Issue #41  --  April 22, 1999

** CONTENTS **

Reno, American Offer Double Miles ~ ClickRewards Bonus ~ Lan Chile to Rejoin Latin Pass? ~ Dollar Deals ~ Travelocity Introduces Fare Finder ~ Frontier's Internet Fares ~ AA.com Fares Well ~ Piedmont Founder Dies ~ US Airways Tops in Industry Report ~ Aero Peru Declares Bankruptcy ~ Traveling with Disabilities ~ Site2See: Passengerrights.com

<< M I L E S >>

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Reno Air, American Offer Double Miles
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American Airlines announced this week that AAdvantage members will earn double miles now through June 30 when they fly Reno Air on six routes on the West Coast.

The Reno Air routes qualifying for double miles are Seattle-San Jose, Anchorage-Seattle, Seattle-Reno, Seattle-Orange County, Portland-Reno and Portland-San Jose. The double miles promotion applies to all published fares in all classes of service, including discounted coach fares.

The AAdvantage program, the most popular frequent flyer program in the industry, was started in 1981 and currently has more than 35 million members. Travelers who are not AAdvantage members should call 800-882-8880 to enroll.

>> More <<
o American
o Reno

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Dollar Offers
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Dollar today announced several discounts and bonus-mile offers in conjunction with various airline partners.

>> Northwest
Dollar Rent A Car is offering Northwest Airlines WorldPerks members a special full-size car rate of $39.95 per day ($49.95 daily at Manhattan, New York, JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Airport locations) through June 30, 1999. When calling for reservations customers should mention "NWSC."

>> TWA
Dollar Rent A Car is offering Trans World Airlines Aviators members double Aviator miles when customers book a leisure rental of a mid-size car or larger for a minimum of two days through June 30, 1999. Aviators members need only present the certificate received with their April TWA statement and mention "TWA2."

>> United
Dollar Rent A Car is offering United Airlines Mileage Plus members a special leisure full-size car rate of $39.95 per day ($49.95 daily at Manhattan, New York, JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Airport locations). Dollar also is offering double Mileage Plus miles when Mileage Plus members rent a full-size car at this special rate. Both offers are good through June 30, 1999. Ask for promo code "UASC."

>> More <<
All the above offers have restrictions and require use of a promotion code when requesting the discount or bonus. Check Dollar's website for full details.

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ClickRewards' Bonus Miles
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The latest promotion at ClickRewards is the "Two Sites, Take Flight" bonus.

To earn the 500 ClickMile bonus, shop at two ClickRewards shopping sites before June 21st, and after your second purchase, you'll earn 500 bonus ClickMiles on top of the miles you earn for your two qualified purchases.

While I was at the ClickRewards site, I noticed a new (to me) ClickMiles partner: eBags. They're an online luggage retailer which looks to be doing a lot of things that will be appreciated by frequent travelers:

* They offer ClickMiles for all purchases.

* Every qualifying piece of luggage gets a "Meets Carry-on Requirements" badge, so you can be sure that your new carry-on really CAN be carried on.

* They allow customers to rate their purchases, and make those ratings available to shoppers.

* Good selection; reasonable discounts.

>> More <<
o ClickRewards
o eBags

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Lan Chile to Rejoin Latin Pass?
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Latin Pass--the big magilla of frequent flyer programs in Latin America with 1.5 million members-may be about to get bigger. Or at least regain its previous size.

Lan Chile is rumored to be preparing to rejoin Latin Pass, after leaving the program in 1998. Lan Chile is one of Latin America's premier airlines, and would bring approximately 200,000 members back into the Latin Pass fold.

Rather than a single airline's program, Latin Pass is a consortium of airlines, including Colombia's ACES and Avianca, Venezuela's Aeropostal, Panama's COPA, the Grupo TACA family of Central American carriers, Mexico's Mexicana and Ecuador's Saeta. In addition to the Latin American carriers, Latin Pass includes KLM, TWA and US Airways, as well as hotel and other partners.

