Megan McArdle offers a trenchant observation about those who call for greater regulation of the airline industry (I hesitate to call it ‘re-regulation’ as commercial aviation is already among the most heavily regulated industries). Like everyone else, I hate the delays and various indignities of flying. On the other hand, I like the fact that it’s costing me $100 to fly to Tampa to pick up my car in two weeks; absent deregulation, that trip would cost a lot more than twice that amount. I think it’s telling that complaints about deregulation of the airlines come almost entirely from three groups of people: 1) People who have no idea what they are talking about 2) Affluent people 3) People who fly a lot for work The third group, especially, would like to basically cut the…
basic economy
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New United Visa Offer – Up to 40,000 Bonus Miles
There’s a new United Visa offer, here are the salient details: first year free, 20,000 bonus miles with first purchase (note, no requirement for minimum spending) 10,000 bonus miles for spending $10,000 on the card in six months (if you hit the $10,000 spending threshold, it amounts to earning double miles for your first $10k in spend) 10,000 bonus miles on your first anniversary with the card (which will imply paying a $60 fee) Chase, the card issuer, is clearly trying to incentivize two things: getting new cardholders to start putting their spending on this card rather than existing cards, and getting those cardholders to keep the card a full year rather than pocketing the initial bonus and cancelling befor ethe fee comes due. For those who just want the quick mileage fix, then the…
Rating the domestic premium cabins
Domestic first class is just about a (somewhat marginally) bigger seat. Once upon a time there was a nice meal, probably a steak option and maybe a shrimp appetizer, and a made-to-order ice cream sundae to look forward to. Now you’re lucky if the food resembles the worst of what used to be served in coach. But not all domestic premium products are equal. I’d give Continental the nod for domestic food service, with United still occasionally doing a decent job under admittedly difficult financial circumstances (and additional kudos for their transcon p.s. service between JFK and both San Francisco and Los Angeles). United gets my overall nod for domestic premium offerings simply because of the amount of widebodies flying within the United States. And with the exception of the domestic configured 767-300s and a…
Spend your miles NOW (and earn more…): why mileage award prices will rise now and in the future
Over a year ago I posted on Flyertalk.com a fairly lengthy explanation of why I thought that the mileage required for most airline awards — especially premium class international awards — would go up over time. In light of Northwest’s recent announcement that its best awards would cost 25-40% more next year, I thought it prudent to recreate the argument here … So that folks can attenuate their strategies accordingly, before more airlines follow suit (which they will). The August 2003 issue of Inside Flyer had a cover story (subscription required) on making your miles last into retirement, essentially creating a mileage 401(k) plan. With all due respect to the folks at the magazine, this strikes me as the worst possible mileage strategy. Miles are worth more now than they will be tomorrow and the…
The most creative flyer I know
Steve Belkin’s latest plan has made the news. New Zealand students are being offered free flights to Europe in exchange for US firms gaining their frequent flyer points. … He said the frequent flyer points, earned through Air Canada’s “Aeroplan” scheme, would be used by US companies to get cheap business-class flights. …Belkin says he is just recruiting the people to fly. Then he finds “employers” in the US who are “basically sponsoring these students to fly”. …The scheme works like this: * A flyer gives written permission allowing a third party to have access to his or her account and to redeem award tickets. The frequent flyer points are not transferred into anyone else’s account. * The four round-trip flights in economy class between New Zealand and Western Europe generate enough frequent flyer mileage…
I Feel Safer Flying Than Living a Mile From the Pentagon…
I’m quoted on the state of business travel in light of the current unpleasantness in an article from today’s Financial Times. My basic take is that, for me, it’s safer to be flying than living a mile from the Pentagon… Business travelers will still make trips if there are opportunities, but the War (and concommitant uncertainty)’s effect on the economy might make those opportunities somewhat more scarce. If I did have to fly to London, I’d avoid US or UK flag carriers though. I told the reporter that I’d fly JFK to Heathrow on Singapore Air (and explained that Singapore, Kuwaiti, and Air India all fly the route). They somehow mixed up the quote, saying I’d choose Air India.
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