Win Tickets to "Up in the Air" and Get Your Frequent-Flyer Problems Solved in our FlyerTalk Challenge

I must say that overall I am really impressed with this blog.It is easy to see that you are impassioned about your writing.

Have you ever considered adding more videos to your blog posts to keep the readers more entertained? I mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I'm more of a visual learner,I found that to be more helpful.

just wondering when you will be answering some of those questions, if you havent already

YES! I announced the winners yesterday, here:
http://perrinpost.truth.travel/2009/11/your-top-ten-frequent-flyer-questions-answered.html

There were so many terrific questions that we may well end up answering more than ten. Stay tuned!

Do we know who won?

Our family never seems to be able to earn enough miles to redeem anything but the lowest level of domestic US travel awards, as our miles are split between four people. These awards do not seem to provide as good a redemption opportunity as the higher mileage requirement ones (ex: trips to Europe in premium classes). Is there any way to combine our miles without paying outrageous fees? Do any programs allow pooling of miles? Are we flying the wrong airlines?

I fly between the US and Europe in paid business class very often. I want to be able to redeem miles for business/first class travel throughout the world. Which frequent flyer program(s) should I concentrate my earnings on, European programs or American ones? They seem to have different fee structures and award availability.

Fantastic idea, Wendy!

I’m getting married in Hawaii next year, and my big dilemma (and perhaps a common issue for frequent flyers) is whom to use my miles for. In this case, the choice is between bringing my fiancee’s parents to the wedding in style or flying us to our honeymoon in style. We don't have enough miles for both! Needless to say, this has been killing me.

My soon-to-be parents-in-law are flying HKG-NRT-HNL-wedding!-SFO-stopover-HKG. We would be flying HNL-NRT-stopover-BKK-honeymoon-NRT-SFO. We fly a lot and her parents almost never do. Even though it's our wedding, and our friends have been encouraging us to be selfish, I think it would be a real treat for them. There's also that whole "filial piety" thing.

Though the honeymoon vs. parents thing is specific, I think the dilemma boils down to a general question about who appreciates luxury travel more, the frequent flyer who has earned the miles, or the infrequently flying friend or relative who receives a very special gift.

Thanks for your consideration!

Andrew

I mentioned a StarNet blocking problem earlier. This is my particular predicament:

http://upgrd.com/matthew/update-circumventing-united-airlines-starnet-blocking---a-successful-failure.html

Any suggestions on restoring the Air New Zealand flight?

George Clooney wouldn't have to go through this! ;)

How many seats in F are actually sold and not award travel or free upgrades? (perhaps as a percentage)

Guys
I travel monthly to Europe, quarterly to Asia and twice a year to Australia and AFrica with South America and domestic thrown in every so often
Less of a question but some advise from a travel warrior
I am usually successful -80%- in using miles , -------------persistence pays off, call again and again, pester partner airlines, call offices abroad,
best deals
----buy and upgrade with miles ---- put a dollar amomunt on your miles and then do simple math ; value of ticket vs value of miles
-----use them , dont save them ( a nickel in your pocket now vs who knws what later)
suit pack with pockets and knapsack, never check luggage
---pack sensiby and make everything do double duty
Travel safely
Isaac Pollak

I'm a DL GOLD. A few months ago, I snagged 2 RT BE tix using my DL miles for travel on AF/KLM next May. I was thrilled since DL only charges 100K miles for travel on its partners but 200K for nonstop on DL metal. Yes, I have to change in CDG and change airports to ORY in order to get to BCN, but it was possible! I was catching a cruise from BCN. However, it's months later now, and I'm not taking the cruise. I'd like to turn in the miles for credit to my DL acct, but I know DL will charge me $100 each for redepositing the miles. I've often been successful in having DL reps change paid itineraries without a fee. Any tips for avoiding the fee on a frequent flier itinerary?

Why F is so bloody expensive?

My fundamental dilemma, and one that I need to resolve soon, before I start booking my first trips in 2010, is how to reconcile the short-term convenience of schedule while I am traveling extremely frequently, versus the long-term benefit of lifetime status.

