The art of mastering airline loyalty programs -- Going for Elite

A few years ago I had a job that had me flying 5000 miles a week. I signed up for AA's status challenge and qualified for platinum status in nearly a month.<p>I think they charge for taking the challenge now (it was free then) but it's well worth it. Not only do you get better seats, free bag checking, priority security access, and earn upgrades, but that was 30,000+ additional bonus miles I wouldn't have earned had I just skipped the challenge and qualified for the status the normal way.<p>Also, if you're on the fringe between status tiers, often times it's very much worth it to spend a couple hundred bucks on a "mileage run" if it means the extra EQM will put you into top-tier status.

I NEVER understood, and still don't understand, why are people so attracted to airline loyalty programs? Are the benefits this important? It seems to me the average frequent flyer can reduce his costs by ~10-20%. This is not much.

Somehow this reminds me of a scene from Up in the Air in which George Clooney reveals that his dream is to gather ten million miles in order to get "lifetime executive status, meeting the chief pilot Maynard Finch, and getting his name painted on the side of a plane."