Getting base level elite status is the most important milestone. Though, as the piece mentions, frequent flyer miles are somewhat tougher to redeem due to higher miles requirements and fewer seats, the benefits are the reason to obtain it. Special check in lines, early boarding, lounge membership discounts, and selecting the best coach seats for free or a steep discount are outstanding perks. From there it's incrementally better with higher tiers such as no fee changes, priority rebooking if there's a problem, and free upgrades. While those higher tiers are nice, flyers must resist the temptation to chase after them following achieving base elite status. Fly what you would normally fly and keep track of miles. Only if you're very close, add a flight. If you're not close to the next level, use miles for free flights for the rest of the year. Since the use of such miles doesn't count toward status, another great use for them is on international flights to get access to flat bed pods.
2
Back in the days we flew Continental a lot and we usually went with them even if the tickets were a little more. We managed to redeem miles for international flights several times. I am not a frequent flier but we have our share of a several domestic and at least one or two international flights. Honestly, I have zero loyalty. Just give me some legroom. Ever 1/4” is appreciated. I am not counting on entertainment, snacks or free alcoholic beverages. I just want to leave the plain and not feel like I was in a can of sardines for five hours.
3
For those making rude remarks about the chocolate bar on Ms. Umbach's Seattle to Boise flight, she is flying Horizon Air (Alaska's puddle-jumper division) and it's about 400 air miles between the two locations (which makes it a local flight out here). There really isn't time for a food or beverage service so the chocolate bar (probably either Seattle Chocolate, Theo, or Fran's--all locally made chocolates) is just a small treat that can be eaten off the plane if she so chooses.
Many of us in Seattle fly Alaska because not only are they our local airline (HQ in SeaTac WA) we are their major hub and it's easy to get direct flights to many major US cities (plus most everywhere we want to go in WA, AK, OR, ID and CA) on either Alaska or Horizon.
2
Yes, a short hop. I have a nephew who is early in his career and flying for Horizon based out of Boise. He hopes to be with Alaska Airlines in a few years.
Alaska always does exceptionally well in customer rating comparisons with other airlines. And its stock has performed extremely well the last few years, compared to other airlines.
2
Can we please have a high-speed rail service as good as third-world Asian countries? I would much rather endure an extra few hours of spacious, quiet train travel without having to burn an entire T. rex of remains to get to Chicago from the East Coast. Also, not having to go through security and taxiing on a runway forever would be extra pluses!
14
One more vote for those who say customer loyalty is dead because business loyalty is dead. It's google travel for me.
3
The bag of peanuts says it all. That's why I fly American.
The expiring air miles is why I refuse to fly American!
1
My wife and I fly about 5 times a year, 3 international trips and 2 domestic. We fly mostly United, but this year we switched to Volaris for its direct connection from Chicago to Leon/Guanajuato, and in the summer we will fly SAS direct from Chicago to Copenhagen. Each year we are within reach of Silver Status on United, some years we make it other years we don't. Last year I was offered an upgrade to Gold Status for a fee. After some consideration I paid the fee. Apart from free checked bags and access to United Lounges (international only), the best feature for us has been the ability to buy an option for business class seats. For a refundable $500 and 40,000 miles (if we are not upgraded) we have upgraded on a number of international flights. This is the feature of Gold Status that we like best. Unfortunately, I will lose the Gold Status in March, then its back to the drawing board.
1
back in the day, I had a decade+ of status on usair. The lounge was nice. Special check in line was great. First on the plane, awesome. Upgrades were almost automatic. Emergency aisle or bulkhead seats when upgrades were not available was a great plus. Free checked bags saved me a ton of cash over the years. Then it changed, right about the time of the merger. Rarely if ever upgraded. Waiting periods before I could book a decent seat. And on from there. In exchange for my loyalty (and the often pricier tickets) I got little or nothing of equal value in return. So I gave it up. I'm happier now, and instead of hoarding the miles for an around the world first class seat I'm using them (when the"price" is right) in exchange for ultra long haul business class seats. The exception is ultra long haul international flights. My status on Cathay is worth the extra price of the ticket. For now, at least.
