Should I Go For The Gold?

As we breeze past the year's midpoint, it's time to evaluate air and hotel strategies for the rest of the year.  With so many friends and family in Atlanta, I achieved elite status with Delta four years ago and haven't looked back.  I enjoyed the perks and upgrades so much that I worked my tail off (zany details in a future post) to make it to Platinum Elite Status, the second highest level behind the top tier Diamond Elites.

I have immensely enjoyed being a Platinum elite.  Perks include complimentary first class upgrades on 95% of my flights (missing one upgrade because of a late first class ticket purchase by Jimmy Carter and his Secret Service detail), free checked bags, priority boarding, complimentary Economy Comfort seats on international flights, priority access at security checkpoints, bonus miles on every flight and several other crucial benefits.

Working on Silver, Gold is a looong way off

Sadly, my travel has waned each year since becoming Platinum.  I slid back to Gold last year, and am in danger of losing status with Delta altogether after this year!  The problem is, I'm not certain it's worth the climb back up the mountain.  First class upgrades have been truly fantastic, but I flew sparingly this year.  I can get priority boarding, free checked bags, and a boat load of Skymiles with a simple Delta American Express credit card application.  What do I do??  It's difficult to forecast next year's travel plans.  It will even more difficult learning how to fly without the perks that I've become accustomed to.

Economy Comfort: Free for Gold/Platinum/Diamond Elites

What would you do in my case?  Any status that you guys are dreading losing?  Drop me a line via email or leave a comment below.

-Charm City Traveler