks—such as first-class upgrades or cashing in miles to book luxurious vacations—have become harder to secure.

The double whammy has many travelers re-evaluating whether status with an airline is worth the potentially higher cost of booking flights with a single carrier rather than playing the field. The result is that some are choosing to ditch their status altogether and become travel free agents.

The first quarter of this year marked the “downgrade apocalypse,” says Mark Ross-Smith, chief executive of StatusMatch.com, a company that designs and implements loyalty promotions for travel companies. 

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