This Week's Travel Industry Newsbites

Over the past week, United's flight attendant and mechanics unions have threatened to strike if the airline proceeds with plans to dump their pension plans.

As reported in last week's Crier, United and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) have agreed on terms under which United would terminate its plans, which would be partially covered by the PBGC. But that accord is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court, which next meets on May 10.

Needless to say, United customers should monitor developments and be prepared to make alternative travel arrangements if flights are disrupted.

FrequentFlier Forum Topics

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

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, sam has the following to report about Points.com: "Points.com has changed its website. Is it a new company too? Also, does anyone know their exchange rate for all possible combinations? The calculator they had is not available anymore, which sounds odd, since their business is to exchange miles..." Indeed, it appears that Points.com is changing its business model to de-emphasize mileage conversions. We'll look into it and have a full report in a future issue.

And in the "Credit Card Programs" Forum, flyingindian poses the following head-scratcher regarding credit card miles: "What happens if there is negative ending balance on my United MP Visa card? Will they pull miles from my United Mileage Plus account?"

And much more. Questions, answers? Post them to the Forum!

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Aeroplan Bonus for Rapidair Flight Passes

Through May 31, Aeroplan members will earn 3,000 bonus miles when purchasing a 20-credit Rapidair Flight Pass and 1,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when purchasing a 10-credit Rapidair Flight Pass at aircanada.com.

(Rapidair Flight Passes are prepaid packages of credits for Rapidair flights between Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

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Triple AAdvantage Miles at Loews Santa Monica

Through July 15, AAdvantage members will earn triple miles, 1,500 per stay, at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.

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20% Best Western Bonus with MasterCard

Members of Gold Crown Club International will earn a 20% bonus when charging eligible Best Western stays to a MasterCard between May 16 and Sept. 5.

The 20% bonus is in addition to elite bonuses and other bonuses at participating properties.

Registration is required.

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More Dealer Miles in TX, OK

Thirty-five Toyota dealers in Texas and Oklahoma have joined the DealerMiles network.

At participating dealerships, customers can earn miles in their choice of programs, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, America West Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways, for having their cars serviced and, in some cases, for vehicle purchases.

In all, DealerMiles is available at approx. 400 auto dealerships throughout the country.

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Frontier Will Cut Back on Partners

In the coming months, Frontier will sever relationships with a number of its frequent flyer program partners, as follows:

• May 31 - Dollar Rent A Car and HomeLoanCenter.com
• June 30 - The Flower Club, Payless Car Rental
• July 31 - Kimpton Boutique Hotels
• Sept. 30 - Midwest Airlines

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Earn 1 Million Hilton HHonors Points

Purchase a condo by July 1 in the Conrad Las Vegas, opening in Dec. 2006 on the Vegas strip a block from the Convention Center, to earn 1 million Hilton HHonors bonus points.

Purchase up to 3 condos to earn a maximum of 3 million HHonors points.

Prices range from the mid-400's for a studio to more than $2 million.

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Double Miles for Omni Stays

Through June 30, qualifying stays at Omni hotels earn double miles in the programs of American, Delta, United and Amtrak.

In addition to the bonus miles, Omni is offering a certificate for 1 free night when booking a future 2-night weekend stay.

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Multiple Bonuses from Priority Club

From May 16 through Aug. 31, Priority Club Rewards members will earn 2,000 bonus points or 500 bonus miles for every second qualifying stay at InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites or Candlewood Suites hotels.

In addition, stays at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites earn an extra 1,000 points or 250 miles for every qualifying stay.

So, to be clear (since it's a bit confusing): earn 1,000 points/250 miles for the first Staybridge/Candlewood stay. For the second stay, earn 1,000 points/250 miles PLUS the 2,000-point/500-mile bonus, for a total of 3,000 points/750 miles after the second stay. And so on, until the cap -- 20,000 bonus points or 5,000 bonus miles -- is reached.

Those registered for the promotion will also receive a 500-point bonus for stays booked on the Priority Club website and charged to a Visa card, and yet another 500 bonus points for qualifying stays at Asia-Pacific hotels during the promo period booked on the Priority Club website or on any of the InterContinental Hotels Group websites.

All offers are combinable and registration is required.

:: More or call 1-888-560-5660 and enter promo code 3235

Starwood Offers 3rd Night Free

Through Dec. 15, travelers who book 2 consecutive nights at participating Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton or W Hotels will receive the third night free.

To qualify, stays must begin on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday at "best available unrestricted retail rates."

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Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Italy Fares on Alitalia from $570

If a flight to Italy sounds appealing to you, check Alitalia's spring sale before booking. Prices start at $570 roundtrip for travel in May.

Departures are valid on Mondays through Thursdays through May 25. Book tickets at least 21 days in advance. Alitalia has not listed a booking deadline. A Saturday-night stay is required, and the maximum stay is 1 month.

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2) Save Up to 20% with Mexicana's May Discount

You can save up to 20% on your next flight to Mexico with Mexicana's spring discount.

The discount is valid on published roundtrip or 1-way flights to Mexico through May 31. To receive the discount, you must book online by May 31. The discount does not apply to Mexicana's "Mex-E-Saver" fares.

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Win a Trip for 2 to Germany

By Nov. 30, enter the German National Tourist Office's "Face to Face" sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip for 2 to Germany, including air and accommodations.

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[Visit http://frequentflier.com/sweeps.htm for more travel sweepstakes.]

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

[The following is in response to a note in last week's Crier regarding Southwest's termination of it bonus-credit offer for online bookings.]

"Please put me on the list who think Dr. Mark is being a jerk in bitching about WN reducing the double-credits.

"Southwest put together the double-credit program in order to get people to book travel at their online website (which is still the easiest to use). Management accomplished its goal (read that, UAL, DAL, USAir), and -- as with any promotion -- shut it as 'mission accomplished.' In its place, we now have 'DING' fares which Dr. Mark probably hasn't time to read because he's so busy bitching.

"All of which is to say, Southwest knows how to make money. And, their reward program is still one of the best: you can get a seat." (Ed N.)

"One major complaint I have about ATA is the ATA-Southwest code share program where every time I start out on Southwest and connect to an ATA flight, I get flagged for the extra intense search. Every time is not a random search! ATA ticket agents throw up their hands and blame, The Computer". Even when I mentioned this to the TSA agents, they agree they have noticed this pattern as well. I am all for airport security and actively participate to help out, but as stated before, 'Every time is not a random search.'

"Since Southwest owns 35% of their code share partner ATA, Southwest should sit ATA management down and give them some friendly advice to have ATA stop this stupid practice. That way frequent flying Southwest companion pass holders such as myself; will not have to be treated like suspect terrorists. If this problem is not corrected soon, I can't wait for Southwest to come up with the rest of the cash and finish the job of buying out ATA completely." (Steve S.)

[Delta's escalating financial difficulties have triggered a wave of concern about the carrier's long-term prospects, and about the viability of miles earned in their frequent flyer program.]

"My husband and I have quite a few Delta SkyMiles. If they file for chapter 11, what is going to happen to our miles?

"What should we be doing BEFORE they file? Will Delta honor FF miles if they go bankrupt?" (Paula D.)

"Your site is new to me, so this question may have already been addressed and I just haven't found where it was discussed, but can you tell me, if Delta goes bankrupt, will I lose my SkyMiles?" (Flynn H.)

[There are no easy answers to the "what if" questions currently bedeviling members of programs in or on the verge of bankruptcy. For a summary of the options, and some historical perspective on the problem, see http://frequentflier.com/bankruptcy.htm.]

"My wife and I are looking for business class availability on Air New Zealand via United Airlines mileage awards for January and February, 2006 between the US and New Zealand. Air New Zealand tells my wife and I that they have provided United Airlines with an inventory of business class for their mileage awards program. But United Airlines tells us that there has been no business class seating provided to them and hence they have no seats to provide.

"Are others encountering the same problem? What happened to those seats? Has anyone tried legal action against an airline for deceptive practices in their awards program?" (Ron and Stella W.)

[While I couldn't say which carrier is most to blame in this case, I can tell you that lack of award availability is an all-too-common problem. As for legal action, it is often contemplated, rarely taken, and almost never successful. The fine print in the programs' terms & conditions effectively insulates them from legal exposure.]

Until next week...