Self-funded WPs

[Commuter]

Everyone else bumps into my cab. The owner is probably getting sick of repairing it.

That doesn't inspire me to take a ride in your cab!

TX58 is my beautiful Silver Service limousine. I drive the night shift, from 1500 on. I usually work out of the airport after dark. Readily identifiable by iPhone mounted on the dash playing my favorite songs and showing my happy holiday snaps.

Ahh I see! I haven't caught a taxi in the evening from Canberra Airport - I usually catch a taxi to the airport if I'm riding on a taxi in the evening in Canberra.

You never know I guess, I might call a taxi out and happen to ride in yours one day.

 

[Skyring]

Ahh I see! I haven't caught a taxi in the evening from Canberra Airport - I usually catch a taxi to the airport if I'm riding on a taxi in the evening in Canberra.

You never know I guess, I might call a taxi out and happen to ride in yours one day.

Never know. From three-thirty to six, my bread and butter is getting people to the airport. I'm always pretty sensitive to the needs of people with a plane to catch.

 

[Platy]

I've been a largely self funded WP for a number of years. Was commuting between SYD and CNS and then had a number of jobs around the country resulting in flying up to 90 odd domestic flights a year. Now switched to maintaining status through international travel, most recently by using instant upgrade fares during visits to the USA connected with my university studies. The blip in the AU $ now has me scratching my head how I will maintain WP after Feb 2010...

 

[JohnK]

I used to come back Friday night and go back on the first flight on Monday and going straight to work.

I haven't tried this approach but based on the few morning flights I have had in the past I could not survive a morning flight and then a full day at work. So Sunday night commute will have to suffice for now. Not sure how much longer I can last anyway....

One week sometimes, but would push out to two (doesn't take too many weekends in CBR to get all the relevant sightseeing done!)

There is not a lot do in Brisbane either. Unless I play golf....

 

[sr81]

Another one here. I have gotten WP with DONE4's much like many people here. In my industry we have a very small Australian presence so I need to go to the international conference in North America or Europe. Very easy to build a pretty optimised DONE4 and WP here we come.

This year's ticket was purchased at 87 cents, that was, at the time a super deal. If the AUD stays this low then I will not be requalifying next year but given my trip in Nov I will hold WP till April 2010. Who knows what will happen by then.

I am also a bit of plane nerd so I really enjoy flying and the whole FLounge thing etc. It is a hobby and a pretty expensive one but as Skyring noted people spends $*000000's on cars, boats etc. so $0000's a year on travel is something I can live with.

 

[possumoz]

I have been lucky enough to not have to work. Instead I choose to sit on a couple of not for profit boards as a volunteer director in the community health sector at both a state and national level and self fund my travel. My pay off is I've been able to maintain my WP status for the last 4 years travelling j largely between TSV, BNE and SYD with an annual trip over to PER to see the folks. It's aslo proved to be quite useful flying j as I'm often sat next to a relevant gov't employee or even the odd minister or two which can at times represent unique networking or lobbying opportunities (has paid dividends more than once).

I love flying and (sadly I know) really like the buzz of an airport. I put it down to I took my first interstate flight PER - MEL in the early '60s at aged 5 weeks.

In my work I always travelled, in the early days i 'rode the dawg' (greyhound bus) all over the country. Reckon I've earn't my stripes to enjoy guilt free WP status.

 

[anat0l]

I am pretty much self-funded. Work sends me places, but they are cheap (because they have to be). EDIT: I should clarify: I am not a WP, only SG....hmmm maybe I should retract my posting until such time that I am a WP (since perhaps technically I'm O/T)?

Like most here, flying is something I enjoy. Sometimes that's a difficult frame of mind to maintain, especially when you've had a 10 hour go-go-go day at work followed by catching QF767 BNE-PER dep 1945h arr 2315h in WHY (followed by the need to wake up at 0500h the next morning), or when the NZ weather makes your 7 leg MR go completely awry, but it's all part of "the game" (so to speak).

My biggest difficulty now is with QF status and AA in the pocket and my QF year starts in March, I'm wondering where I should start strategising for status. They say QF is the easiest to maintain status, but AA is better for points burning, and the elite status qualification for AA seems just about as reachable as QF elite status would be......

Got HH Gold through a *cough* promo (let's leave it at that). Not enough HH stays to renew it though, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for tips and tricks on both here and FT. I only really need the status for when I visit Tokyo where all the SPGs are far away from shopping and nightlife and the Hilton is right where I want to be.

Same here - just qual'ed HHG on the so-*cough*ed promo (or perhaps we may be talking about different ones - anyway!) but also same boat - not enough stays planned out (or even comfortable to self-fund for) to requal for HHG. So also looking for other ways to possibly maintain status. I don't have SPG membership yet and I'm not too sure (esp. enrolled in AA) if I'm the biggest sucker in the world for not being enrolled in it.

