The Ex-Elite Flier Club

Elizabeth Davidson knew she would need to cut back on her business travel when she learned she was expecting her first child.

A computer technical support consultant in Greensboro, N.C., Ms. Davidson had earned gold status with US Airways frequent flier program, a level that provided perks like frequent upgrades to first class.

There is something magical about being able to fly around the country, she said, especially when one can enjoy shorter lines and a more comfortable flight than most other fliers. But the magic may be gone. Earlier this year, as she prepared to resume her work several months after her daughter was born, she learned that her travel hiatus had a come with a cost: her elite status with the airline had expired.

My first thought is the lines, she said, imagining life as a newly demoted flier. I really grew to loathe the crowds at the airport, and the elite check-in counters and security lanes are just about the only way to bypass them.

Airlines like to dole out benefits, like wider seats and access to first-class airport lounges, to their repeat customers as a way to reward loyalty and bestow exclusive status. But fliers have to renew their status every year. If they fail to keep pace, their privileges will disappear — even if the lull is temporary. Such situations are on the rise, said Randy Petersen, who tracks loyalty programs on his Web site, webflyer.com. He estimated that tens of thousands of very frequent fliers each year must take a break from their schedules to attend to their own health or family concerns like caring for an ailing parent.

Although the program rules are usually clearly spelled out, travelers who have spent years cementing their loyalty to a particular company may find it galling to be told, in effect, that their past patronage is worthless.

It can certainly seem like a lack of sensitivity on the airlines part, said Hal Brierley, president of Brierley & Partners, a loyalty-plan consulting firm based in Dallas. Losing the special treatment may make you, subconsciously at least, want to travel on that company less.

The airlines say they are just sticking to longstanding policy, which limits special treatment to those who earn their miles the old-fashioned way: by flying within a specified period of time.

Kent Landers, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines, said that if the airline granted too many exceptions to the rules it might create resentment. Our customers have told us that they work hard for their status and that they want to be fairly recognized, he said.

But that has not stopped some fliers from trying to appeal their expulsion from the road warrior elite. Ron Hackler of northern Florida, for example, thought he had a compelling reason for his brief respite from flying: in the last half of 2006 he was posted to Iraq on assignment for his job with a military contractor. His gold status with Deltas Sky Miles program was demoted to silver — a change that means a lower priority for upgrades.

Back from Iraq, he sent Delta a request for reinstatement of his previous status, along with documentation of his work in Iraq. The airline eventually responded by restoring his status to gold — and Mr. Hackler said he expected to reach platinum this year because of more international travel. It makes a big difference when you are doing these kinds of trips, he said. (Mr. Landers of Delta said the airline tried to work with fliers who had lost their status because of military work.)

A loss of V.I.P. status may seem a minor setback, but the consequences can be felt in many ways. Several fliers pointed out that shorter security lines and roomier seats in first class could provide a significant boost in productivity.

Mr. Brierley, who has worked on several loyalty programs for airline clients, said a leave of absence plan allowing fliers to opt out for a year might be a good idea.

United allows travelers to apply to regain lost premium status through a fast-track program, which costs $299 and requires that they fly 6,250 miles within 90 days of resuming membership. For those who are not sure they will make the cut, United offers one-year access for $299 to seats in its Economy Plus rows, a perk automatically extended to elite members.

Mr. Brierley said that what airlines really cared about was ensuring that fliers would not bolt to the competition. Keep in mind that the point of these annual renewal requirements is to create an opportunity cost for being disloyal, he said.

For one flier, however, loyalty went further than the airline. H. Scott Matthews, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said he lost his top status with US Airways, a level the airline calls chairmans preferred, when he took time off to care for his father, who passed away last year. Mr. Matthews said he wrote to the airline to explain why his travel had paused and noted that his father had worked for US Airways for 43 years. The airline ultimately agreed to give him gold-level perks, two notches below the top. I have mixed feelings about their response, but I guess its better than nothing, he said.

In such situations, some travelers employ the negotiating skills that got them ahead in their careers. Gary Dollinger, president of an Illinois technology consultancy, said that he had been dropped from the platinum club at Northwest Airlines when he cut back temporarily on flying to open his new business.

He pleaded his case to an executive with the airlines WorldPerks program, and was granted a partial reprieve in the form of silver status. But he persisted and worked out an arrangement that would let him regain his perks if he proved his road warrior mettle, a challenge he took seriously: he booked himself a globe-trotting trip, and after 34,000 miles and 15 stops at airports from Amsterdam to Vancouver, he was back in full standing.

It was actually a lot of fun, he said.

But for many fliers, the outcome is not so positive. For Paul Quick, a doctor in San Francisco, the final blow came when he lost his premier status on United after the airline canceled what would have been his last two qualifying flights for the year, because of a snowstorm that shut down the carriers Denver hub. Protests went unheeded, he said, adding: I am switching to another airline.

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