Southwest Rides No-frills to the Top

I recently heard Southwest described as a customer service company that just happened to be in the airline business. That makes for a nice sound bite, certainly. But hyperbole aside, there's something to it.

While some travelers are less than enthusiastic about Southwest's no-frills product, the company unquestionably manages to maintain generally high levels of customer satisfaction. And they do so in spite of the glaring lack of amenities.

So successful has Southwest's approach been that, as of the first five months of this year, it edged past fellow Texas-based carrier American as the world's largest airline, as measured by passengers carried.

According to the most recent Department of Transportation report, Southwest flew 40.3 million passengers during the January-May period, compared to American's 40.0 million.

Although I'm not a fan of the stripped-down approach to flying, Southwest's achievement shouldn't go unnoted.

Fasten your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen, this is a new era. Enjoy those pretzels.

FrequentFlier Forum Topics

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

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, hawktwo shows how mileage expiration can actually be a good thing. (Briefly: he had a negative account balance, so when the miles expired, it amounted to a gain. Got that?)

Also in the "Airline Programs" Forum, U.K.-based AndrewHearne is wondering whether his good luck with United is likely to last: "I've flown with United now twice and been fortunate of upgrades in the past, I'm just thinking come my third trip I might not be so lucky - I really enjoy going to the States and I'm looking forward to going to Orlando and Vegas this year."

Questions, answers? Post them to the Forum!

:: More

American Doubles the Miles from Los Angeles and San Salvador

Between September 1 and November 15, AAdvantage members will earn double miles for roundtrip American nonstops between Los Angeles and San Salvador.

Registration is required.

:: More

AAdvantage Credit Card Goes Rock 'n Roll

File this one under "The lengths loyalty credit cards will go to in order to differentiate themselves from the competition."

It's been reported in the loyalty marketing publication "Colloquy" that the Citi/AAdvantage card is the official credit card of the latest Van Halen tour. Cardholders get dibs on preferred seating, backstage passes, and invites to pre-concert parties.

Priceless?

:: More

Delta Buries Online Booking Bonus

In last week's Crier, we reported on Delta's unannounced fee increases.

We've since discovered that Delta has made yet another consumer-unfriendly move: the 500-mile bonus for online bookings has been terminated. As with the fee increases, this was done surreptitiously, with no advance notice to customers.

Online booking bonuses remain in place at American, Continental, United and US Airways.

:: More

US Air Bonus, Discount for Europe Flights

Dividend Miles members who use a MasterCard to purchase US Airways tickets for roundtrip travel to select cities in Europe between September 2 and November 14 can earn up to 20,000 bonus miles and receive a discount of up to 20%.

Members will earn 10,000 bonus miles and a 10% discount for coach tickets to Brussels, Paris, London, Lisbon, Milan, or Zurich. For business class, the bonus is 20,000 miles, the discount is 20%, and the eligible cities are Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, London, Lisbon, Milan, or Zurich.

Bookings must be made on usair.com to qualify for the bonus and discount.

:: More

Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Hawaii Sale Fares on US Airways from $374

Flights to Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island are on sale from US Airways. Fares start at $374 roundtrip.

Travel is valid through November 14. Most fares must be booked at least 14 days in advance, but US Airways has not listed a booking deadline.

:: More

2) First-class Fares on United from $148 Each Way

United is offering deeply discounted first-class fares for travel on Saturday, August 25. Fares start at $148 one-way or $296 roundtrip, and destinations include Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Travel is valid on August 25 only. Roundtrip travel is not required. Book by August 24, 11:59 PM ET.

:: More

Win a Trip for 2 to Daytona

Enter Holiday Inn's "Stay Under Green For Life" sweepstakes by November 15 for a chance to win 2.9 million Priority Club Points (redeemable for approximately 116 nights at any Holiday Inn) plus a four-day/three-night trip for two to Daytona, FL for the Daytona 500 and Daytona 300 races, including. air, hotel, rental car, and tickets to each race.

To enter without making a purchase, follow the link to the form to be completed and returned.

:: More

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

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

"I have had the same bad experience with Delta trying to use my frequent flyer miles.

"Often times I would be quoted 25,000 for a trip within the US by one agent only to find out that in speaking to another agent in some far off land that the number of miles needed increased to 50,000. I have been flying with Delta for years, have accumulated a number of miles, but cashing them in is virtually impossible. Contrast that with UAL where I have never had a problem. The only thing the Delta miles are good for are magazine subscriptions! Want to guess who my carrier will be from now on?" [Bowman O.]

"I LOVE your newsletter! I just had to respond to the following from Jeff:

"When it comes to redeeming FF miles, I believe there is a big difference depending on the airline. Not all programs are created equal. In my opinion, American is the best. I can frequently find reward seats. On the other hand, Delta is bar none the worst. It is virtually impossible to find standard (25,000 mile) seats. It always requires 50,000 miles." [Jeffrey]

"If you think Delta is bad (trust me it's not the worst... I used to be Platinum on Delta when I lived in Kentucky and am still treated better as a non-entity on Delta than as a premier USAIR flier - they can't even touch Delta's lowest, worst case of service they're so bad).

"Here's my comment - Just try flying USAIRWAYS for one month - you'll realize that flying on them is just plain awful. Redeeming Frequent Flier Miles - who even tries anymore - what's a Frequent Flier Ticket? You'll be kissing the ground that Delta flies off of!" [Teresa B.]

"I have been a subscriber for nearly two years now and I love your newsletter. The information is accurate and timely and helps me (and my colleagues) locate the best airfare deals.

"I wanted to write in about my mileage redemption experiences. I am a UA Mileage Plus member. I was a Premiere last year and this year a Premiere Executive. My work takes me to many international locations and my wife and I try and turn these into mini vacations. In the last 12 months alone, we have been able to see Paris, Hong Kong, and mainland China, with a trip to Berlin coming up in October. For the trip to mainland China, I was able to purchase a round trip award ticket for my wife for only 45,000 miles! For Berlin, we didn't luck out on the miles, but still managed to find an award ticket at the regular rate of 50,000 miles. While steep, the current fares on UA for these flights are $1100+. I know miles value to dollar value this is about a wash, but why not use those some of those hundreds of thousands of miles sitting in your account when you get the chance instead of parting with cash? And finally, for our trip to China, both my wife and I were able to secure upgrades to business class using miles. That bump from economy to business is great on this nearly 14 hour flight.

"So, long story short, while it may not be easy, and award tickets not always available, our odds thus far lead us to believe that redemption of miles for award tickets and upgrades is not a lost cause just yet. Having some flexibility in your plans, booking as far out in advance as possible, and (in the case of upgrades) viewing the seating situation on multiple flights, can help secure an awards redemption.

"Thanks again for the information and keep up the great work!" [Amit C.]

"Hi! If anyone in this blog is unhappy with airline travel these days, I encourage you to go into www.flyersrights.com and read what is in this website.

"FlyersRights is a political website for people that want better laws passed to better protect the consumer and to get your needs fulfilled as a stranded passenger. The founder and spokesperson has put something that most people wouldn't think of doing for the public. The founder's name is Kate Hanni of Napa, CA. She is a fighter for our rights." [Joe B. - Brooklyn, NY]

Until next week...