Meanwhile, Lan Chile today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a "tentative order" giving initial approval to the alliance between American Airlines and Lan Chile.

Among the benefits of this alliance to Lan Chile and American Airlines passengers, according to the participating airlines, are: i) an extensive and complete network of destinations, ii) a broader and better itinerary, iii) better prices, and iv) easier check-in and baggage handling to the end-destination.

The airlines have already linked their frequent flyer programs. Under this arrangement, American's AAdvantage members may earn mileage credit and redeem travel awards on eligible LanChile flights, while LanChile's LanPass members may do the same on American flights.

Originally signed in September 1997, the alliance involves code-sharing between both countries as well as shared frequent flyer programs. Since that time, the code-share agreement was still subject to ratification by both governments, and only frequent flyer benefits could be shared between both airlines.

>> More <<
o Latin Pass
o American

<< S T E A L S & D E A L S >>

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Travelocity Introduces Fare Finder
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With its newly introduced "best fare finder" feature, Travelocity is attempting to address a recurring consumer complaint about online travel bookings.

The complaint, as we've mentioned repeatedly here in The Crier: online booking engines often fail to quote the lowest fare available. The charitable explanation for this failing is that the combination of complex fare restrictions and primitive search software have conspired to make "best fare" searches hit-and-miss affairs. (The cynical explanation is that since the problem resulted in increased revenues for the airlines, and throughout the distribution system generally, there was more reason to perpetuate the problem than to fix it.)

Travelocity.com, the online travel agency, has introduced a new, industry-first, best fare finder feature which interprets complicated fare rules and takes the consumer directly from the fare to the flight by showing them which days to travel in order to get the lowest fare.

Best fare finder searches for the lowest fares and displays them in an interactive calendar that highlights the days the fares are offered. Members can then select their preferred travel dates by clicking on the calendar. Based on availability, best fare finder will list the flights and times that qualify for the lowest fare.

"Until now, finding the lowest air fares on the Internet has often felt similar to playing the slots in Vegas -- a game of chance," said Terry Jones, chief information officer of Sabre, Travelocity's parent company. "With our new best fare finder feature, we eliminate the guesswork by showing the actual dates fares are offered. Never before have consumers had this much control over their travel plans."

This feature is accessible through the following areas:

-- FareWatcher Email -- With this free email service, members can monitor up to five different destinations and Travelocity.com emails them each time the fare changes by $25. The new best fare finder feature now allows members to go directly from the email to an interactive calendar, highlighting the dates the fare is offered.

-- "Book A Flight" reservations path -- From the homepage, members click on "Book A Flight" and then select the best fare finder search option.

-- Best fare finder on the homepage -- An animated directory on the homepage highlights the lowest fares for the most popular cities booked by Travelocity.com customers. Members can now view the dates these low fares are offered using the best fare finder feature.

A version of the best fare finder feature also is available through the more than 40,000 travel agencies using the company's computer reservation system.

Travelocity.com is owned and operated by Sabre. Travelocity.com provides reservations capabilities for 95 percent of all airline seats sold, more than 42,000 hotels, and more than 50 car rental companies. This reservation capability is paired with access to a vast database of destination and interest information. To date, Sabre has sold more than 3 million airline tickets online, and since its launch in March of 1996, Travelocity.com has registered more than 6 million members and logs more than 65 million page views per month.

FrequentFlier.com hasn't had a chance to put the new feature to the test. If anyone else has, please drop us an e-mail and let us know whether you found the results met your expectations. In the meantime, we continue to suggest that you double check your online fare quotes with a travel agent or with the airline directly before committing to a fare.

>> More <<
Travelocity

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Frontier's Internet Fares
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Following in the footsteps of the U.S. majors, Frontier Airlines will begin offering discounted "Spirit of the Web" fares via the airline's website.