1
We've allowed ourselves to be maneuvered into five major domestic airlines in the United States. As competition has consolidated, many appear driven by little else than investors seeking more money for themselves, with the larger ones increasing fares, adding numerous extra fees, and reducing frequent flier benefits. How about an article showing a comparison of airlines that provide the best, affordable service? Ms. Umbach's chocolate bar aside. the current state of airline travel offers little other than barely enough legroom to avoid deep vein thrombosis. Barely.
17
FF miles are at best a hassle, and as for the perks of the lounge, seat upgrade or free luggage we simply resign ourselves to an uncomfortable time in airports and on shorter flights. Our low expectations of the entire flight experience allows us to just book cheapest flight at the best times for us.
18
@Dee Sure, thats fine for you. These perks hardly are a luxury but they do turn flying from a negative to a neutral experience and thats important to me.
2
I am Delta Gold and my husband is Delta Platinum. We travel a lot internationally. We never get upgrades anymore. We have airline attendants come around and thank us for our patronage. Whoop de doo. I use to love Delta medallion status and all the perks. Now, we are getting rid of our Delta American Express card. Far better to use our A.E. Platinum or Chase Sapphire or even our Amazon card. Minneapolis/St. Paul hub is the most expensive large city hub for flight prices in the U.S. If Delta doesn't give us any reason to use their airlines, not even a bump up to Economy Comfort, why bother?
8
@PLH Crawford I know this may not necessarily be the point, but you should be getting complimentary Comfort+ on your flights as a Platinum, FYI. If that isn't happening, you might want to double check how you're booking it.
4
I’m not going to spend a ton of money with an airline to get a chocolate bar.
7
Think of it as a participation trophy.
Fly Southwest. Great program and oh so simple
I say this as someone who has 5 million miles an AMerican Airlines....and I just couldnt take the rudeness any more
3
White Wine...good lord.
1
Taking a long flight to rack up miles? That is simply disgusting. We are destroying our environment. Air travel is a huge contributor to the crisis that is global warming and here we learn people are taking completely pointless "long haul" flights so they can get what - "lounge access". Give your head a shake.
8
Haha! Pay the "ticket price" and take your place in the crib sized position you assume on the flight.
“Hey honey - you know that Advantage card we use because it gets us ‘free’ miles? Let’s get a ‘no-fee’ card, instead.”
2
I don't understand. Almost all of us knows this. Why don't you write about how to deal with it, what software/apps can be used, what websites can help? This seems written as an after though by the author because the deadline approached. Chocolate Bar???
3
I’ve been retired 7 years. I’m “Lifetime Gold” with United (I think that’s what it is called) which gives us free luggage, a level of priority boarding and economy plus seating. I chuckled when I read this piece. Every few years, a similar article is written as the airlines add new wrinkles to their “reward” programs. They remind me of insurance companies- you think you know what you bought until you read the lawyerly fine print, and you realize things are not what they appear to be! I was happy to get whatever “extras” the airlines or hotels were willing to give me when I flew almost every week for 12-15 years. Admittedly, I got caught up in the rats maze of qualifications to ensure my continued “status.”(One used to be able to qualify on segments which was an advantage to me since I lived in a mid sized city forcing me to connect in a hub city). But, make no mistake. Once you retire, and cease the endless travel, the airlines don’t know that you existed- well, maybe a little. I’d rather trade the peace and quiet of a hike in the National Forest outside our property, than sweating nervous bullets wondering if I’ll get over the next qualification threshold. The airlines giveth and the airlines taketh away. So, I happily use United a few times a year to see my Mom, but flew Emirates to Africa last summer which was an amazing service experience. Southwest works fine and I enjoy the “democratization” of their travel.We are merely lines of code in the airline’s system.
10
Airline reward programs have hollowed out to the point of losing their value. The programs for the airlines are now yet another place to extract even more profit from customers just as baggage fees, "upgrades" and flight change fees are.
I focus instead on my VISA travel rewards card instead. Miles accumulate every day that I use the card. They are redeemable with all the major airlines with no restrictions whatsoever. Whatever airline miles I pick up in the meantime accumulate as an unexamined bonus.
