12 years ago, I choose to fly Delta connecting through Atlanta for a long-term series of weekly flights.
I made platinum medallion in 6 months, but the extra time and inevitably flight delays were NOT worth it.
If you do fly weekly, it may be worth paying the fee for the club lounge initially, especially if the airline has the lounges in the cities you visit.
Look to see if there's anything to get you frequent flyer status earlier as well. I know independent consultants who have called up airlines, stated that they were flying between x and y weekly for the next z months, and were able to get the initial level of frequent flyer status. (which gets you through security faster)
