Several major airlines maintain unpublished programs that, in some cases, operate as de facto "top tiers" to existing frequent-flier plans, Laura Bly reports. And they are very tight-lipped about
them, although the new George Clooney movie,
"Up in the Air," promises to shine a little light on them. In this clip, actress
Vera Farmiga, upon seeing that Clooney is a member of American Airlines' ConciergeKey program, says, "Oh, my God, I wasn't sure this actually existed."
The programs are generally
available only to fliers who pay upwards of $50,000 a year on full-fare tickets -- or influence employees who do -- and they "can provide a level of pampering that is the stuff of a road warrior's
dreams," Bly writes. Suffice to say that they get a lot of attention, fast.
The cachet once associated with the standard frequent-flyer programs has, meanwhile, been watered down
by double-miles bonus offers and credit card tie-ins. "There's been a major shift, and the number of miles you earn no longer identifies you as an airline's best customer," says Randy Petersen,
founder of FlyerTalk.
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