This past week, Hilton sent letters (with both Hilton HHonors and American AAdvantage logos in the letterhead) to certain AA frequent flyers. The letters say, in part,

Congratulations. As a valued member of the American Airlines AAdvantage program, you’ve been selected to receive two great offers from Hilton HHonors.

Enjoy Gold VIP status. You’ll be treated to an elite level of perks reserved for our favorite guests. These benefits may include HHonors bonus ...

In the comments to a recent post about food (in which I wax philosophical about chili coconut shrimp), Mike and kd5mdk engaged me in a lively (7 comments long!) discussion about steak on domestic airplanes.

My position is that steak on domestic planes is disgusting. It's overcooked, difficult to eat with the not-sharp-enough knife they give you, and is never a decent cut of meat. For all those reasons, the meat tastes crappy and results in an unpleasant eating experience.

Mike ...

Just checked my account.

A few hours ago, it said:

YTD Elite Qualifying Miles 99,836

Now it says:

YTD Elite Qualifying Miles 102,311

I now have Executive Platinum status.

Words of advice on achieving new status on AA:

1. If you have reservations for future flights that were ticketed before you achieved your new status, call the ...

In the last post we mentioned the American Airlines challenge. This challenge allows someone without elite status to fly a reduced number of miles to reach status more quickly. Normally one must fly 25,000, 50,000, or 100,000 miles per year to attain Gold, Platinum, or Executive Platinum status on American Airlines. However, with the Challenge, you can fly 5,000 or 10,000 miles in 90 days and qualify for Gold or Platinum instead. There is no challenge for Executive Platinum.

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