frequent flyer

Tag Archives for frequent flyer.

Should Most People Ditch Airline Miles as Credit Card Rewards?

by Gary Leff on July 24, 2018

Jul 24 2018

When it comes to domestic awards airlines are rarely going to give you 2 cents a point in value. And you’re still stuck hunting and pecking for award space rather than taking the flights you want.

As award charts devalue, and airlines charge more and more points for awards (especially when saver seats aren’t available) while paid tickets have often gotten cheaper using points to directly pay for travel makes more and more sense. In an era of regular $300-$400 roundtrips to Europe it can still make sense to pay for travel with credit card points even when it no longer makes sense to do so with airline miles.

When Your Spouse Leaves You Your First Call is.. to the Airline?

by Gary Leff on April 9, 2018

Apr 09 2018

Last month when my grandmother passed a different airline did waive part of my change fee (about $80 out of $200) in order to do an ‘even exchange’ when I rebooked to attend the funeral. And I was seated in the back of coach that’s all that was left. Even that little gesture was something.

So it’s really nice when an airline is there for you when the most important people in your life aren’t. That’s what loyalty is all about. Kudos to United.

Frequent Flyer Program Apologizes: Asking If Members Think Men are Superior to Women

by Gary Leff on April 2, 2018

Apr 02 2018

Aeroplan, the frequent flyer program that will remain associated with Air Canada until 2020, is apologizing for a survey sent out to members. They promise to delete “all data collected” from it as well.

Behave Badly Onboard and Lose Your Frequent Flyer Elite Status

by Gary Leff on March 7, 2018

Mar 07 2018

Apparently frequent flyer elite members pull the “DYKWIA” — Don’t You Know Who I Am? — card far more often than infrequent travelers. And when they do things turn ugly.

Put another way, Russian SkyTeam carrier Aeroflot says that frequent flyer elites are more likely to be unruly onboard than other passengers. Can that be possible?

Not the Best Frequent Flyer Program and Why Amex Lost Money

by Gary Leff on January 19, 2018

Jan 19 2018

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Frequent Flyer’s Scam Ends Badly and the Worst Gate in America

by Gary Leff on January 10, 2018

Jan 10 2018

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Breaking the Value Proposition: a Nail in the Skymiles Coffin

by Gary Leff on October 3, 2007

Oct 03 2007

Traditionally frequent flyer miles are redeemed for capacity controlled awards. Airlines offer a limited number of seats for redemption that they expect would otherwise go unsold. And some travelers are frustrated they can’t find the seats. But in general there’s always been the option to spend more miles in order to get any open seat. With United, it’s the “Standard” award rather than “Saver.” With Delta, this higher mileage option has been known as “SkyChoice.” But Delta has announced that as of December 1, spending double the miles no longer gets you any seat. Instead, it just gets you access to more award inventory. Now they’re not the only airline to do this. They’re following Northwest’s lead. But they’re still in the minority. Rulebuster, Standard — or whatever you want to call them — awards…

Open Enrollment Returns to British Airways Executive Club

by Gary Leff on June 1, 2007

Jun 01 2007

Nearly four years ago British Airways stopped letting just anyone sign up for their frequent flyer program. Riiff raff, non-full fare paying passengers be gone! They’ve apparently, quietly, reversed course. British Airways is once again letting anyone enroll in their Executive Club program. You no longer need to use this Starwood promo link or similar ones, eg from Diners Club, to sign up for the program.

So how many miles do YOU have?

by Gary Leff on January 11, 2006

Jan 11 2006

Randy Petersen reported some fascinating pieces of data about Delta frequent flyers: The largest current SkyMiles balance is 21,846,145 miles. …Most transoceanic segments in 2005: 61 Most miles flowm: 519,676 I have miles in my accounts. And I’m known to fly occasionally. But I’m a nobody. Nothing. A gnat. No, not even a gnat. Gnats have wings and can fly.

More Proof Of the Tremendous Economic Value of Frequent Flyer Programs

by Gary Leff on October 10, 2005

Oct 10 2005

United’s Mileage Plus is such an important economic engine that JP Morgan Chase, which issues United’s co-branded credit card, has been the largest funder of the airline’s bankruptcy. It’s BankOne unit put up hundreds of millions of dollars in debtor-in-possession financing and JP Morgan is putting up a chunk of United’s $3 billion in bankruptcy exit financing. Now a deal to extend the co-branding relationship together with a large pre-purchase of airline miles is taking the place of hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves that United would have to post to its credit card processor (which is majority-owned by JP Morgan). As part of a deal extending United’s co-branding relationship with J. P. Morgan Chase through 2012, the bank agreed to make a “substantial” advance purchase of miles from United, according to an Oct.…