2
Just reading this was too much of an effort. I had my own lesson on frequent flyer miles. I was booking a trip to Europe and needed to buy extra points to complete my trip. I think it was for a hotel room. So I called the hotel and they quoted me a price that was about 1/2 the price of buying extra miles. I booked directly with the hotel.
Now I have a credit card that I pay the majority of my bills and other expenses on. I can easily accumulate $500 cash in about 6 months. That goes a long way paying for travel.
5
I joined United MP in the late 80s, when I lived on the west coast and the family on the east (both hubs).
I have been consciously flying United ever since in order to earn a comp ticket to Europe : through the merger with Continental (where I also had pts); a trip to a wedding in OZ (the miles earned on that trip were expired shortly before the merger took effect, although Continental's miles didn't); and some less than acceptable experiences on the airline.
Right now, I have one specific overseas goal. But the miles needed, as well as just earning them, keeps changing. I see the goalpost ahead - but it keeps moving.
And frankly, I'm no longer convinced this is ever going to happen. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet, use what miles I do have on an attainable goal, and start flying based on cost and experience (and not in that order).
So much for basic level loyalty.
6
Suffering through this article calls out the greater question and solution. Stop playing the game of rewards and focus on the purpose and most effective travel required for business or pleasure.
1
The only people getting and using rewards are people that wildly overpay for tickets or credit cards, usually through their employer. Ever seen what First Class looks like in 2019? Supermodels as in the 60’s? No, overweight technical reps, usually with heavy equipment in the overhead bins, that spend 48 weeks a year on the road. No envy from this guy as I pass through First.
If Democrats are that upset about tax loopholes, how about taxing people for redeeming rewards? Or killing airline rules that prevent stockholders, the real funding source for overpriced tickets, from collectively getting the rewards points that they paid for via corporate travel dollars?
2
While reading this article, I could not help but think of the modern casino industry - consolidation that erodes and often nearly eliminates competition, harder-to-earn perks, and increasingly lavish treatment of the high-rollers - all at to what looks like the detriment of the typical customer.
An important fact that is rarely mentioned in any "State of the industry" article - no matter what the industry: most large companies have enormous piles of data and a scale that makes it profitable to endlessly analyze their operations and run experiments. This will often mean the typical customer gets squeezed whenever someone can figure out that there is surplus value going to the customer that the company can profitably reduce. The generic claim of a "frequent flier program" may be enticing enough for many customers to surrender more data and stay with one airline even if they are unlikely to ever receive a meaningful benefit.
This is not all bad news. The competition over the very wealthy and OPM travellers (those using other people's money) justifies more frequent and predictable flights for everyone. It also means training staff to treat some customers like royalty, which might indirectly lead to treating other customers better - at least until the employee can determine the customer's rating and adjust accordingly.
1
Does ANYONE think of the carbon footprint involved in all of this flying? We should all be traveling less, but jet planes are the worst. Obviously all those with these high levels of frequent flyer status care nothing about the environment or the quality of life that their children and ours will have.
4
@kate You have a point. I remember the day after 9/11 when all flights were grounded. The skies were amazingly clear. I have never forgotten that.
1
Oh good grief! Such a judgmental pronouncement out of Dublin.
Many of us travel to other continents to conduct research, so please be more tolerant.
I have worked with endangered animals and ecosystems.
1
My fiance and I love watching Adam Ruins Everything on Tru TV. On the Adam Ruins Flying episode he points out the obvious - these rewards are actually built into the cost of all tickets.
Does anybody really think that they are getting anything for free?
The first day of Econ 101 40 years ago we were taught there is no such thing as a free lunch. That' s yet to change.
3
I'm sorry, saying you need a PhD to figure this out is an understatement. I have a PhD. From Oxford. And I can't figure it out because the airlines keep changing things just when I think I have it figured out.
25
I have flown 100,000 for 125,000 miles/year for more than 25,000 years. The only major US carrier which tries to treat frequent flyers well is Alaska, despite the hoops inherent in its program. Also, let’s not forget thE “special status” FFs, like American’s concierge key flyers - the only FFs with consistent early boarding status on the airline. Gate agents and flight attendants are instructed not to tell passengers the qualifications. As best I can tell, the most important criterion to qualify, in addition to 100,000 miles minimum, appears to be purchasing at least $50,000 in tickets. A year. Even at today’s prices, this requires nothing but full fair, first class tickets on every flight.
