This is another article I’ve been meaning to comment on.  I have to admit, as insane as it sounds, I am intrigued.  Intrigued to the point that I’ve actually looked at the tools mentioned in the article to see if I can “maximize” the points from my next “run” to Seattle.  Alas, it was too expensive to make the “run”, so I stuck with my standard itinerary.

Nonetheless, the concept really is quite simple – do some homework and look for cheap flights that give you the biggest “mileage” bang for your buck.  For instance, Joshua Solomin, a self professed mileage runner, made this run recently:

Of Solomin’s five runs to date, one of the more impressive was a trip from San Francisco to Tampa via Los Angeles, San Diego and Washington, then back with connections in D.C., Seattle and Portland. Thanks to his Premier status, he earned double miles for the trip, more 16,000 of them, for just $232.

The goal is to minimize the $/mile rate for the trip.  For instance, the above trip only cost Mr. Solomin $0.0145/mile.  That’s impressive!  My current Seattle trips cost me $0.169/mile even considering my elite bonus.

Like I said, I’m intrigued! 

(Via Wired.com) We Love to Fly and It Shows: Inside the World of Mileage Running