Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for December 2005.

Two Elite Changes at American

by Gary Leff on December 15, 2005

american airlines plane

Dec 15 2005

American AAdvantage Gold elite status can be obtained for 25,000 miles or 30 segments. Platinum is 50,000 miles or 60 segments. (Both can also be obtained via a fasttrack challenge.) However, Executive Platinum has been obtainable only by flying 100,000 miles — so segment qualification existed for the “EXP” level. Supposedly American will announce shortly that next year they’ll introduce segment qualification for their top elite level. Just like United, 100 segments flown in a year will earn top-tier elite status. American has also announced a price increase for 500-mile segment upgrades. They’ll go from $25 to $30 when purchased online or at a kiosk. Over the phone or otherwise ‘assisted’ the price will be $35.

Is Ted Stevens Even Worse Than the TSA?

by Gary Leff on December 14, 2005

Jacob Sullum finds himself defending the TSA against an even bigger idiot. As the New York Times piece he cites explains Mr. Hawley said that checkpoint screeners were opening one bag in four to look for scissors and small tools spotted on X-rays, and that this was a distraction from identifying greater threats. “It’s not about scissors, it’s about bombs,” Mr. Hawley testified. “Sorting through thousands of bags a day at two or three minutes apiece to sort out small scissors and tools does not help security. It hurts it.” But Stevens wants to reduce the number of bags going through checkpoints, to make it easier for the TSA to Take Scissors Away: Mr. Stevens proposed instead that the security agency reduce the number of bags that passengers may carry on board to one from…

Mileage Pro Book Available with Free Shipping

by Gary Leff on December 14, 2005

Just got my copy of Mileage Pro in the mail. I plan to read it on my flight to Miami Friday morning. Alas, I ordered too early — OAG is offering free shipping through December 31st with promo code DGD5MY (I’d have saved $3.95!). Use the promo code at checkout and hit ‘recalculate’ and the cost of shipping and handling will come off. Oh well, I paid full price for shipping when I ordered it a week or so ago. I guess that’ll help me give the book for Christmas. An introduction to the book and free chapter can be found here.

Northwest’s Customers are Just Dying to Earn Miles

by Gary Leff on December 13, 2005

nwa-planes

Dec 13 2005

Northwest now requires travelers seeking a bereavement fare to join its frequent flyer program first. Jokes about bereavement fares are probably in poor taste, so I’ll leave it at that.

More Devaluation of Amtrak Guest Rewards

by Gary Leff on December 13, 2005

Amtrak has announced changes to its reward chart effective January 3, 2006. Business and first class redemptions on Acela Express and Metroliner trains go up 500 points apiece (to 8,000 and 10,500 each way respectively). $50 gift cards go from 5000 points to 6000 points, a 20% increase. It used to be that Amtrak points were worth a penny apiece when redeemed for merchandise at this level. That penny-a-point parity threshold has now been breached. However, if you want to retain that purchasing power you’ll need to redeem 10,000 points for newly introduced $100 gift cards set to be on offer next month. I got the news in my online statement which arrived by e-mail today. Three weeks notice isn’t enough for these kinds of changes — but it’s better than the no-notice changes Amtrak…

US Citizens Permitted to Visit North Korea in 2006

by Gary Leff on December 13, 2005

My colleague Curtis passes along that Koryo Tours will be making available North Korea trips for US citizens in 2006. They brought 150 of the total 190 US citizens attending the Arirang Mass Games in 2005, and North Korea will be repeating the games in 2006. Tours are offered from Beijing. Scroll down to the bottom part of the page for details on US citizens visiting the DPRK. Personally I find visiting the country to be intriguing, it’s one of the most backward repressive regimes on the planet and international exchange and visits can only serve to open it up to the rest of the world and benefit its people. I’m also not concerned about the government earning foreign currency from visitors, to some extent even that can only serve to help a people while…

Is Elite Status Less Special?

by Gary Leff on December 13, 2005

Scott McCartney’s Wall Street Journal column argues today that airline offers making elite status easier to earn are swelling the ranks and diluting the benefits. Being an elite-level frequent flier won’t be quite as special next year. Eager to raise cash and satisfy their credit-card company partners — who have propped up struggling airlines financially — several carriers have made it easier to qualify for premium-level status as an enticement to spend more on credit cards. Some recent offers have also made it a banner year for “mileage runs,” trips made solely to push mileage totals over qualifying thresholds. As a result, the ranks of premium travelers who get perks like upgrades, exit-row seating and preboarding privileges are swelling — eroding the exclusivity long associated with elite status. By one count, the number of elites…

ING Direct Up to 3.75% Interest

by Gary Leff on December 13, 2005

Just realized that my ING Direct savings account is now paying out 3.75% interest. Not bad for a savings account. Not bad for a 12-month CD for that matter (not the best, mind you, but more than many). I only keep short-term dollars there, money I’m likely to need soon, but I find it quite easy to make fee-free electronic transfers between it and my two checking accounts. (Which also makes it a good workaround to make free electronic transfers between those two checking accounts.)

Dive in the dumpster, fly on the plane

by Gary Leff on December 12, 2005

Last month I reported on the Wendys/Airtran promo where you earn a free roundtrip ticket for 64 sodas. Naturally, this seems to be leading to a rash of dumpster diving. Danielle and a friend spent nearly two hours digging through dozens of grease- and ketchup-smeared garbage bags outside two Manhattan Wendy’s restaurants searching for soft drink cups with AirTran frequent-flier coupons printed on the side. In all, the pair collected about 330 cups, more than enough for two round-trip flights for each of them. “It’s pretty disgusting work, especially when you grab a handful of chewed meat,” says Danielle, who asked that her full name be withheld to ensure that AirTran would honor her claim. “But it’s about the only way I can afford to see my family [in San Luis Obispo, Calif.].” … Some…

Save more!

by Gary Leff on December 12, 2005

Jane Galt offers good basic financial advice. I do pretty well — readers of this blog know I can get quite a bit out of a buck, and often not just in travel — but I know I don’t save enough, and like Tyler Cowen I’m not going to give up on eating out. But it’s still worth clubbing myself over the head every now and then about what best practices ought to be.

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.

Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »