Will we receive an upgrade in 2023? Here's the midyear update on TPG's staff progress in our quest for airline status

Editor's note: As of 1/1/24, the MQMs Status Boost benefit will be discontinued, and a new method for earning Medallion Status with the Card will be introduced. Find out more at delta.com/skymilesprogramchanges.

As we approach the latter half of 2022, if you're working to retain elite status, this might be the perfect time to strategize your goals for the remaining year. With travel resuming, airlines are no longer extending status further.

Do you have summer trips, holiday travel planned for later in the year, or upcoming business journeys? Is this your first attempt at chasing elite status? You might be questioning whether pursuing elite status for the rest of the year is worthwhile.

To assist you in formulating a strategy, we want to showcase the current status of TPG staffers so you can gauge your elite status progress against our most frequent flyers.

Clint Henderson, news managing editor

Alaska Airlines MVP Gold 100K

Elite-qualifying miles: 21,580.
Elite-qualifying segments: 8.

Writing about my current requalification status has brought on a wave of stress. It’s astonishing to think the year is already halfway through, and reviewing my levels only heightens my anxiety about qualifying for next year.

I genuinely expected Alaska to have launched a promotion by now to simplify the process of qualifying for top-tier status. While I plan to pursue the new MVP Gold 100K status again this year, I’m starting to realize that I need to schedule a significant number of trips to achieve that. I might have to settle for MVP Gold 75K instead.

Delta Platinum Medallion

Medallion qualification miles (MQMs): 146,710.
Medallion qualification segments (MQSs): 9.
Medallion qualification dollars (MQDs): $1,057.

On the other hand, I'm in great standing with Delta as long as I can reach the magical $25,000 spend threshold with my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card.

As you may know, if you reach that spending threshold on the Delta card, the requirement for Platinum level is waived. I should be able to achieve that. What would be even more exciting is the chance to attain Diamond status for the first time.

Thanks to Delta's generous decision to roll over previous years' MQMs into 2022, I already have enough MQMs. Currently, I can’t reach Diamond with the meager $1,000 I’ve spent so far on Delta, but I’m in active discussions with TPG's Andrew Kunesh about how we might creatively navigate this to make it happen. Stay tuned.

Andrew Kunesh, editor for points and miles

Delta Diamond Medallion

Medallion qualification miles (MQMs): 191,153.
Medallion qualification segments (MQSs): 24.
Medallion qualification dollars (MQDs): $4,080.

Delta is undoubtedly my preferred airline — in fact, I’m composing this on a Delta flight. Last year, I achieved Diamond Medallion for the first time and have fully utilized my status through increased business and leisure travel. I’ve been upgraded on over half of my domestic flights and even used one of my Global Upgrade Certificates on a recent trip to Europe.

I intend to requalify this year and am making significant strides. The rollover of Medallion Qualifying Miles from the pandemic means I have more than enough MQMs, so I just need to concentrate on accumulating Medallion Qualifying Dollars. I may have to get creative again and, similar to last year, book a partner flight to reach the MQD finish line. Nonetheless, I’m committed to making it happen.

American Airlines Gold

Loyalty points: 13,939.
Segments: 0.

Andrew's perspective:

Considering my preference for Delta, why am I pursuing American Gold? Honestly, it should be straightforward for me to achieve. I already utilize the American dining and shopping portals because I greatly value AAdvantage miles for international redemptions on partner airlines.

With that in mind, I should be able to secure Gold status before the qualification year wraps up — even if I never set foot on an American flight.

Benji Stawski, senior reporter

JAL Mileage Bank Diamond

FLY ON points: 9,171.
Segments: 11.

I currently possess top-tier Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Diamond status. This Oneworld Emerald status grants me access to American Airlines lounges and Flagship First Check-In, even when flying domestically within the U.S.

While upgrades to first class are uncommon, I also have the benefit of selecting Main Cabin Extra seats on American Airlines flights at the time of booking without any extra charge.

