One Mile at a Time notes that

on my IAD-SEA flight, which was an A319 with only eight F seats, four of us were on mileage runs!

End of year means runs for status requalification. There have been plenty of alternative methods of acquiring status enter frequent flyer programs the past few years, most prominent being co-branded credit card spend. Delta has offered double qualifying miles for specific routes, for Rewards Network dining, and for Hilton stays.

But I’m surprised not to have seen a repeat (or dpread to other programs) of US Airways’ ‘everything counts’ promotion from two years ago. It seemed like an interesting way to generate partner revenue while not cramming up the front cabin with mileage runners.