The sky's the limit

Last week's flight to New York saw me earn enough status points to become a lifetime Gold Member of the Qantas frequent flyer program. This means I'll retain Gold level status with the airline for the rest of my life (or until they change the program rules) regardless of how often I travel in the future. Permanent perks include airport lounge access, priority check-in and boarding, priority upgrade requests, and the same for ticketing on waitlisted flights.

I've been a loyal member of the One World Alliance since the collapse of Ansett Australia in 2001. Ansett was a member of the rival Star Alliance group of airlines. I flew it to largely bolster my established Gold Member status with Air New Zealand, a Star Alliance partner. Ansett's demise forced me onto Qantas flights and into the One World alliance for good. At the time I held a dormant membership in Qantas frequent flyer program, having joined back in December 2004. How ironic that 16 years later I find my loyalty effectively locked in for life.

I wonder what the airline will offer me next?

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• Location:Horseneck Ln,Greenwich,United States