The spoke-and-hub system allows airlines to lock flyers into one dominant airline - think Atlanta-Delta, Dallas-American or Houston-United. If you are flying from most major hubs and want a non-stop flight - essential given the constant drumbeat of late flights, canceled flights and especially unpleasant experiences, you must use the dominant airline. The major exception is when flying from one hub to another. Of course, is you arrive on a non-hub airline, your arrival airport is a miserable experience. Try flying into Atlanta.
As for aggregators, they make their real money from airlines, so don’t expect much relief from that quarter. If you want a good flight experience, fly international.
2
@Alan "I have flown 100,000 for 125,000 miles/year for more than 25,000 years." That's amazing.
13
There is an important, less quantifiable, benefit. One's
"status" (Gold/Silver/whatever...) is clearly visible to
the agents. My experience is that higher status leads to
much more personalized service. One time we were
snowbound and the agents spent a good half-hour rearranging our tickets and popping for a cab to the not so nearby airport where we would fly out of. Would they have done this if we were not frequent fliers. Maybe, but I really doubt it.
1
Actually, frequent flier miles are easier to use than ever, and cheaper on many airlines. As a Delta Platinum member I often find tickets that are much 'cheaper' and more flexible than the cash ticket; I went to Paris on 43,000 (a $700 equivalent) miles but the same cash ticket was $1,500. Also, there are no more blackout dates and fewer restrictions than in the past. When it comes to qualifying miles and dollars-- the best way is to upgrade tickets. Many status customers will fly an extra trip or two to each year to keep their status; they could do this by upgrading to first on a few flights. The best bet to keeping it all straight? Use the app to manage your account and you'll make the best use of all your time dollars and miles.
1
If you have a Delta Platinum American Express card, you get a free companion domestic ticket on the anniversary of your card renewal each year. That is easily worth more than the card fee! Plus you have free checked baggage.
2
Great. I've managed to use up almost all my miles, decoupling myself from the ridiculous games. I want to pick my flights based on cost (including bogus and made-up fees, change fees and "insurance"), convenient times and length of flight, locations of airports, cost of ground transportation, and preference for non-stops.
I find that search engines still lacking in providing comparisons with all the necessary information.
5
Southwest's policy is pretty simple: fly 25 flights, you're A-list. Since there's no first class on Southwest, it doesn't get you much besides automatic check-in and the privilege of being one of the first on the plane to pick out your unassigned seat. It doesn't get you any free baggage, either, since everybody gets to check 2 bags for free. Hmmm, maybe the secret of Southwest's success is that they treat EVERYBODY like top tier customers.
42
25,000 miles on Delta only gets you the entry-level Silver Medallion status, not the more exalted Platinum level.
4
I'm Diamond Medallion at Delta. Love the perks, but what isn't addressed in this article is the addictive nature of climbing the Medallion status ladder. It's almost like a narcotic to we frequent flyers. So much so that there have been years when I've been just short of achieving Diamond Status in late December and have booked otherwise meaningless round-trip flights ON THE SAME DAY just so I can earn enough miles or segments to move up to the desired status level. (I once spent over a thousand dollars to do this: True addiction if it ever existed.)
And God help me, if it comes down to a few miles or segments this year, I'll do it again. I'd attend or even start a support group for people like me, but I already know I'd be the first to relapse.
9
@Hal - Find a support group on the other side of the country that you have to fly to :)
3
All these "deals" and the algorithms you need to interact are a foretaste of the robot world. In the robot world it is customers, patients, clients, etc., who do the work. Lucky me with my personal device I get to "manage" everything!
The amount of time I spend on various sites, each with its annoying and different features I must learn, grows as each business, professional office, etc., lets me know they have created a "convenient" new portal for me to use! Another robot that I must work for and comply with its exacting, time-consuming
features for my "convenience."
