British Airways is running a 3 day sale on business class (from today through Sunday) from $2000 roundtrip. Through December 2nd there’s also a sale on coach which includes a London stopover on the way to another European destination along with two nights hotel in Lodon.
I hate marketing doublespeak
Nov
25
2004
The only thing I hate more than devaluing points is being lied to. It’s laughable enough when Qantas describes the gutting of its award chart as “rebalancing.” But now they explain the end of mileage upgrades on discount fares as a way to support its most “loyal” customers. The changes would give “more availability to those business and first class fares rather than just somebody who books a one-off and uses the very bottom, cheapest fare and then upgrades”. “Because it is a loyalty program we’re rewarding those obviously more loyal to us,” the spokesman said. So Qantas is doing this because full fare paying passengers have been unable to buy business and first class tickets? I buy that they define loyalty as high revenue rather than high frequency or fidelity to a single airline.…
Good opportunity to complete offers on free electronics sites
Nov
25
2004
The free photo iPod and free handbag offers both show Ancestry.com at the moment — a free trial with no expense that in my experience is easy to cancel. See this post for a summary of the free electronics offers, how they work, and how to complete them. I’m a big fan, having gotten the computer, television, and iPod already.
Diners Club Transfer Bonus
Nov
25
2004
Diners Club is offering a 30% bonus on transfers to United through January 15. They’re also offering a 30% bonus on transfers to USAirways through January 31.
“Black Friday Sale” – $50 off $400 at Overstock.com
Overstock.com is offering $50 off $400 on Friday November 26th only.
Why you should keep earning miles, in spite of rising award prices
Several days ago I offered a long discussion of why I believe that frequent flyer awards will get more expensive over time, and why the best strategy is to “burn as you earn” rather than building up large balances. I also said, though, that the programs remain a good value and well worth participating in. Several readers asked if this wasn’t a contradiction. I actually believe both simultaneously. Award prices are going to go up over time, so the value of previously earned and banked miles will be diluted. At the same time it’s easier to earn new miles than ever before (part of why prices will go up in the first place) so it may not be any harder or take any longer to earn awards under new reward charts. A decade ago you…
Qantas Guts its Frequent Flyer Program
Nov
24
2004
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Qantas has gutted its frequent flyer program. First, the minor positives: some short-haul awards, such as Sydney-Melbourne in Coach, will become less expensive (20,000 points down to 16,000 points). They’re also introducing one-way awards and the ability to transfer points to eligible family members. Alas, those are the limits of the positives. Upgrades can no longer be confirmed at booking — they’re day of departure only — and they’re no longer available on discount fares, either. Elimination of upgrade credits. Instead members will receive 5000 points for every 450 Status credits earned. An increased cost for many premium class awards. Business class from Sydney to Los Angeles and Sydney to Singapore each went up 20%. First class from Sydney to Heathrow went up 28%. First class from Sydney…
The 10 Year Old Sandwich that Grows No Mold
Nov
23
2004
A 10 year old grilled cheese sandwich with an image of the Virgin Mary on it sold for $28,000 on eBay. Alas, this grilled cheese sandwich with an image of Hello Kitty is only currently pulling in $5.50. Hat tip to The Volokh Conspiracy.
Kafkesque
Nov
23
2004
Steven Aftergood writes in Slate about the growth in rules dubbed “Sensitive Security Information” as a result of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 — government rules that we have to follow but aren’t allowed to know the details of. “Before the Law stands a doorkeeper” begins Franz Kafka’s famous parable, which tells of a man who seeks “admittance to the Law” but who is denied access by the doorkeeper—something he did not expect. The Law, he thinks, “should surely be accessible at all times and to everyone.” Federal employees can’t be prosecuted for revealing the contents of such information (only fired), but they’ve been threatened with prosecution nonetheless. And the TSA has used federal funding as a carrot and stick to impose secrecy rules on local police departments. “If I hadn’t seen this contract…
Mileage audits… on the rise?
Nov
23
2004
This morning’s New York Times carries a piece by Christopher Elliott on airline audits of frequent flyer accounts. Suspicious activity can cause an airline to freeze an account and investigate. The piece suggests that audits are on the rise, but provides no evidence of this other than that audits happen. It speculates that airline financial problems have spurred more audits, but I know of no carrier that sees auditing of accounts as a meaningful new revenue source. Instead, if audits are becoming more common it’s likely due to technology. If you don’t provide your frequent flyer number on an airline reservation at booking, and then after the flight submit the boarding passes to the airline you flew as well as their partners, the various carriers are much more likely to catch that now than they…