Currently, I'm far from the 100,000 FLY ON points required to requalify for the 2023 program year. Even though I have more Oneworld trips on the horizon, with Japan's borders still closed, it will be challenging to accumulate the minimum of 50,000 FLY ON points on JAL Group flights. I hope Japan Airlines will consider this and provide U.S. members with lower requalification thresholds like last year. If not, I may consider switching and pursuing a status match with another program.

Katie Genter, senior points and miles writer

American Airlines Executive Platinum

Loyalty points: 99,072 of 200,000 required.
Segments: 25 of 30 required.

After spending nearly a year traveling full-time in an RV from late 2020 to mid-2021, and then transitioning to using our RV as a home base between international adventures, my husband and I are returning to a lifestyle of living in hotels as digital nomads. While I may have fallen behind on some elite status goals, I'm not concerned since I’ll be flying much more soon.

My main airline program is American Airlines AAdvantage. I miss earning AAdvantage status through elite qualifying miles (EQMs) and elite qualifying dollars (EQDs), but I'm adapting to the Loyalty Points game.

It’s frustrating that it seems you have to utilize the AAdvantage shopping portal, SimplyMiles, and fly in premium classes on partner airlines to achieve high tiers of AAdvantage elite status. More than half of my Loyalty Points this year have come from a single budget-friendly round-trip British Airways premium economy ticket from Los Angeles to Bangalore.

However, my AAdvantage activity typically resembles this:

I’m working hard to regain my Executive Platinum status. I anticipate getting close enough to warrant spending on AAdvantage credit cards or purchasing unnecessary items through the AAdvantage shopping portal to achieve 200,000 Loyalty Points by the end of February 2023.

Asiana Club Diamond

Tier miles: 11,493 of the 30,000 required to maintain status.
Flights taken with Asiana Airlines: 0.

Asiana Club operates on a 24-month qualification period starting from your initial enrollment date. Unfortunately, during my assessment window (January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021), I didn’t make any progress due to the pandemic. However, Asiana has kindly extended my evaluation period until December 31, 2022.

To keep my Asiana Diamond status for both 2023 and 2024, I’ll need to accumulate 30,000 tier miles or fly with Asiana Airlines 30 times.

This year, I have flights lined up that will help me reach 30,000 tier miles. If all goes well, I’ll retain my Asiana Diamond status and continue enjoying Star Alliance Gold privileges on Star Alliance flights.

Other airline status

Besides these two programs, I currently hold Delta Silver Medallion status, but I don’t intend to requalify. While I have 44,892 MQMs, I still need an additional $2,403 in MQDs for Silver Medallion or 50,000 MQMs and $6,000 in MQDs for Gold Medallion. I could qualify for an MQD waiver through spending on a Delta credit card, but with my focus on other elite statuses, spending $25,000 to waive MQDs for Silver or Gold doesn’t seem worth it.

I also possess the Southwest Companion Pass, thanks to a promotion where Chase awarded me 100,000 Southwest points for a story. Interestingly, those points are Companion Pass qualifying. I've gained significant value from the Companion Pass, but I don’t fly Southwest enough to earn another one through flights. My husband, however, might apply for some cards towards the end of 2022 to earn a Companion Pass next year.

Lastly, I hold United MileagePlus Premier Silver status as a benefit of my Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status. Through the RewardPlus partnership between Marriott and United, Titanium Elites can sign up for complimentary United MileagePlus Premier Silver status.

Ethan Klapper, senior reporter

United Airlines Premier 1K

Premier qualifying points (PQPs): 12,767 of the 13,500 required.
Premier qualifying flights (PQFs): 27 of the 36 required.

At the start of this year, my sole focus was requalifying for United Airlines Premier 1K status. Being based in Houston, United is the dominant airline here, operating from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

United runs a commendable operation — except for one notable exception, they've managed to sidestep the chaos that has affected many other airlines recently — and they generally treat their elite members well (although the airline's decision last year to extend status with minimal clarity was disappointing for those of us who qualified fully).

This has led me to prioritize travel on United and its Star Alliance partners, even for pricier tickets that yield minimal returns in terms of premier status qualifying.

As I write this, I am close to requalifying and expect to meet the 13,500 Premier Qualifying Point (PQP) requirement this month. I anticipate reaching the 36 Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) requirement by July, thereby fully requalifying then.

Zach Griff, senior reporter

American Airlines Executive Platinum

Loyalty points: 129,210.
Segments: 14 out of 30.

This year, American Airlines updated its status earning system by introducing Loyalty Points.

Loyalty Points can be accumulated through various partners and are typically awarded on a 1:1 ratio based on the redeemable miles earned from an activity.

This new system allows you to earn AAdvantage status without even boarding a flight.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about the rollout of Loyalty Points. However, to requalify for Executive Platinum status, I need to reach 200,000 Loyalty Points. I'll get there, but it will require significant spending on my co-branded American Airlines credit card.

United Airlines Premier 1K

Premier qualifying points (PQPs): 7,550 of the 13,500 required.
Premier qualifying flights (PQFs): 13 out of 36 needed.

United provided its Premiers with an early boost in status. As a top-tier 1K member, I received 3,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs), giving me roughly a 20% advantage toward requalifying.

I've dedicated a significant amount of my travel to United this year and I'm roughly halfway to requalifying. I’m confident I’ll make it across the finish line by year’s end.

JetBlue Mosaic

Base points: 7,580 out of the 12,000 required.
Flight segments: 4 of 30 needed.

I've maintained Mosaic status for at least five years now, but I'm uncertain about requalifying this year. JetBlue's recent operational issues have left me disappointed. Additionally, with the removal of change fees on nearly all fares, the key Mosaic benefit of waived fees has lost much of its value.

Nevertheless, I've managed to fly with JetBlue a few times this year, and I plan to track my progress in the fourth quarter to determine if it's worth the effort to requalify.

Kyle Olsen, points and miles journalist

United Airlines Premier 1K

Premier qualifying points (PQP): 10,459 out of the required 13,500.
Premier qualifying flights (PQF): 33 of 36 needed.

Having held Premier 1K status for nearly ten years, I consistently prioritize my travels with Star Alliance over other airlines.

As mentioned by Zach Griff, United Premier members were gifted a generous Valentine's Day bonus early in 2022. This 3,000 PQP bonus, along with the chance to earn over 1 PQP per dollar spent on United's partners, has helped me gather approximately 10,500 PQPs and 33 PQFs with less than $4,000 in out-of-pocket expenses this year.

I intend to complete my three pending PQFs and earn the remaining 3,000 PQPs by summer's end. This way, I can avoid any last-minute mileage runs in November or December when airfare tends to rise.

Even better, I'm excited to use my 500,000 MileagePlus miles this fall for complimentary flights through the United Excursionist Perk.

In most years, I find it challenging to redeem my miles for award travel since United doesn't provide PQPs or PQFs for mileage redemptions. Consequently, by the time I achieve my 1K status, the year is over, and I must start spending again for the next year's status once January 1 arrives. At TPG, we refer to this as the hamster wheel of airline status.

I’m eager to escape the hamster wheel early this year, allowing me to savor my miles with the reassurance of having requalified for my Premier 1K status.

American Airlines Platinum

Loyalty points: 7,744 of 75,000 required.

Although my Loyalty Points tally isn't anywhere near what some colleagues have accumulated, I’m aiming for AAdvantage Platinum this year primarily to earn 8 miles/Loyalty Points per dollar on American flights. It may seem like a modest goal, right?

Earning 8 miles per dollar next year will significantly simplify my efforts to maintain or even elevate my AAdvantage status.

This year has been a slow journey toward AAdvantage status since I currently hold none, and American has only been granting me 5 Loyalty Points for each dollar spent as a regular member.

For instance, if I earn Loyalty Points from a $1,000 ticket, as a general member, I would receive only 5,000 Loyalty Points. However, as a Gold member, that increases to 7,000; as a Platinum member, it's 8,000; as a Platinum Pro member, I’d earn 9,000; and as an Executive Platinum member, I would receive 11,000 Loyalty Points.

Loyalty Points naturally create a challenge for those without status to qualify, so if I can reach 75,000 Loyalty Points (Platinum status) by February 28, 2023, I’ll be in a much stronger position in future years to maintain and upgrade my status.

Featured photo by Benji Stawski/Dinogo.