Travel Industry Newsbites

Last week, Northwest's pilots voted to approve a new contract which locks in pay cuts of 23%.

The new pilot contract doesn't take effect until new contracts are also approved by Northwest's flight attendants (currently voting on a new contract) and ground workers (who rejected Northwest's most recent contract proposal).

The consensus opinion is that the agreement with the pilots will pave the way for the remaining labor groups to accept the salary and benefits cuts Northwest management says are key to the airline's restructuring and eventual exit from bankruptcy protection.

In what might be an epilogue to the tale of two recent bankruptcies, United and US Airways both reported their most recent financial results this past week.

United, which put three years of bankruptcy behind it on Feb. 1, lost $223 million during the two months ending Mar. 31.

And US Airways, which exited bankruptcy in September 2005, reported a profit of $65 million for the January - March period.

FrequentFlier Forum Topics

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

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, gonzo has just discovered that upgrade awards on American now carry a cash surcharge: "My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy in September of this year, and we were planning on upgrading to business from coach. My wife has about 300K miles with American, so we have plenty to use. I called them last night to book our tickets and add ourselves to the waiting list. So far no surprises. Then she said there would be a $250 fee for upgrading. Then she says it's $250 per person one way. So for my wife and I combined RT, it's $1,000! We upgraded back in 2003 for our honeymoon to Europe and didn't pay a fee to use our miles. Is this new?"

Also in the "Airline Programs" Forum, Kim has an all-too-familiar report from the frontlines of award redemption: "I'm a bit exhausted after searching for flights to either Europe or South America for next spring. I was hoping to use the Skysaver option (50k) rather than the Skychoice option (100k) but after spending over an hour trying different dates and cities I could not locate a single Skysaver award!

"I'm sure Skysaver awards are out there, but clearly I'm doing something wrong because I can't locate any of them. Can anybody offer any advice/tips/etc?"

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

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American's 25 Deals in 25 Days - Week 2

To mark the 25th anniversary of the program's launch, American is announcing a new AAdvantage promotion, award discount or travel sweepstakes on each of the first 25 days of May.

We reported on the first three days' offers last week. Following are summaries of the offers rolled out over the past week.

Day 4 - 250 bonus miles for every year of AAdvantage membership on Avis rentals of three or more days including a Saturday night

Day 5 - chance to win a first-class trip for two on any combination of oneworld airlines (see "Sweeps & Freebies" below)

Day 6 - 60,000 AAdvantage miles for purchasing a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr

Day 7 - additional 25,000 AAdvantage miles for mortgages from CitiMortgage applied for in May and closed by year-end

Day 8 - 7,500 bonus miles for six days/five nights at Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club on the western shore of O'ahu, Hawaii

Day 9 - bonus miles for purchases on AAdvantage eShopping mall

Day 10 - up to 1,250 bonus miles and two extra entries into a sweepstakes for National car rentals of two or more days

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Las Vegas Payoff: 10,000 Delta Miles

SkyMiles members can earn 10,000 bonus miles for Las Vegas air-inclusive packages of four or more nights booked by June 30 and completed by Sept. 30.

To receive the bonus, enter promotion code VEGASMILES when booking.

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Fairmont Offers Club Members Free High-Speed Internet

Members of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts' President's Club program now receive free high-speed Internet access at all 44 Fairmont propoerties.

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JetBlue Upgrades TrueBlue

Effective immediately, TrueBlue members can book their award flights online at jetblue.com. Refreshingly, reservations can be made any time with no rush charges for bookings made closer to the departure date.

Also effective immediately, JetBlue award tickets will be issued as two one-way passes, which may be used independently of each other and transferred together or independently.

Online bookings are simply an overdue system enhancement. But the new award ticket policy is a real step forward, albeit a small one, for the program and for its members. Unfortunately, it will take TrueBlue many more such baby steps to reach the critical mass it needs to compete with other loyalty programs.

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United Offers Referral Bonus

Through Aug. 1, Mileage Plus members can earn up to 5,000 bonus miles for referring new members to the program.

Referring members receive 250 bonus miles for as many as four new referrals, for a total of 1,000 miles, plus 1,000 bonus miles for the first roundtrip flight taken by the referrals, up to a maximum of 4,000 miles.

The new members will receive a 3,000-mile enrollment bonus.

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Suite Deal from Worldhotels

Members of the frequent flyer programs of 12 airlines will earn 5,000 bonus miles when staying in suites at more than 45 hotels in the Worldhotels network through May 31, and between Aug. 1 and Nov. 30.

See Worldhotels' website for participating hotels and airline programs.

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Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Ireland Fares on Aer Lingus from $240

Aer Lingus is offering fall flights to Dublin and Shannon. Prices start at $240 roundtrip for flights in November, and departures are available from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.

Travel at the lowest prices is valid from Nov. 1 through 30. Fares for travel in September and October are available at higher prices. Book tickets by May 14.

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2) Central and S. America Fares on American from $250

Spring flights to Central and South America are on sale from American. Prices start at $250 roundtrip, and destinations include Buenos Aires, Guatemala City, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo.

Departures are valid Mondays through Thursdays through June 12. Travel must be completed by June 15. Fares require a three-day minimum stay, and the maximum stay is 30 days. Book tickets at least three days in advance, and by May 12.

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Win a First Class Trip for 2

Enter the oneworld sweepstakes by May 31 for a chance to win a first-class trip for two on one or more oneworld airlines, up to 16 flight segments or 50,000 miles.

Participants must be AAdvantage members to enter.

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

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

"In October '05 I had just over 53,000 FF miles remaining in an old American Airlines grandfathered account from which I could use these never to expire miles and the Old Plan. Since my last posted mileage was in March '88, I was concerned that there would be problems with obtaining 2 RT Fla to Maui tkts (50A).

"I should not have been worried. After searching aa.com for schedules and seat assignments, I selected 5 possibilities for mid April '06 (10 days) and called AA.

"They could not have been more pleasant and accommodating. I got my first choice. Give credit where and when it's due. Thank you American Airlines." [W. J. - Niceville, FL]

"Re Chase Continental Mastercard

"Was promised 2 President's Club passes on first anniversary which was in January. Despite e-mails and calls galore have received nothing but empty promises to 'look into it.' Am about to file a complaint with the Atty General of Louisiana of the rip-off.

"Any of your readers had similar experiences?" [Tom]

Until next week...