The special fares will be offered every Wednesday morning on Frontier's website and will change on a weekly basis. "Spirit of the Web" fares must be booked and purchased by midnight each Friday (MDT) for outbound travel the following day (Saturday) with the return flight on Monday or Tuesday immediately following.

Fares will be available only for the designated flights and cities posted on the airline's website and are based on a round-trip purchase. Frontier's "Spirit of the Web" fares may only be booked via Frontier's Web site.

Customers will be able to register their e-mail addresses on Frontier's website in order to receive future notifications each Wednesday via e-mail advising them of the "Spirit of the Web" weekly specials.

>> More <<
Frontier online

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AA.com Fares Well
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American reports that its website is doing just fine, thank you.

Continuing to see dramatic growth in its online bookings, American Airlines said this week that it is forecasting gross sales of $500 million at its AA.com web site in 1999.

Since totally redesigning the site last summer, growth in both the number of visits and revenue has been substantial. Weekly visits to the site now exceed 1.7 million, with record booking days going past the $1.7 million mark.

Separately, American on Wednesday unveiled two new versions of its Net SAAver fares. Net SAAver fares are the most subscribed to e-mail travel product on the Internet --with more than 2.1 million subscribers receiving low-cost weekend travel fare specials every week by e-mail. Now, American will offer both e-mail and online-posted versions of Net SAAvers.

Here's how it works:

    Net SAAver Fares Via E-mail: The e-mail version of Net SAAvers will continue to be mailed every Wednesday for domestic specials -- every Monday for international specials. But instead of offering travel specials for the immediate upcoming weekend, the e-mails will feature specials only for travel the following weekend, giving travelers more time to plan their weekend getaways.

    For example, domestic Net SAAver fares e-mailed Wednesday (April 21) are for travel departing April 30 or May 1, with return travel May 3 or 4. E-mail Net SAAver specials will require at least a seven-day advance purchase and will still offer the same days for travel as before -- outbound after 7 p.m. Friday or anytime Saturday -- with return travel anytime the following Monday or Tuesday.

    E-mail international Net SAAver fares will feature similar changes - the e-mails will still go out on Mondays, but travel will only be for the following weekend. Departure days on international Net SAAvers will continue to be Thursday or Friday with return the following Monday or Tuesday.

    Net SAAver Fares For Purchase Only At AA.com: The second type of Net SAAver fares will be posted each week directly on the Internet at AA.com. They will be posted every Wednesday for domestic specials -- every Monday for International specials.

    Unlike Net SAAvers via e-mail, the online Net SAAvers will be for travel only during the immediate upcoming weekend -- and they will require no advance purchase. Days of the week for travel are the same as e-mail Net SAAvers.

>> More <<
American online

<< I N D U S T R Y N E W S >>

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Piedmont Founder, Thomas Davis, Dies
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Thomas H. Davis, founder and retired director of Piedmont Aviation, Inc. and the last of the early legendary commercial aviation pioneers, died today following a lengthy illness. He was 81 years of age.

Davis was just 22 when he became sales manager for Camel City Flying Service, a distributor of Piper and Stinson aircraft in North Carolina based in Winston-Salem, Davis' hometown. He had learned to fly when just 16, and made his first solo flight on January 29, 1934, in a Taylor E-2. The son of Egbert L. and Annie Shore Davis, he attended private and public schools both in Winston-Salem and Richmond, VA, and received his college education at the University of Arizona where he gave flying lessons to private students.

In 1940, a year after joining Camel City Flying Service, Piedmont Aviation was born. Davis became vice president, treasurer, a director and principal stockholder of the company and changed its name to Piedmont Aviation, Inc. He soon established 17 dealerships throughout the state, and in the first year, sold more than 100 aircraft, more than all other competitors in North Carolina. At the same time, the overhaul and maintenance shops were expanded, and in 1941, Piedmont became the first, fully-certified Civil Aeronautics Association (CAA) approved aircraft and engine overhaul shop between Washington and Atlanta.