4
My husband flies weekly, sometimes biweekly, to and from destinations in the south east and to NYC from Atlanta. He is what should be considered a premium customer. His company shells out whatever the cost is to get him to and from meetings, always coach unless abroad, at the last minute. He rolls his eyes when I ask how his flight was or if he was upgraded. Premium super secret deluxe diamond plus plus customers are now the ones who put their all their groceries and amazon shipments on their airline credit cards, not the business travelers who are the bread and butter for the Deltas and American Airlines of the flying world.
I wonder if the folks who don’t pay off their balance monthly on these cards, those who pay the insane 18-30% interest rate, sat down to see what the actual dollar amount they shell out to be a glorious zone 1 or to choose their seat. I think many would be astounded. Nothing in life is free folks.
5
@Alicia
Yeah, I'm one of those who uses my Amex card for everything I can, but I pay off the balance each month and haven't been charged interest in over 10 years now. I've racked up enough miles on Delta for a few domestic flights and two trips to Europe (and have enough miles now for another trip to Europe).
It works, for sure, and if you shop smartly with your miles, it's not hard to get a good flight for the minimum miles needed.
I'll bump up the comfort level on long flights--as I recall, it was only $150-ish to do so--and get waved into the express line at security because that's a perk when one uses AMEX, apparently.
3
Alaska Air may not be the most relevant airline for an article like this. I'm not sure a huge percentage of global business travelers are focused on the perks at Alaskan. Perplexing.
7
@Ted-The business world does not completely revolve around the East Coast, thank goodness. Alaska has an awesome award program, and with it's merger with Virgin America, well worth looking into. As to those who say they're now driving or taking rail, I have always found it difficult, Google Maps not withstanding, to get to Hawaii (Alaska's best award perk) via either manner of transportation.
3
Flyers need to understand that many aspects of all FF programs are simply those of a lottery. One gets a chance to win a free trip, an upgrade, etc; there is certainly no guarantee and for many participants the odds are poorer than ever. Only a few perks are assured, such as a free first bag check. Everyone has a different situation, but for me it's a no-brainer to passively participate in a program, but quite foolish to schedule an extra trip or inconvenient routing just to earn my lottery ticket. This is especially true now that most airlines have dramatically dropped the pricing on domestic first class, and a reputable consolidator can generally get international business class tix at near-coach prices.
4
In LA you need an attorney with you to determine when and if you can park your car on a city street.
2
While I am Gold for life with American, I only use the perc for baggage anymore. For years I flew "free" with my frequent flyer miles to many international locations and enjoyed it to the point that I would buy miles for that purpose. For several years now, it has become impossible for me (not wanting to fly to out-of-the-way locations with multiple stops) to use those miles except for a short trip to other US cities. Upgrades--forget it--I've had a balance in that account for several years now. I'm not bitter just sad at the state of corporate loyalty (or lack thereof).
12
@TalkToThePaw you may be able to "spend" some of those miles on hotels for your next trip? I used most of the miles I had accrued in my United account recently on hotels in Paris. My $$ cost was approx $55 total for 7 nights hotel stay - the rest was paid for by miles. And nice options were available. Made the trip to France a little more affordable.
1
@Kristi High
Thanks for your recommendation; I will look into that. I have used a Marriott points program in the past for (actually free) hotels much more successfully than using airline miles for flights but Marriott has gotten so large who knows how much longer that will be true.
@TalkToThePaw I'm in a similar 'boat' (plane?). I've Platinum for life on American and have 158 upgrades in my account (most purchased). I've not been able to use an upgrade for more than three years....
Years ago, when my husband racked up travel miles on business trips, the last thing he often wanted to do was get on a plane for vacation! Admittedly, when we did travel, using those miles really helped a family of four afford a wonderful time. Now as retirees, we don’t even bother to try to use a miles program as it’s not worth the aggravation for the two to three times a year we fly. Instead we pay extra for premium seats on long haul trips and make the best of it. No air travel is fun anymore so why try to adhere to all the codicils of mileage programs?
21
Since the 'golden age' of flying in the 70's real airline ticket prices have dropped by over 50%. You get what you pay for - an airline ticket is one of the few genuine bargains of this century.
12
@SteveRR
"... airline ticket prices have dropped by over 50%."
Yes, but what you leave out of that misleading equation is just how drastically the overall 'experience' of flying has also plummeted. Comfort is the very last thing these corporate ghouls think about when it comes to their passengers.
