'Tis the Season

With the Christmas shopping season looming, we're beginning to see bonus-mile offers from the airline and hotel programs for purchases made through their mileage malls.

And this year, many programs have special miles-for-dining promotions in effect between November 1 and December 31.

In this week's Crier, we've provided details and links to the miles-for-dining offers (see "Miles & Points" below). We'll have a round-up of miles-for-merchandise offers in a future issue. In the meantime, use the FrequentFlier Mile Search utility to stay abreast of other miles-for-merchandise opportunities.

FrequentFlier Forum Topics

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

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, shortysnh finds himself stymied by Northwest's award availability: "I am trying to find a First Class r/t BOS-SEA anytime in February 07...I'm very flexible. A ticket for the standard 45K? No way. The only two options that show up (and I'm Platinum Elite, which allegedly 'helps') are 67,500 miles, red eyes and two-stops at that... Is it me, and the market that I want to fly in/out of, or is everyone else finding World Perks redemption to be a loser?"

Also in the "Airline Programs" Forum, Ob1Stogie wonders why he didn't receive his first-class upgrade until the last minute: "I am currently a Elite Gold on Delta and soon to be a Platinum. I know as a gold I get bumped up to first three days out. However, my flight this week to MCO was a little funny. Three days out my ATL to MCO leg was upgraded but my SAN to ATL leg was not. As I usually do, I go and look how many first seats are open. At three days out, there were five open. At two days out, I was still not bumped and there were three open. When I checked in the night before I left, I had finally been bumped to first. Why the delay?"

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

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Air Canada Makes Miles Optional

In the latest step in the increasingly a-la-carte approach to its various fares, Air Canada is giving Aeroplan members the option of saving C$3 by foregoing miles when traveling on the airline's cheapest tickets, so-called Tango fares.

Other new options include the following: purchasers of Latitude fares can pay C$25 extra to use the airport lounge; Tango, Tango Plus and Latitude customers can save C$5 by not checking baggage; and so on.

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Dining-for-Miles Offer: Alaska

Members of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan can earn elite dining status by completing five or more qualified dines of at least $20 (including tax and tip) between November 1 and December 31.

Elite dining members in Alaska's and other programs earn five miles per $1 spent at participating restaurants, plus an extra five miles through 2007, for a total of 10 miles per $1 spent.

Registration is required.

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Dining-for-Miles Offer: American

Like Alaska, American is offering AAdvantage members a "fast track to elite" opportunity: spend $250 or more (including tax and tip) in qualified dines between November 1 and December 31, 2006, to earn elite dining status through 2007. In addition, members earn 1,000 AAdvantage bonus miles if they reach elite dining status during this special promotion.

Registration is required.

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Dining-for-Miles Offer: Continental

Members of Continental's OnePass program who have not already done so can earn a 1,000-mile bonus by setting up an online OnePass Dining ID by December 31.

Registration is required.

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Dining-for-Miles Offer: Delta

Delta is offering members of SkyMiles Dining 250 bonus miles for establishing an online ID for the first time between November 1 and December 31.

Registration is required.

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Dining-for-Miles Offer: Northwest

Northwest is offering WorldPerks members double miles when dining at participating restaurants between October 1 and November 30, spending $20 or more each time. Bonus may be earned up to 12 times during the promotion period.

Registration is required.

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Bonus for Staybridge, Candlewood Stays

Priority Club Rewards members can earn up to $325 in American Express prepaid cards for two-night weekend stays completed by January 31, 2007, at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites hotels. Members earn a $25 card for each eligible stay booked by December 31 and charged to an American Express card, up to the $325 maximum.

Registration by December 31 is required (links below).

Offer is combinable with the double points and miles offer until the latter expires, on December 15.

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Dining-for-Miles Offer: United

Between November 1 and December 31, United Mileage Plus members can earn elite status in Mileage Plus Dining through 2007 by completing four or more qualified dines of at least $25.

Registration is required.

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US Air Will Introduce Mileage Upgrades

In a refreshingly forthcoming email sent to Dividend Miles members this week, US Airways announced that "[b]y popular demand, you will soon be able to pay for upgrades using miles from your Dividend Miles account on US Airways flights booked at usairways.com."

The note also promised that the integration of the America West and US Airways reservations systems was on track to be completed by the second quarter of 2007, acknowledging that the current lack of a unified system is the "source of many of the frustrations that you may encounter online, on the phone and at the airports. We're working hard to minimize those issues, and we're not getting much sleep because of it, so please know that we are as anxious as you to put Res Migration behind us."

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Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Holiday Fares on Northwest from $98

Northwest has announced the season's first holiday fare sale, and American and United have rushed to offer sales of their own. Domestic flights start at $98 roundtrip, and destinations include Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Tampa.

Book tickets at least seven days in advance, and by November 22. A two-night minimum stay is required.

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2) Fall and Winter Fares on AirTran from $39 Each Way

Flights through March are on sale from AirTran. These systemwide sale fares start at $39 one-way, and destinations include Atlanta, New York, Orlando, and Freeport.

Travel is valid Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays through March 1, 2007. Book tickets at least 10 days in advance, and by November 9, 2006.

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Win 100,000 United Miles

Enter United's "Million Mile Giveaway" sweepstakes by December 31 for a chance to win 100,000 Mileage Plus miles. Other prizes include lesser mileage amounts.

Entries are awarded each time a purchase totaling $50 or more at is made at the Mileage Plus Mall. But it's also possible to enter without making a purchase, by mail.

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

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

"I and the 35,000 other traveling employees of Lockheed Martin (the world's largest defense company) received the below notice [not printed here] today.

"At my little division of LM in New York (about 100 engineers) we have no less than a dozen Chairman, Platinum and Gold members of US Airways elite club. My air expenditures on US Air this year are at least $7500 and probably closer to $10,000 and I am only a Platinum. Lockheed Martins workforce is heavily based on the East Coast where US Air does lots of business. Let's do a little math. Lets say only 1000 LM employees (probably low since it is 10% at my place) are US Air frequent flyers. Lets say spend about $3000 a year on flights (again very low). The total is …what…$3 million (I would bet it is higher that that).

"How can an airline who is hawking credit cards at every airport and on every flight; trying to sell everything from toenail clippers to dishwashers (and giving points) on their web site (and making only a few pennies on these dollars), give up this revenue to another airline? These are business travelers, they are going to fly. My travel arranger has already sent an e-mail to LM corporate travel requesting they approach our other authorized airlines to see who would grant US Airways elite members status in their programs. My bet is somebody will. What corporation is next for this? My recommendation is if you are a corporate US Airways Flyer now, shift to someone else before you get surprised too!!" [S]

"I read about the frequent flier miles changes.

"I am with Delta on an American Express Credit card. Does using the credit card mean 'activity' or is it 'flying' the airline?" [Elfrieda M.]

[FrequentFlier replies - Good news: using your Amex card does count as qualifying SkyMiles activity and will therefore extend the life of your miles.]

"Given the changing deadlines for miles to expire, and given that some of us just have no chance to travel before they do, could you do a piece soon on how to donate miles to charities? I'd rather do that than lose them or pay money to keep them on some airlines." [Jude]

[FrequentFlier replies - We'll try to address this topic before the end of the year.]

Until next week...