I commute weekly between a US Airways fortress hub (home) and Europe (work) and so am currently generating an impressive number of preferred-qualifying miles. I anticipate that I will continue to do this for another five or ten years, but whenever I do stop traveling so intensively, I expect that it will be extremely irritating to go back to always traveling in coach, standing in long check-in and security lines, paying for checked bags, having no international lounge access, etc..

Despite some reservations about the quality of their service, I do for now mostly use USAirways and accumulate mileage on that carrier, since they have by far the most convenient schedule options, with lots of direct flights to destinations which would require an awkward connection on any other carrier. I currently enjoy US Airways' top elite status, Chairman's Preferred.

The dilemma is how to balance making my weekly commute bearable (as efficient as possible, so as not to waste time in transit) while accumulating a lifetime benefit, which seems to be available on pretty much every U.S.-based carrier EXCEPT US Airways. I am aware of the possibility of flying USAirways but accumulating those US miles on Star Alliance partners CO or UA, but if I do that, I assume I will lose access to premium seating when on US. And I am also worried that if in the mid-term USAirways merges with - or in the throws of bankruptcy is absorbed by - American or another non-Star-Alliance carrier, then any miles I accumulated on Continental or United would be orphaned.

Short of convincing US Airways to match everyone else's Million Miler-type programs (and then praying for US Airways' long-term survival) what other interesting options are available to me?

Hello,

I thought I would give you a different spin.

Using miles is somewhat problematic. Sometimes I book an award ticket with miles and wind-up canceling the itin for a lesser miles package before the trip bc their inventory opens up. However the real trick is not the using miles but getting miles (especially with miles inflation ie it used to cost 25k miles for a RT ticket, now it is more likely to cost 40k). Thus, the real challenge is achieving status to avoid fees and gain enough miles to be able to use them.

In trying to get status which enables one to get extra (100% bonus miles), I have gone so far as to buy multiple seats just for the qualification miles to achieve status. I just bought 6 seats twice on a coast to coast RT itinerary!

Just recently, the corporate office has told me that I can no longer use that strategy to get qualification miles (which I don't understand). So, I am flying two times per week coast to coast (Florida to Seattle) in one day to qualify for status, bonus miles, and promotions. These are usually enough for 70% of a free ticket for each RT - enough for my kids to go to summer camp every year and fly my mom home to her country.

The reward programs usually work well.

Thanks! I hope to meet everyone if you like my story!

Rob

On a recent trip to Costa Rica, my husband and I left our hotel near Arenal/La Fortuna at 830AM to ensure we had ample time to get to and through the San Jose airport for a 220PM flight on American Airlines. We arrived at the airport at 1130AM, and, when we got to the check-in desk, discovered that our flight was cancelled when we were en route to San Jose.

There was a 1240PM flight on American that day, but, it was already full. Our options were to spend the night in San Jose and take the same-time flights the following day, or, switch to Delta for our flight home. We chose to go home that day and flew Delta.

My husband and I are members of AA's Frequent Flyer program, and we use them for 9 out of 10 trips. We didn't get credit for the miles flown on Delta, even though our airline of choice is American. When airlines re-book you on another flight due to cancellations or other unforeseen circumstances, what is the rule for miles accrual?

I never end up using my miles because I am constantly trying to re-qualify for status on paid tickets!

My biggest dilemma as of late is where to bank my miles. Given the merger of NW/DL, and now CO going to *A, I'm stuck. I currently have 1K status on UA, Gold with CO, and Silver on DL. I prefer *A so assume DL will be my "backup". Now that UA and CO are both members of *A, there's no reason to keep status on both (right?). Based out of upstate NY, CO seems like the logical choice for east coast trips, UA for midwest trips, and whichever one has the better schedule to the west coast (unless my "bank" program is running DEQMs of course)! I do have to admit at this point that when in Y, UA with E+ wins by a mile!

So all of that said, given UA's *net blocking, would you recommend banking to CO? What would I be losing out on by not having 1K? I'm not familiar enough with OnePass to make the call. Thanks Randy!

This is a very standard Lufthansa-rant/problem.

Whenever I fly other airlines of the *A, I get upgraded very frequently, despite my special meal restrictions (either they bring in the food from economy, or we succeed to find something edible in the front).

But, whenever I fly Lufthansa, being my carrier of choice (at least when it comes to miles collection, go Senators!), when I book a flight with special meal, I am doomed to never get upgraded.

I hear voices (mostly inside my head and on Randy's flyertalk), saying that I need to stop ordering special meal (and bring my own food), and then I will be upgraded. On the other hand, for long flights its kinda annoying to bring your own food (ever tried to bring decent food for a flight of 12 hours?). So my questions is: How to determine when it is good to give away my special meal to get upgraded on Lufthansa (on a "free", only amazingly high fuel surcharges, flight!) and when not to?

I had the same issue...Open up a second account if you can under spouses name .If you are transferring miles from amex put the miles there and make 2 separate bookings ..or like i did i paid more miles for the second ticket.With the online discount it was still worth it

Being someone that fly 2 to 3 times a month abroad,
My biggest dilemma is what to do when vacation time comes, Fly again or simply stay home sweet home...

In the past 2 years, simply started to give the points to charity before they expire since the answer is home sweet home...

My biggest dilema regarding mileage and points is a straight economic one--how will I know what my points will be worth tomorrow, or a year from now? Obviously miles and points are not liquid like cash, but it's almost guaranteed that the value will decrease over time (just like holding cash at 0% interest, inflation gives you a negative interest rate).

So my real question is, has there been any study of mileage depreciation over time? Miles have been around for awhile, and it seems that one could at least find a way to plot depreciation over time, or perhaps diagram it in a nice an visible way.

The diagram/plot could be useful for predicting changes (other than just "worse than last year"), or comparing program to program changes objectively. At the very least it might look cool to see how miles have progressed over time.

Hi there!
My biggest dilemma when using miles and points is: do I use them myself or give them to my beloved family and friends? I always think "well, I get all the bonus miles and everything from paying for my flights and my family will pay the same amount and not get the bonuses, let them enjoy their one or two flights a year in business." My mom's French, so it's a great treat for her to fly home in style. And I think of her when she first gave up everything in Paris to move to the US for my Dad, and how she couldn't afford to go back for so many years. Her father had given her a ticket with an open return as a wedding present, which they'd cashed in the day she arrived.
However, I have to admit that it's always been my dream to do a round-the-world flight. And, as many fellow travellers will attest, once you've been lucky enough to get an upgrade to business, you don't want to go back. The thought of travelling around the world scrunched up in an origami ball in a middle seat seems like doom compared with the breezy, champagne-filled repose of business or, dare I dream, first. However, I'll never get there until I stop redeeming tickets for my loved ones.
Maybe this year... I mean my sister can wait to bring her toddler and baby to meet all the family in France for a first-of-it's-kind reunion next summer, right? I'm sure they can put enough money aside with a newborn to get 3 tickets in summer and my sister won't mind having the 1 year old on her lap for 9 hours. Well, Maybe in a couple years.... I'm sure the airlines won't raise the redemption rates too much on a round-the-world business class ticket, right?
So I just promise myself - one day - and then prepare myself to do battle with the availability calender for NYC-PAR July 2010.

And from tonights return trip, why is there no Biz/First expedite line at AA's JFK T8 passport/immigration control? 75 min in line at 10pm after spending $6k on a 9hr flight does not leave a good final experience from a trip.

Is it just me or do all other frequent flyers have an optimization Excel spreadsheet comparing unit dollar per frequent flyer mile examples of multiple reward trips that we are considering in the near future? If so, I think we should just share it with each other!

I honestly believe HOW you redeem your miles is probably the biggest dilemma most people face, whether you're a frequent flyer or a vacation-bound infrequent traveler. Do you book the economy class since it requires fewer miles? Or is the executive class reward flight the better bang for your buck? And what about that reward flight to Hawaii? Best value for a domestic North American flight or not? Who has the answer? Can an Excel spreadsheet solve all of these problems or will the answer forever be...Up In The Air?