So, in a nutshell, its a numbers game in a swindler's paradise that even the relatively wealthy cannot win.
5
How nice for you. Now tell that to people who live in places like Peoria. Or Springfield (pick one). Or Jackson (pick any).
@lowereastside
And who encourages or at least enables the decline in comfort? Could it be bargain-hunting customers who will put up with just about anything to save $20?
We fly every 3-4 months, long distances, and have zero loyalty to any airline. Put us in the "just don't care" category.
20
While upgrades to first class are rare for me as a Delta silver (second level status after general member), I usually get “upgraded” to economy plus, so that’s a nice perk. As more first class seats are sold outright, there are very few left for free upgrades, so I don’t fret about them.
5
Delta is the only US airline that spoke out against NRA positions.
Every time I fly Delta, I thank the counter agents, the flight attendants and pilot for the fact Delta did that! I say that the stance fits in with their commitment to "safety first".
And I have greater loyalty to them because they took the public position against the NRA.
76
We love Delta. The Delta American Express compounds how fast we rack up miles. And we appreciate that for frequent fliers (my husband silver, me gold status), there are sales where we can cash far fewer miles to achieve a flight for a limited time.
I use the combo of dollars and points to bring down the price of one flight each year.
I appreciate that miles never expire on Delta, too! ( Unlike American!)
I do find, however, that not one of the USA carriers is as reasonable as absolutely wonderful Air Canada for travel comfort and prices to Asia.
I will be doing one AC flight to Europe this spring for huge savings--but Delta price is good this summer to Scandinavia.
Book well half year in advance, when possible!
8
I am planning an upcoming vacation and only looking at sites that are close enough to drive to, because I find flying kind of stressful and expensive.
5
As these companies are trying to cut costs by cutting from their loyal customers, I've decided to do the same: I pick the cheapest airline that offers my required level of service and have zero loyalty.
34
This is all just an offensive, off putting, affront to the flying public.
The overall impact is to appear to bribe certain customers at the expense of others.
It is doing everything an America institution shouldn't be doing, unequal, prohibitive , exclusionary.
23
@Richitt
Then don't fly.
These airlines are private businesses, and are free to conduct commerce in any way that suits them and their customers, provided they meet contractural and safety regs. And the airlines have business models based on American human nature, that includes lots of desires, sometimes conflicting, such as seeking status and bargain hunting.
As for what to expect on a plane, I prefer a bit of inequality (I would rather pay a bit more for larger seats and better service, others want the cheapest possible fares and will put up with cramped seating), prohibition (nice to think that in the confined cabin space we share for hours, some behavior is not allowed), and exclusion (as a private conveyance, those who choose not to pay do not fly).
6
Don't fly? That's helpful. Enjoy your privilege!
@Lorem Ipsum
My "privilege" is something I worked to pay for, and decide what vendor to engage with.
Do you think air travel is a natural right?
1
What do you expect from corporations intent on nickel and diming you to death? I’m not sure why I bother with gathering skymiles as I don’t want their overpricd useless goods and I’ll never have enough to be of use for to make my flight better. It is already difficult to even figure out the different ticket categories and exactly what you get! I remember a time when tickets were first class or regular and you could always check one bag (also airline staff was actually happy to welcome you as a passenger not cattle). Granted today’s public is truly bizarre - have to stop watching those videos of crazy airline passengers).
1
Folks, lose your iphones, get off the treadmill to nowhere, and understand that every major business in the U.S. is running a con job on you. Their job (along with their marketing and legal clowns) is to separate you from your money, not to "reward" you with anything.
66
@george eliot
By far, the most clear-eyed and pertinent comment here.
3
"[A]irline programs have become less rewarding. Tickets cost more to redeem, and because flights are fuller, they are harder to redeem[.]"
In a nutshell, this is the flaw of any alternative currency. Whether miles or points or something else (lookin' at you, bitcoin), it's worth only what its issuer says it's worth. And when it's devalued, what's your recourse?
Here in, ahem, flyover country, the miles I accrue are worth well less than a penny. So I'll take my credit-card rewards in cash and save my rapidly dwindling cognitive reserve for other purposes, like The Times's new Letter Box puzzle!
