"Up Front" Blog Entries

Following are some of Tim's recent blog posts:

• When Airlines Get Nasty, Travelers Get Crafty
  The recession hit the airlines hard, and their passengers harder. Travelers have borne the brunt of the airlines' desperate attempts to regain profitability.
• The United-US Airways Breakup Is Good for Flyers
  If the merger had transpired, there would be a lowest common denominator effect, exposing flyers to the practices of the least customer-friendly airline.
• United Discounts Summer Award Trips by 20%
  With United's latest award promotion, free domestic trips can be had for 20 percent fewer miles. But the discount only applies to pricier unrestricted award tickets.
• From Best Western: Bonus Miles After Three Stays
  The latest promotion from Best Western isn't likely to cause many travelers to change their plans.

The FrequentFlier Forum - Hot Topics

As always, there's plenty of activity on the FrequentFlier Forum.

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, dreamer17 wonders which of two Star Alliance programs will best serve his mileage-earning needs:

"As I travel quite frequently on Star Alliance airlines, to and from Singapore and Hong Kong on United Airlines, which frequent flyer program should I use to accumulate my miles? United's Mileage Plus or KrisFlyer?

"The reason I ask is because if I am able to accumulate on KrisFlyer, I will have a wider variety to change my miles for free tickets as I am residing in Singapore and it allows me to travel to more countries as compared to United Airlines.

"Also if I use my KrisFlyer to accumulate the miles each time I fly with United, will the miles awarded to me the same as compared to using my United's Mileage Plus?"

Questions, answers, opinions? Post them to the Forum!

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Priority Club Rewards - There's an App for That, and a Bonus for Using It

InterContinental Hotels has released an iPhone app that permits Priority Club members to manage their accounts and book stays at InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites hotels.

The app is a free download from the iTunes App Store, and to date has received five stars (highest rating) from 17 of 18 users who have rated it.

IHG is offering users 1,000 Priority Club Rewards bonus points for all bookings and stays through June 15 made using the new app.

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More United Miles for Mother's Day Flowers

Flowers for Mother's Day? Plenty of online florists are offering bonuses through various airline and hotel programs to boost sales.

From what we've seen so far, the best miles-for-flowers payout is from United: a hefty 30 miles per dollar spent at FTD.com. Earn an extra mile per dollar by charging the purchase to a Mileage Plus credit card.

If United isn't your preferred loyalty currency, check the promotions page of your program's website for other bonuses, including offers from merchants selling through the airline's mileage mall.

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Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Systemwide Sale - 3,200 AirTran Routes From $44 Each Way

With more than 3,200 routes on sale and fares from $44 one-way, AirTran's sale may be your ticket to a vacation this spring, summer, or fall. Find discounted rates to domestic and Caribbean destinations with this promotion, including Las Vegas, Orlando, Cancun, and the Bahamas, among over 70 other cities.

Travel through autumn, but book fares by May 6.

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2) $558 Delta Europe Sale

Take off to Europe with Delta's latest sale from $558 round-trip. Destinations include Berlin, Dublin, Nice, and Rome, among many others.

Travel is valid through spring and early summer. Purchase by May 3.

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Win a Trip for 4 to Las Vegas, Baby!

Enter the Dr. Martens "Rock 'n Roll" contest by May 31 for a chance to win a weekend trip for four to Las Vegas, including air, hotel accommodations, spending money, concert tickets, four pairs of Dr. Martens and four Flip Mini video cameras.

To enter, submit a 50-word description of how you wear Dr. Martens to "express your style," and a photo or video of you rockin' your DMs.

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[Visit FrequentFlier.com for more travel sweepstakes.]

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

We welcome reader feedback on issues related to travel generally and frequent flyer programs in particular. Please use this link to submit comments.

Dark Days for a Delta Flyer

"I recently had a good chuckle when I received an email from Delta touting their website as 'the most convenient booking process around.' The word 'had' should have preceded that statement. The NWA website was head and shoulders more user-friendly than the MS-DOS like Delta site. Not only are you unable to upgrade using miles (a phone call is still required), but the site neglects to tell you that all but the top three tiers of coach tickets are ineligible for mileage upgrades. NWA would show you what was available and the mileage required at time of booking.

"Now I'm stuck in coach on a four day GRR-LAS-LGA multi-stop, with Las Vegas to New York the day before running a marathon. Hey, at least I still have 300,000 miles in my account, for what that's worth.

"I thought it a dark day when they started painting over the planes and removing all NWA signage. Living in a Delta-dominated city, it hasn't gotten any sunnier.

"Thanks for all you do for road-weary warriors out there." [Mark H. - Grand Rapids MI]

Giving Away Frequent Flyer Miles

"I understand that I can give away 25,000 miles to anyone at any time at no cost by simply booking a FF ticket in their name. But I guess I cannot give away any less than 25,000 miles without paying a penalty. Right?" [Hal W.]

[FrequentFlier.com replies - Yes, you can redeem your miles for a ticket issued in the name of a friend or family member. There may be fees for booking within 21 days, etc., but they will be the same fees you'd pay if booking an award ticket for yourself. To actually share your miles with someone else, there are always fees, if it's permitted at all. To see whether it's possible in your program, check the webpage where that airline allows members to buy or gift miles. The prices and procedures to share miles will be found there.]

A Southwest Convert

"As a long time business traveler who usually travels on the company dime, I grew accustomed to the perks showered upon me as an elite member of United's program, and other programs as well.

"My perspective has changed radically over the past year, as I have been self-employed for the first time and now pay my own way.

"Southwest offers none of the perks I used to enjoy, but I'm happy to travel on them regardless. Prices are great and their service is friendly. And it is such a refreshing change to deal with a company that doesn't find it necessary to hit me up for fees at every turn.

"I'm a convert!" [George M.]

Until next week...