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Frequent-flier frazzle
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Frequent-flier frazzle
Trying to cash in air miles can be frustrating, but here are some hints for scoring a ticket.
By ALFRED BORCOVER
Chicago Tribune
Given the sorry state of airline service, flying on a frequent-flier award ticket is a mixed blessing. Yes, it's a free ticket – or almost free after you pay the required charges and fees. But then you're rewarded for your airline allegiance by being scrunched into a packed plane that may or may not take off or arrive on time.
Hey, don't complain. At least you scored seats to your destination using hard-earned miles. But remember: Seats usually are available but not always to your destination and at the time you want go. Nevertheless, with domestic airfares soaring because of fuel surcharges, this may be the perfect summer to use miles for your vacation.
If you haven't tried to cash in frequent-flier miles lately, there are a few things you should know. While the number of flights and seats available has shrunk, airlines are still rewarding their frequent fliers. Last year some 22 million frequent fliers in North America – and a total of 45 million worldwide – filled seats, up nearly 8 percent from the previous year, according to Randy Petersen, publisher of InsideFlyer.com. Petersen has tracked frequent-flier programs since American Airlines launched the first one 27 years ago.
"Typically, it's no more difficult (to get a seat) than in years gone by," Petersen said. "Yes, the airlines are cutting back seats and so forth, but the reality is it's kind of like after 9/11. They don't cut back San Francisco, they cut back Boise, Idaho. They cut back service to some of the smaller cities they serve. And when they cut back it's typically flying the route four times a day rather than five. It's a 20 percent drop in capacity, but it's not that you can't still get there."
And when people complain about no seats available for frequent-flier awards, Petersen said, almost invariably what they are saying is there are no seats for the number of miles they're willing to use.
Everyone seeking a frequent-flier seat wants it for the minimum number of miles — usually 25,000 miles for an economy class ticket within the Continental U.S.; 50,000 or 60,000 for an economy seat to Europe, Petersen said.
And they want nonstop flights. But here's the rub: Those minimum miles rewards often are hard to get unless you opt for multiple stops or alternate airports. If you definitely want to use miles for your trip, and there are no seats available for the minimum number of miles, you'll have to cough up 50,000 miles for that domestic ticket and 100,000 miles for a seat to Europe.
As a test, I used my own frequent-flier programs with United and American and had no trouble finding award seats in late May and June for midweek travel. Using multiple dates, I found I couldn't get round-trip nonstop flights to my chosen destination – Chicago-Amsterdam – for minimum miles but could get them using maximum miles.
For each date I tried on the outbound, I was routed via New York's JFK but got a nonstop flight on the return. Using weekend dates, I found no seats for minimum miles but did for the maximum.
On my test trip from Chicago to San Diego, I had no trouble finding nonstop flights for the minimum of 25,000 miles. On a third test – Chicago-Santa Ana – I got a nonstop to Santa Ana for 25,000 miles but would have had to return from Los Angeles International, 43 miles and an hour's drive on the freeways.
Petersen says there are ways that people can increase their chances of getting an award for the lowest amount of miles:
• Adjust your schedule. Instead of trying for seats on a Saturday or Sunday, when most people leave on vacation, try for a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday departure.
• Don't take no for an answer. When you try to book your flight online using miles, as the airlines urge, and you get the word "no seats available," don't stop there.
While the airlines charge a fee for booking by phone, it may be your best shot.
The problem is the hub-and-spoke route system, Petersen explained. If the routing to your chosen destination has multiple stops, and one of those legs is not available because there are no frequent-flier seats for that leg, you'll get the message that no seats are available.
Web sites don't identify where the problem is. "That's why it pays to call the reservation center," Petersen said, "although it may cost you $25 or $50 to book through a live rep."
"Travel awards are no longer seen as a ticket to bliss," said Joe Schwieterman, a former United Airlines executive, now a professor and aviation/transportation expert at Chicago's DePaul University. "The glory days of frequent-flier programs are over."
For most people, Schwieterman said, earning miles on credit cards has eclipsed travel as a means of accumulating miles, and frequent-flier programs no longer have the great promotions. Ultimately, he said, the number of miles required for trips will rise.
What won't happen is the demise of frequent-flier programs. A recent New York Times article pointed out that "many airlines earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year by selling miles to partners like credit card companies and hotel chains" to give away for their own rewards programs.
Besides Petersen's InsideFlyer.com, other sites of interest to frequent fliers include FlyerTalk - The world's most popular frequent flyer community, FrequentFlier.com - Helping frequent flyers earn more miles and travel awards through frequent flyer program participation, and FrequentFlier Mileport - Retrieves all your frequent flier account data from over 105 online loyalty programs.