7
Good grief. It's not that hard. Let's start with revising your own expectations. On the face of it, frequent flyer miles are too good to be true. You should be skeptical. So just assume that what you're getting is a coupon--remember those?--with a lot of conditions attached.
People somehow manage to use all sorts of coupons and deals to get discounts and free stuff as long as they do it during X and Y date, the item is not on sale, only at participating locations, etc. One would think that intelligent people would be pre-conditioned to understanding the terms of a discount.
In summary, stop whining about this.
14
If you are only an occasional flier with enough miles on your frequent flier account to fly somewhere people actually want to fly to, say Hawaii, you have to book months if not years ahead and prepare to fly strapped to a wing on a redeye departing at 3:30 a.m. with stops in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and Chicago before you get to Oahu. If you're flying to some boring place in the Midwest, you only have to spend 5,000 miles for a direct flight and can book the day before you fly.
16
@Christy
Wait, you mean its all based on supply and demand? What a racket!
5
This article is, sadly, of little use to anyone who does not often fly Alaska, or Southwest, or JetBlue, or such airlines with little presence in Miami, among other major airports. Would that it’s author had told us in similar detail the negatives associated with the frequent flyer programs of American, Delta, and United, for example, which, together with their code share partners carry many more passengers to many more destinations.
3
i'll be honest, i have had the worst experience with american airlines vis a vis my miles (almost 800,000 of them!). i can't get upgrades for one - they told me that it would take a year of booking ahead to get an upgrade to business class to europe. and there were no dates available for an upgrade on a red-eye flight to new york. i'm so disgusted that i'll wait and flat out buy a couple of tickets and move on to jet blue and jet blue mint when i'm feeling flush. now THAT is an airliner! fooey on american airlines.
12
@Angela
I've found that in order to get a "Business Saver" award to Europe through United it's necessary to book 360 days ahead on one of their partners, like Austrian or LOT, but they can be found for as little as 70,000 miles each way.
3
Try AA partner airlines. For example, I never had much luck with United from a hub airport but was able to get on Lufthansa a couple times to Europe in business and first class.
7
I switched to a hotel chain credit card a few years ago and now use it for free stays at luxury hotels. Never a problem redeeming. I gave up trying to use my AA card to upgrade to Europe.
This piece addresses a true "First World" problem. I don't know too many people who fly the volume that is required to acheive elite status. I generally fly with intention; point A to point B, never looking looking for a pat on the back, nor a chocolate bar. Deciphering the costs of flying is similar to figuring out the cost of health care delivery. I can't really afford much of either
35
@David Hoffman
"I can't really afford much of either."
Ok, but many, many people can!
Also - we do live in the "First World" and experience all it's attendant problems. When people snark about 'first world problems' I always point out that there is no inherent valor or honor in having 'third world problems'...
C'mon folks, enough with the guilt-mongering!
6
The easiest thing for someone who isn't constantly in the air is to get a credit card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve which offers travel perks, lounge access and earns points that can be transferred to many airline partners.
In truth, the programs aren't all that complicated and there are several good frequent flyer blogs that keep track of and explain the programs and stay on top of rule changes. "The Forward Cabin" is not one of them; its airline award chart was last updated more than three years ago.
21
The original intent of frequent flier programs was to create brand loyalty. The shenanigans airlines are playing now have mostly destroyed any brand loyalty. These days, when I fly, I look for the cheapest, most convenient flights, regardless of who the carrier is. I also look at the on-time records of particular flights. Mileage status is no longer a factor.
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For years, I commuted from Reno to Alaska as part of my job. I was Gold status on Alaska. It was awesome. The perks made traveling very bearable, if not enjoyable. I've heard Alaska is pretty much the best airline to achieve Gold with. It seems, dollar for dollar, if one wants to accumulate miles, it's most cost-effective to pay for long haul flights, as you get more bang for the buck in mileage accumulation. It's certainly a drag to lose those perks and get downgraded to cattle car status now that I'm just another head of livestock who's been put out to pasture. Makes me want to ride trains and buses so I don't have to endure the airport hassles.
