The Extra Mile

Summer Is Crunch Time for Frequent Flyer Awards

Q&A: Are miles redeemable on partner airlines?

April 26, 2004 - Judging by the airlines' performance figures for last month, demand for air travel is cleared for take-off.

Several carriers reported their best-ever Mar. load factors (percentage of seats occupied). United, Northwest and JetBlue all boasted that their planes were filled to more than 80 percent of capacity for the month. Load factors for American, Continental, Delta and Southwest were in the mid-70s.

While strong consumer demand spells relief for the airlines, it may spell trouble for frequent flyer program members planning to redeem miles for award travel this summer.

Load factors are by definition systemwide averages, encompassing both low- and high-demand routes. When the averages reach such high levels, it follows that flights on the most popular routes are running close to full. And during the summer months, loads will be even heavier, making it all but impossible to secure capacity-controlled award seats to desirable destinations.

What's a would-be summer award traveler to do?

It's too late to book early, but last-minute booking remains an option. Last minute, in this case, means within two weeks of the desired departure date. Within that window, airlines often make unsold seats available to award-users.

Another time-tested strategy is to zig when the majority zags. That means resisting the urge to use miles for travel to vacation hotspots in favor of trips to less requested destinations.

If all else fails, program members with sufficiently healthy mileage-account balances might consider opting for unrestricted awards, unencumbered by capacity limits, which typically require twice as many miles as restricted saver awards.

But perhaps the most important adjustment aspiring award travelers can make this summer is attitudinal: begin with more than the usual amount of patience, and lower than usual expectations.

Current News & Offers

When airlines offer award tickets for fewer miles, it's a safe bet that there are in fact award seats available on the routes in question. (Like retailers' fire sales, award sales are the airlines' way of disposing of "distressed inventory"--viz. unsold seats.)

So, as an example, American has reduced the number of AAdvantage miles required for award travel between California and Hawaii through Dec. 31. Restricted awards for first or business-class travel are discounted 15,000 miles, to 60,000 miles. And unrestricted awards are discounted 30,000 miles, to 120,000 miles.

Alaska Airlines has reduced from 20,000 to 13,000 the number of miles required for award travel between San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland or Sacramento and Seattle, Portland, Boise or Vancouver BC, between Apr. 20 and June 9. Discount applies to Saver awards booked online at alaskaair.com for travel on Alaska Airlines.

And while not keyed to discounts, both Delta and US Airways on an ongoing basis list routes which offer the best award-seat availability. Look for the "Award Travel Tips" link on Delta's website and the "Award Travel Suggestions" link on US Airways'.

Readers: Miles on their Minds

Question from Susan

This may seem like a silly question, but can frequent flyer miles be only redeemed for the one airline or can they be used for partner airlines, also? I am flying to Australia on Qantas and trying to decide whether to put the miles on Qantas or AAdvantage. On AAdvantage it would only earn half of the miles flown.

Answer

Whether you decide to earn miles in the American AAdvantage or Qantas Frequent Flyer program, you will be able to redeem those miles for award travel on any of the many airlines participating in the chosen program.

Given the earning difference, in the short term you will be better served having the miles credited to a Qantas account. But earning miles and awards is a long-term undertaking, and you should choose accordingly.

The conventional wisdom, given a choice between joining a program based in your home country versus an overseas-based program, is to join the local program. That's because all programs tend to be somewhat country-specific, biasing earning and redemption opportunities toward the host airline's home market.

While the American and Qantas programs share a core group of airline partners in their programs, by virtue of their common participation in the Oneworld alliance, the programs are by no means interchangeable.

So before committing, review the two programs' partners and policies. Choose the one which will meet your needs for the long haul (or at least long enough to reach an award threshold and can cash out your miles and start fresh in a new program).