Travel: Frequent-flier frazzle | miles, seats, frequent, airplane - OCRegister.com
Frequent-flier frazzle
Trying to cash in air miles can be frustrating, but here are some hints for scoring a ticket.
By ALFRED BORCOVER
Chicago Tribune
Given the sorry state of airline service, flying on a frequent-flier award ticket is a mixed blessing. Yes, it's a free ticket – or almost free after you pay the required charges and fees. But then you're rewarded for your airline allegiance by being scrunched into a packed plane that may or may not take off or arrive on time.
Hey, don't complain. At least you scored seats to your destination using hard-earned miles. But remember: Seats usually are available but not always to your destination and at the time you want go. Nevertheless, with domestic airfares soaring because of fuel surcharges, this may be the perfect summer to use miles for your vacation.
If you haven't tried to cash in frequent-flier miles lately, there are a few things you should know. While the number of flights and seats available has shrunk, airlines are still rewarding their frequent fliers. Last year some 22 million frequent fliers in North America – and a total of 45 million worldwide – filled seats, up nearly 8 percent from the previous year, according to Randy Petersen, publisher of InsideFlyer.com. Petersen has tracked frequent-flier programs since American Airlines launched the first one 27 years ago.
"Typically, it's no more difficult (to get a seat) than in years gone by," Petersen said. "Yes, the airlines are cutting back seats and so forth, but the reality is it's kind of like after 9/11. They don't cut back San Francisco, they cut back Boise, Idaho. They cut back service to some of the smaller cities they serve. And when they cut back it's typically flying the route four times a day rather than five. It's a 20 percent drop in capacity, but it's not that you can't still get there."
And when people complain about no seats available for frequent-flier awards, Petersen said, almost invariably what they are saying is there are no seats for the number of miles they're willing to use.
Everyone seeking a frequent-flier seat wants it for the minimum number of miles — usually 25,000 miles for an economy class ticket within the Continental U.S.; 50,000 or 60,000 for an economy seat to Europe, Petersen said.
And they want nonstop flights. But here's the rub: Those minimum miles rewards often are hard to get unless you opt for multiple stops or alternate airports. If you definitely want to use miles for your trip, and there are no seats available for the minimum number of miles, you'll have to cough up 50,000 miles for that domestic ticket and 100,000 miles for a seat to Europe.
As a test, I used my own frequent-flier programs with United and American and had no trouble finding award seats in late May and June for midweek travel. Using multiple dates, I found I couldn't get round-trip nonstop flights to my chosen destination – Chicago-Amsterdam – for minimum miles but could get them using maximum miles.
For each date I tried on the outbound, I was routed via New York's JFK but got a nonstop flight on the return. Using weekend dates, I found no seats for minimum miles but did for the maximum.
On my test trip from Chicago to San Diego, I had no trouble finding nonstop flights for the minimum of 25,000 miles. On a third test – Chicago-Santa Ana – I got a nonstop to Santa Ana for 25,000 miles but would have had to return from Los Angeles International, 43 miles and an hour's drive on the freeways.
Petersen says there are ways that people can increase their chances of getting an award for the lowest amount of miles:
• Adjust your schedule. Instead of trying for seats on a Saturday or Sunday, when most people leave on vacation, try for a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday departure.
• Don't take no for an answer. When you try to book your flight online using miles, as the airlines urge, and you get the word "no seats available," don't stop there.
While the airlines charge a fee for booking by phone, it may be your best shot.
The problem is the hub-and-spoke route system, Petersen explained. If the routing to your chosen destination has multiple stops, and one of those legs is not available because there are no frequent-flier seats for that leg, you'll get the message that no seats are available.
Web sites don't identify where the problem is. "That's why it pays to call the reservation center," Petersen said, "although it may cost you $25 or $50 to book through a live rep."
"Travel awards are no longer seen as a ticket to bliss," said Joe Schwieterman, a former United Airlines executive, now a professor and aviation/transportation expert at Chicago's DePaul University. "The glory days of frequent-flier programs are over."
For most people, Schwieterman said, earning miles on credit cards has eclipsed travel as a means of accumulating miles, and frequent-flier programs no longer have the great promotions. Ultimately, he said, the number of miles required for trips will rise.
What won't happen is the demise of frequent-flier programs. A recent New York Times article pointed out that "many airlines earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year by selling miles to partners like credit card companies and hotel chains" to give away for their own rewards programs.
Besides Petersen's InsideFlyer.com, other sites of interest to frequent fliers include FlyerTalk - The world's most popular frequent flyer community, FrequentFlier.com - Helping frequent flyers earn more miles and travel awards through frequent flyer program participation, and FrequentFlier Mileport - Retrieves all your frequent flier account data from over 105 online loyalty programs.
Travel: Frequent-flier frazzle | miles, seats, frequent, airplane - OCRegister.com
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