Full disclosure: I’m Platinum.
If you don’t mind, I’m going to make a generalization about all humans. Humans of all cultures have status symbols. Whether you wear rings around your neck or wear a crown atop of a throne made of games, each culture and civilization has some item that means, “I’m better than you. Nana nana boo boo.” The consulting world is just as primitive as the British Royal family but instead of the family jewels we have bag tags.
At each level of your travel career you’ll hit milestones. These milestones, coincidentally enough, are based on the miles you’ve traveled AKA Butt-In-Seat miles. Only the truest of road warriors can fully appreciate these crowning achievements.
As I stand in line to board a plane, I take inventory of who’s corralling into the inevitable half circle surrounding the boarding door. I immediately start judging people based on the little luggage tag on their suitcase. That little piece of plastic effortlessly creates a caste system in which my fellow passengers fall in. Vacation travelers think we’re all crazy and spend too much time away from home. But while they’re spending money on vacations, we just spend points.
Below I’ve created a comprehensive table of status vs. reaction to status. HERE is some info on each status level.
| Status | Reaction |
| Silver | Aw. That’s cute. |
| Gold | I remember when. |
| Platinum | Solid. Keep it up. |
| Diamond | Dang son! |
I am trying to work my way back to Executive Platinum on American. I am lifetime platinum. My mileage total is over 4 million miles. You really have to make 3 or 4 international trips a year to get the highest levels. Perks are not what they used to be though. When I was first Executive Platinum I virtually never flew coach. Now even as Platinum and with over 50 upgrades banked, I rarely get upgraded.
I always wondered what consultants really did. Sounds like you spend a lot of time adapting software to customers workflow.
Whoa I had no idea you had that kind of status. I believe “Dang son!” is the appropriate reaction. Hopefully you’re vacationing on some of those miles.
Yes, it’s a lot of putting the right technology in place to enable the business to function the it wants.