Skyring, next time I'm in CBR during my SC run layover I hope I land in your cab! I could use a good conversation - the two cabbies I tried to yarn with when I was on my layover from the last SC run would be deadpans compared with you!

 

[Keith009]

I don't have SPG membership yet and I'm not too sure (esp. enrolled in AA) if I'm the biggest sucker in the world for not being enrolled in it.

A lot of people here are members of Priority Club i think, more so than SPG. I agree that PC seems to be a good hotel scheme with the earn/burn but of course there are other reasons why I choose to go with certain hotel chains and avoid others.

 

[DTM1]

I have found this discussion really interesting. I have been WP for the past 4 years, averaging about 3,000 SCs per year (domestic J MEL - PER and Intl J/F).

However, I have not paid for any of those trips. Unlike some of the posters on this thread, I work full time and am fortunate to have an income that could easily accomodate plenty of self funded F/J travel, but do not consider it to be a smart use of money (that said, when flying internationally on my own account, I either use points for J or upgrade from Y to J - 5 from 5 track record).

Don't get me wrong - I love travel and J/F stds. I just find it interesting that, particularly in the current climate of financial uncertainty, people (and without intending to offend anyone - predominantly people around/post retirement - excluding QF009) are still prepared to spend the money on J/F.

From my experience, most of my colleagues/friends who could most easily afford F/J travel, will not pay for it, preferring to save it or spend it at the destination. The ones who travel J are often the ones who can least afford it.

Simply an observation.

cheers

 

[Alanslegal]

Don't get me wrong - I love travel and J/F stds. I just find it interesting that, particularly in the current climate of financial uncertainty, people (and without intending to offend anyone - predominantly people around/post retirement - excluding QF009) are still prepared to spend the money on J/F.

Nice angle DTM1. Its interesting to see it from that perspective.

Personally, I'm self funded - but not at any specific elite level yet. However as much as I like the idea of J/F travel, the wonderful lounges on offer, the service, the better food, the space and convenience. I would not go out of my own way to spend $12K on J travel just for the sake of it or to chase some elite status.

I think I'm more considerate about my $$$ and seek good value travel, and if it means I can jump into a J cabin for 30% more than the cost of Y, I might spend that extra money.

I don't chase elite levels. My goal is to fly on as many different airlines as possible.

 

[Skyring]

Unlike some of the posters on this thread, I work full time and am fortunate to have an income that could easily accomodate plenty of self funded F/J travel, but do not consider it to be a smart use of money (that said, when flying internationally on my own account, I either use points for J or upgrade from Y to J - 5 from 5 track record).

From my experience, most of my colleagues/friends who could most easily afford F/J travel, will not pay for it, preferring to save it or spend it at the destination. The ones who travel J are often the ones who can least afford it.

One only gets a single chance at life, and I've reached the stage where I value happy contentment over a stressful struggle. For me, travel is a hobby, something that gives me a great deal of pleasure. Paying for travel, it's just money. Once upon a time, international air travel was incredibly expensive - and uncomfortable. Unless they find a replacement for petroleum, it may well work out that way again. For now, it's not cheap, but it's not a once-in-a-lifetime shot neither.

I've done my share of longhaul Y, and it's just not fun any more. J is air travel done right.

I've made the point before about hobbies, but how many times do you look out the window in SYD on a weekend, and there are a bunch of blokes with top of the line cameras and enormous long lenses? These things aren't cheap, and the pace of technology keeps these chaps regular visitors at the camera shop.

Photographs are nice, but I'd rather have my bum on a comfy seat as Greenland or Sri Lanka slides by underneath my drink coaster.

Having said that, that's just me, and when I travel with my dear wife, we fly at the back of the bus or use points for upgrades, and spend real money on other travel things. Her priorities differ from mine, and I'd rather have a pleasant partner than a grumpy one. I don't mind a hostel bunkroom and a shared bathroom, but if my darling wife doesn't get an ensuite and a night time mint on the pillow, Heaven help us all.

Speaking as a cabbie, I see a lot of luggage tags. The people with Platinum are generally business travellers, and I either take them to or from a hotel if they are on the road, or houses in middle-class suburbs if they are at either end of a trip. They travel light and they travel smart.

Folk on pleasure trips from the old-money suburbs are more likely to be Gold tagged. They have silver hair for balance, and I can hear my joints creak as I lift out their enormous suitcases.

I see a few Silver tags, usually younger folk, but the rarest metal of all is Bronze. I'm not even sure that they make Bronze tags...