In June 1943, Davis was elected president, treasurer and a director of Piedmont Aviation, Inc., and the Governor appointed him to the North Carolina Aeronautics Commission.

During World War II, Piedmont operated schools in Winston-Salem and Greensboro, providing extensive flight and ground training programs for the military. In addition, the State Department selected Piedmont to provide flight-training programs for Central and South America students. At the end of the war, Davis was concerned about providing his sizable staff with jobs so he applied to the Civil Aeronautics Board for several local service airline routes. Fifteen applicants applied for the routes in the mid-Atlantic area, but Piedmont was the only one selected.

In 1947, Piedmont Airlines, a division of Piedmont Aviation, Inc., was formed. On February 20, 1948, the first commercial flight -- Flight 41 -- taxied onto the runway at Wilmington, NC, for its 7:05 a.m. departure with Davis on board. The aircraft made stops in Pinehurst, Charlotte, Asheville, TriCities, and Lexington before terminating in Cincinnati. The company grew steadily over the years and became a leading carrier in the airline industry.

In 1981, Davis was elected Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Piedmont, serving in that capacity until his retirement in 1983 when he became Chairman of the Executive Committee. By the time the company merged in 1989 with USAir (now US Airways), Piedmont had approximately 21,500 employees and annual revenues of $2.5 billion.

After his retirement, Davis continued to fly until 1998, logging more than 16,000 hours of flight time in numerous types of aircraft, from his original Taylor E-2, which he restored, to sail planes and general aviation aircraft.

Although Davis is best known as Piedmont's founder, he is also recognized around the state and nation for his generosity. Many organizations have benefited from his philanthropy, among them Wake Forest University where he was a lifetime trustee; the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center where he served on the Board of Visitors; and the Wake Forest University Divinity School. He also was a strong supporter of the American Lung Association of North Carolina and an active member of Wake Forest Baptist Church.

Throughout his career, Davis was active in many local, state and national organizations and received numerous honors and awards. He has been a leader in many civic programs and several educational scholarships have been established in his honor.

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US Airways Tops in Industry Report
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US Airways provided the highest quality service in 1998 of the 10 U.S. airlines with $1 billion or more in revenue, according to a study released on Monday.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Wichita State University ranked the airlines based on a study of 15 elements in the areas of on-time performance, mishandled baggage, denied boardings, and customer complaints.

Continental Airlines ranked second in the survey, followed by American Airlines. Delta Airlines took fourth place above Southwest Airlines and sixth place America West . Trans World Airlines finished seventh, Alaska Air eighth, Northwest Air ninth, and United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp., ranked last.

US Airways did not receive the top rating in any individual category but consistently ranked near the top in almost all of the categories, Headley said.

Overall, the 10 airlines scored lower in 1998 than they did in 1997, the study said. On-time arrivals dropped slightly in the year, from 77.9 percent to 77.2 percent, while mishandled baggage jumped to 5.16 bags per 1,000 passengers in 1998 from 4.96.

Consumer complaints also increased, rising from .86 complaints per 100,000 passengers in 1997 to 1.08 in 1998. Involuntary denied boarding improved in the year, dropping to 0.87 denials per 10,000 passengers in 1998 from 1.06 denials in 1997.

The annual study, which looks at statistics culled by the Department of Transportation, was made up of four fewer elements than in the previous eight years.

The changes were made to better reflect what a consumer looks for, outside of price and flight schedule, when choosing an airline, said study author Dean Headley, an associate professor of marketing at Wichita State.

"The consumer, I believe, feels very strongly about showing up with their baggage, on time," Headley told a news conference.

Despite the changes in the survey, the airlines remained fairly consistent in their rankings from 1997 to 1998, Headley said. "The airlines that were generally in the upper half last year, under the new ratings criteria, were generally in the upper half this year...and those airlines that were generally in the lower half last year were generally in the lower half this year."

The study's new make-up contains elements similar to those that have been included in proposed airline passenger rights bills recently proposed in Congress.

