Going the Extra Mile

Those of you who know us also know that we are always looking for ways to maximize mileage so we can meet our goal of flying 100,000 miles annually on United Airlines and Star Alliance carriers in order to qualify each year for United's 1K Premier mileage program.  Many frequent flyers are figuring ways to squeeze out extra miles now in order to qualify for the next highest airline mileage program level by the end of the year.  So are we. 

In flying to Europe to meet our cruise ship in Venice, Italy we are taking a longer routing from Washington, DC than usual and we are accumulating nearly 900 miles more than if we flew directly from DC to Europe.  Specifically, we are flying from DC to Boston, then backtracking to Newark, and then off to Munich and finally to Venice. Those extra miles may be needed later on in meeting our goal of flying 100,000 miles this year.  Surprisingly, routings with extra flight segments can sometimes be less expensive than more direct routes.  We saved several hundred dollars each by flying through Boston than if we flew to Europe directly from Washington or through United's hub in Newark.  Go figure.

                            We will post next from Venice.