A 
United AirlinesMileagePlus member went above and beyond to earn his airline status earlier this month, taking six flights in one day. The California resident devised a plan to meet the required mileage for Premier Platinum status, which required six trips totaling $500 and 60,000 miles.
As shared on the traveler’s Reddit account, and reported by the New York Post, frequent flier Stephen calculated the exact number of flights necessary to retain his status, which took him taking return trips from 
San Francisco International Airport to Reno Tahoe International Airport, Sacramento International Airport, and 
Los Angeles International Airport . It’s not uncommon for frequent fliers to take ‘status runs’ to retain their respective membership levels, and for Stephen, this required a trip around California and Nevada.
Three Return Flights
Stephen has boasted that he was surprised by how quickly he was able to earn the points in one day, with all flights taken on Wednesday, December 17. The lure of Platinum Status would see Stephen enjoy free access to Economy Plus on flights, Complimentary upgrades, Group 1 Boarding, and earn up to 9x miles on most UA-operated flights (more details about this status later in the article).
The total itinerary was completed within 12 hours of the first departure, with the first flight departing at 08:40 am, and the last flight touching down at 8:29 pm that evening. All connections went off without major disruptions, and all flights encountered only minor delays. Stephen commented that he didn’t find the necessary status run an inconvenience at all, according to the New York Post.
“While many people see airports as a hassle, I genuinely love the experience — the logistics, the engineering and the perspective you only get from 30,000 feet.”
Plenty Of Work Trips Boosting Miles
Stephen noted that earlier this year, he had undertaken quite a few long-haul flights for work and direct flights to Florida, which had seen his mileage balance soar. This saw him placed just six flights short of reaching the United Platinum status, a tier that he was not keen to miss out on.
Part of the allure of taking the status run was the plans he has with his wife to visit Europe next year, and the bonuses received with Platinum would repay the status run, such as free upgrades to business class. Stephen also noted that using Google’s Gemini recommended the itinerary to help him achieve his status goal.
Initially, Stephen had planned on flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles, then onto Palm Springs, Las Vegas, and back to SFO. When the traveler asked Google’s AI assistant, it suggested the Reno, Sacramento, and Los Angeles itinerary instead. One stopover had Stephen rest in Reno for just 15 minutes before re-boarding the flight back to San Francisco.
4 Unique Ways To Earn Miles With The United Airlines MileagePlus X App
The app was created to boost mileage earnings on everyday purchses.
MileagePlus Premier Platinum
There are many added benefits as suggested by United when achieving Premier Platinum status, which include 9x bonus award miles on all United, United Express, and selected partner flights. Added complementary confirmed flight changes are eligible in the same fare class within 24 hours of departure.
Additionally, free access to Economy Plus and other preferred seating is available at the time of booking, which includes eight free Economy Plus seats and eight free preferred seating upgrades for travel companions. Complementary Premier Upgrades to higher booking classes are offered up to 72 hours before your scheduled flight (this was a keen attraction for Stephen and suggested upcoming travel plans to Europe).
Other perks include access to the United Airlines Premier Priority Desk phone line, waived phone booking service fees (usually $25), up to three free checked bags in economy and premium cabins, priority check-in, priority security screening (where eligible), and Group 1 priority boarding. A $100 discount is also offered on the United Club All Access membership.
75% Premier Bonus Miles are also offered on partner airline itineraries, including 
Air Canada, ANA, Austrian Airlines, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, 
Lufthansa, and Lufthansa City Airlines