Of course, these are Canberra generalities, and there are handfuls of exceptions to every rule of thumb.

 

[Alanslegal]

I'll also add that - In times of high and uncertain petrol prices, a lot of people whinge and whine at the high cost .... yet that same person still purchases a bottle of 600ml Coke at lunch that cost $3.00.

That's a whopping $5 per litre, much more expensive than petrol, yet they don't complain about that.

 

[JohnK]

So also looking for other ways to possibly maintain status. I don't have SPG membership yet and I'm not too sure (esp. enrolled in AA) if I'm the biggest sucker in the world for not being enrolled in it.

I don't know what to make of SPG or the hotels. I looked at room rates for a night in Bangkok for 2 January and the cheapest SPG property was ~A$300. To me that is expensive and I think I would receive 500 SPG points for the stay. Much better off in one of the Holiday Inns or the Millenium Hilton but looking at the room rates for those hotels I will more than likely book a cheap night in a 2-3 star hotel.

 

[anat0l]

Thanks QF009 and JohnK, but I guess what I was more getting at was that I seem to see a lot of people redeeming (e.g. credit card) points through to AA by indirectly using SPG. I've visited the SPG awards site before, but without any AA experience (earn or burn) I've got no perspective to make a good judgement on the conversion rates.

So this is what I'm curious about. Also begs to think whether - especially with QF cutting off most credit cards early next year save for premium level cards or direct only cards - I should switch to SPG/AA or even AA direct for my credit card points burn.

</slightly_off_topic>

 

[Mrmaxwell]

Don't get me wrong - I love travel and J/F stds. I just find it interesting that, particularly in the current climate of financial uncertainty, people (and without intending to offend anyone - predominantly people around/post retirement - excluding QF009) are still prepared to spend the money on J/F.

cheers

I think most self-funded flyers know and use the many discount fares such as DONE4's or DCIRC's for J/F class travel and WP status. While, especially now, this has become more expensive I don't see many people here purchasing a full priced J class fare to London for $8k+. My boss spends a few hundred bucks every Friday evening on wine and liquor not to mention his cigarettes, as I am not a big drinker nor smoker I spend next to nothing on these - over a year I think that is at least one J class fare to me in savings (not to mention better health!) so each to their own.

Also it is easy to question why non-business flyers would fly J/F class but you have to remember that most of us only get this opportunity once or twice a year! If my company flew me J class several times per year I simply wouldn't have the desire to add yet another J class flight using my own funds - I would be using my points to upgrade like you

 

[NM]

I'll also add that - In times of high and uncertain petrol prices, a lot of people whinge and whine at the high cost .... yet that same person still purchases a bottle of 600ml Coke at lunch that cost $3.00.

That's a whopping $5 per litre, much more expensive than petrol, yet they don't complain about that.

I guess the difference is that I don't buy 75 litres of coke each week! And if I could get my car to run for a day on 600ml of petrol I would be very happy - or even for $3.00 a day for that matter!

 

[Keith009]

From my experience, most of my colleagues/friends who could most easily afford F/J travel, will not pay for it, preferring to save it or spend it at the destination.

But that observation assumes people "sacrifice" one for the other; travel in comfort vs having fun at the destination. Why not have it both ways?

Personally I do have an annual budget for myself, which is why the RTW i did back in Sept was almost entirely in whY. For J it's always been DONEs originating in a country where the fare's comparatively low. F travel is made possible through upgrade instruments and miles.

One thing I'd never compromise on though is accomodation which I often spend more on than air tickets.

 

[turtlemichael]

I guess the difference is that I don't buy 75 litres of coke each week!

I thought they sold it in grams :mrgreen:

 

[NM]

I thought they sold it in grams :mrgreen:

then you know more about it than me

 

[anat0l]

But that observation assumes people "sacrifice" one for the other; travel in comfort vs having fun at the destination. Why not have it both ways?

Not really.

I know some friends of mine who are extremely well off; they have a very good income stream and work very little - lots of time for themselves. But it'll be a cold day in Hell (my words, not theirs, but the meaning is the same) before they pay for F in cash, let alone J in cash. They are lucky, however, because if they do travel around, they are usually given F travel.

If one is provided with travel, that of course frees up money for other expenses.

Cash is only one way to get J or F tickets. You can also try points awards or upgrades (op-ups or points). Some people will pay for the odd J ticket here and there. Rarely people pay for F (of course, this is reflective of the inventory available); we have seen some cases and the logic does add up (e.g. some people weighing up J vs. F for work travel, or AONE* tickets).

It's not a case of sacrifice - even the wealthiest people justify things they could easily afford in terms of a business case rather than simply purchase it.

But for me (if I had that amount of money), I can see your point of view.