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AeroPeru in Bankruptcy
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After filing for bankruptcy in Peru last month, AeroPeru has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States as well, presumably to protect its U.S.-located assets from creditors.

``There is a strong interest in reorganizing AeroPeru and the U.S. filing will help preserve assets to provide for an orderly
reorganization,'' attorney Jeffrey Herman said in a statement.

The lawyers will collect all U.S. receivables for the airline, which is in discussion with investors and hopes to begin flying
soon, he added.

The petition was filed in the U.S. Banruptcy Court for the southern district of Florida.

The airline announced on March 10 that it was shutting down operations for 60 days. The Lima government, which owns 20
percent of the company, said then that it may inject capital into the airline if it managed to restructure its $174 million debt,
Fujimori said.

Aeroperu, whose main shareholders are U.S.-based Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL - news) and Mexico's Aeromexico, has said
it is close to restructuring $90 million of the debt with foreign investors.

<< R E A D E R R A N T S & R A V E S >>

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Reader Feedback: Traveling with Disabilities
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The following is a response to last week's note from J.G. concerning the challenges and frustrations of traveling for the disabled.

>> begin quote -->>
Dear editor:

The letter from a disabled subscriber really struck a chord with me. I was traveling through Houston Intercontinental on Continental Airlines, about to board a Continental Express flight. Boarding was just about to begin when an older gentleman was wheeled up in a wheelchair by a younger man (turned out to be his son). The gate agent immediately got on his walkie talkie and, loud enough for everyone to hear, said, "We have a wheelchair at B68 that's not on the list."

I know from experience that many airline employees view passengers somewhat like cattle, but to call this person a "wheelchair" was simply disgusting. Flight attendants and other non-pilot employees are often upset at working conditions and pay, threatening to strike, etc., but they sure undermine public support by thoughtless acts such as these.

On the good side, the flight attendant who actually flew the segment was extremely nice, and spent a great deal of time assisting the son in making his father comfortable, and just talking with them. Quite a contrast in attitudes.

J.H.
<<-- end quote <<

<< M I S C E L L A N Y >>

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Site2See: Passengerrights.com
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According to the producers of a new website, Passengerrights.com: "Victimized travelers and airline passengers now have an easy and free way to file complaints without making dozens of phone calls, spending countless hours researching their rights or finding out the proper process for complaining when they have been mistreated." While I can't vouch for the efficacy of channeling your communications through this new service, I certainly endorse the concept: a clearinghouse for complaints.

At passengerrights.com, consumers type and log complaints online and choose from passengerrights.com's complete list of official organizations such as The Department of Transportation, specific airlines, hotel companies, cruise lines and car rental companies, and even actual individuals. Passengerrights.com directly files the complaints electronically to all selected parties and e-mails the complainant with a receipt once their message has been forwarded.

According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, the D0T received about 9,600 consumer complaints about the airlines alone last year. Randy Warren, founder of passengerrights.com says, "That number is drastically lower than the reality of victimized passengers because until now it was an arduous and time-consuming process to make or file a proper complaint."

"As the Clinton administration rolls out a broad-based initiative for air passengers, we feel it is important to give every consumer a voice and an opportunity to demonstrate how grave and widespread the emotional and financial misfortunes are that travel suppliers should take responsibility for," adds Mr. Warren.

In addition to the easy complaint-filing service, passengerrights.com contains information that empowers the traveler such as a manifesto of passenger's rights for just about any circumstance, issues like how to sue an airline, how not to get cheated or ripped off, and how to learn the secrets of the industry and save money and heartache in the future. Customized research on complaints received will also be available.

Designed to help protect and assist the consumer, passengerrights.com claims to have done all the necessary research for every type of complaint or information needed, including flight cancellations, lost luggage, over-charging, theft, children's policies, general policies, etc. Every month, passengerrights.com will select the most horrifying story and consumer complaint and present the passenger rights victim award.

>> More <<
Passengerrights.com

Until next week...