Non-stop news for frequent flyers: www.flyertalk.com
Oct 18 '00
WorldPerks Miles on Northwest, SkyMiles on Delta or Mileage Plus Miles on United?
Platinum, gold or silver status elite status ... or perhaps Chairman's Preferred on USAir?
The world of frequent-flyer miles and awards is LOTS more complex that you might think. Every airline's program has different rules, different ways to accumulate miles, different cash-in formulas, and even different values for the tickets earned through frequent-flyer miles.
But even if you're a fairly infrequent flyer, there's still a program out there that's worth your time. And there's no reason to get overwhelmed about the various systems: Just educate yourself on how they work.
One here, with a single url, I'll give you the starting point to do that:
www.flyertalk.com
This site is perhaps the best friend on the Internet to airline passengers -- from heavy-hitter corporate types who do trans-Pacific routes in First Class a dozen times a year, all the way down to folks who only fly once each summer to visit Aunt Maude in Des Moines.
www.flyertalk.com is a community-based site, similar in some ways to epinions. The heart of it is a series of message boards where flyers exchange tips about frequent-flyer rewards, programs, limited-time offers, special credits, hassles, etc.
Want to know the good and bad points of American Airlines' frequent flyer program? A great place to start (after http://www.epinions.com, of course) is at the American board on www.flyertalk.com .... you'll find plenty of informed and informative postings, mostly from frequent flyers with the airline.
They can tell you whether it's easy or hard to accumulate miles, qualify for double miles, pick up additional miles through various hotel chains or credit card offers, etc. They know which airlines are easy or tight about granting upgrades, admittance to the private airport lounges, etc., and most importantly they can tell you about the TREND of each airline's frequent flyer program: It is getting more restrictive or more open, are "award seats" for frequent flyer mile seats getting more available or less?
You'll also find terrific sections on related programs that can earn you frequent flyer miles: Mypoints, Milesource, Greenpoints, Hilton Honors, Marriott Points, etc. This is the place to go for news on these programs, too -- those were the boards where I learned about several click-and-earn sites going down the tubes, and where I first heard about mypoints rescuing some former customers of the powerdime program.
Best of all, they're friendly folks who'll respond with good information when you send a polite, sensible question by e-mail. The site is free, registration is free -- there's really nothing to buy. It's easy to maneuver through the different boards, and a great place to get educated about the lastest tips on free airfare for the Hawaiian vacation you want.
Happy flying.
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Member: Don
Location: Connecticut
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