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Times are good in the airline business right now and planes are full. The airlines have also discovered that if they price first class properly there are plenty of people who will just pay for it outright, rather than relying on upgrades via a FF program. And of course that is their ultimate goal; to sell every seat for money and not give anything away.
But this also has a downside for them, because if people just pay cash for the class of service they want then there's less incentive to be loyal to one airline in hope of attaining status and qualifying for free upgrades and other perks. You just shop by price and schedule and maybe you fly Delta this month and AA the next.
It will be interesting to see how they respond when the inevitable cycle turns and business diminishes along with the number of people willing to pay a premium.
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@Pat Not so good for American. But so much time is wasted on the complicated programs that you make sense. Look at the success of Southwest.
In the "good old days", let's say the 80s, things were a lot different. We could actually use our accumulated miles when we wanted. For example, AA and BA together offered a trip on the Concorde for around 90,000 miles, per person. Imagine.
Fast forward to the present I am not sure I'd bother with accumulating miles. The first class cabinet is now always filled. It also wasn't clean when I sat there or passed through it.
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@Don Juan -- I meant to write "cabin". Spell-check decided it should be "cabinet".
Travel hacking's been a hobby of mine since 2013, or shortly before an explosion of new Facebook pages devoted to the practice began to appear. These easily accessible sites have made it much easier for fans to swap war stories and travel tips. But for those whose real goal is simply flying for free, or something close to that, the mother lode for miles remains credit card signup "welcome" bonuses, both for airline co-branded cards and bank premium cards, the latter products issued principally by Chase and AmEx with annual fees of $450-550US. And the rules for those are themselves labyrinthine. Buying tickets and flying an awful lot gains status, sure, but in many cases it has become a relatively inefficient way to earn loyalty miles.
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Thank you for this! I recently tried to navigate deltas program and thought I was crazy. The representative trying to explain it was also clearly not sure how to explain it all.
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I am retired and fly 10-12 round trips per year. I pay for Business Class for which I board in Group One, which is actually group 4, after families with small children, everyone with a limp, military personnel, and Global Elites. Meal orders are now taken by status, so I get what’s left over. The seats are larger, but not very comfortable and I get 2 checked bags (I never have 2 bags). This gets me to Silver status. I’m not sure what that gets me!
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@Chris Doesn’t it seem that if they calculated all the time spent constructing thes convulted plans, then writing actual fine print text, and agents already stressed trying to explain it to angry clients that it might effectively be cheaper to do away with them?
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@Chris You get my recommendation because you made me laugh on this very frigid morning.
I've had an elite status on AA for many years as a commuter between Washington DC and Boston doing nearly sixty flight segments a year. This year with ill-advised changes in "accounting" for qualifying dollars/mileage I'm not going to make it. Weird business concept by some people sitting around a boardroom table. Apparently that many flights and years of "loyalty" do mean anything to AA anymore so I've quickly switched to other airlines that meet my needs (and have wifi that actually works for free). See ya AA.
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You're lucky. You live in a focus city, not a fortress hub, which means you have real options. Particularly if you're willing to hop a train to PVD.
I initially got only 25% of the One World (Finnair) miles from an American flight I took recently. It was an unbelievable hassle to get the miles I earned. How cheap can American get?
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@Harri August If you want to know how cheap try to claim for expenses their agents say you could incur for delayed baggage! They work on the idea to obfuscate, confuse, delay, feign ignorance so the claimant will forget about pursuing. Two complaints to the DOT and two months later I finally got my $358
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At Delta Airlines 30,000 medallion qualifying miles earn a flier the 25,000 mile silver status with 5,000 miles rolling over. Not platinum status as described. For that one needs 75,000 MQM.
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Correction: Third paragraph from the bottom, 25k miles on Delta gives you silver, not platinum status. Platinum starts at 75k miles. So yes, it is complicated.
Over the last two years through a combination of Delta AMEX card spend and hard flying miles I've been able to keep my status up to that level but it isn't easy and I'm often surprised when I get the email saying I've reached it. I figure if I just keep doing what I'm doing I should get there next year too.
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I gave up on my frequent flier credit card some years ago, in main because claiming benefits had become a royal pain, and because my current credit card rewards me with 2% cash back on all purchases. One has to do the arithmetic.
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