How many connections does a man need to keep his independance and keeping on top of improving his life constantly?

I have an upcoming Air Canada flight which will get me around 17,000 frequent flyer miles. My dilemma is which program I should credit these miles to.

1. United

I'm a United 1K member, but I'm not getting any bonuses on AC flights. Since I'm already qualified for 1K for 2010, I don't need these miles to reach any EQM threshold as well.

2. BMI

I've always been envious that BMI gold members can get free RCC access. I may go to England next year, so I think a BMI gold membership would be convenient too. Also, I'll get a 25% bonus on all Star Alliance flights, which UA doesn't offer. Maybe this is a good chance to start with BMI, though I am afraid that this program won’t last for long…

3. ANA

I once mistakenly credited 5,500 miles to my ANA account. These miles expire in August 2010. With 17,000 more miles (a total 22,000 miles), I can redeem a Star Alliance award ticket of 4,000 miles or less through ANA. The good thing about this would be that I might be able to get a ticket which is blocked by UA's Starnet Blocking. This would be important since I am planning an intra-Asia travel next summer.

To BA VISA or not to BA Visa?

Yes, the new bonus on the BA Visa card is fantastic (100.000 miles easy, plus a reward companion voucher with some work). But, I'm elite with CO and fly mainly to France. Which means if I get a reward ticket with BA, I'll have to pay around $600 in taxes/fuel surcharge/fees etc and connect in dreaded Heathrow, instead of a $500 direct ticket.

So the dilemma is... When does the best bonus offer become a frequent flier worst nightmare? Or does it?

Dear Wendy, I have been pretty lucky in using my mileage account. However, I do have a problem when I use an airlines that code shares with my primary Airline. I can use the miles but I cannot see what seats are open on the other airline and thus cannot chose my seat assignment. They tell me that my seat will be chosen at check-in. Oftentimes, my wife and I are separated. How do I avoid this? Love your Blog. Happy Thanksgiving. Frank Cawley

My biggest frequent flyer dilemma is a dream we all have from time to time: F cabin, worldwide, unlimited, lifelong. My question is: Will the Niemann Marcus thing ever come back again?

Biggest challenge is I have over 350K miles on the new Delta SkyMiles and can no longer book Continental flights since they left the SkyMiles program. I will be carrying over 30K EQMs into next year, so would only need 45K EQMS to reach Platinum status. I have already been comped Plat Elite status for Continental through 2/2010. Previously I saved my miles to book nonstop EWR-PVG business class awards since my family has a place there we go there every year. Choices now are to use the 350K plus miles to book JFK-NRT-PVG flights which seem to be hard to find at Business Perksaver 120K rates, or to switchover to flying Continental and build up my Plat Elite status there starting at 0 EQMS into 2010 and only 3K miles in the bank.

I am an elite (EXP) on American Airlines and would like to earn it again next year. Additionally, I am a Royal Ambassador with the Intercontinental hotels chain. I would also like to be able to retain status again next year in that program, too. I have 12 eVIPs (system wide upgrades) that I need to use by Feb 2011. I also have 2 BOGO certificates good for a weekend stay at IC hotels (free weekend night certificate -- buy one night, get the second free).

I will be taking advantage of the 100% bonus for buying US Airways miles, but want to burn them on a booking a 1st class ticket (RT) -- thinking of something on Continental Mike (Fiji?) -- before the devaluation happens in that program in January.

I also got the BA credit card for 100K miles. Otherwise, I never fly BA so I will need to use these miles relatively soon (18 months-ish).

The last piece of the puzzle is: I work for a non-profit, so I do not make a lot of money, and all travel comes out of my own pocket.

My question is: how can I most affordably retain status in my preferred programs while also throwing in the flight on a US Airways partner, and perhaps burning the BA miles, while *also* keeping the time off from work at about 30 days for the total year?

If Randy can help me answer these questions I would be eternally grateful. :)

Great opportunity, many thanks!

I fly on economy fares often, and I am always struggling to predict how many miles I will earn for any particular flight, and which FFP is best to credit to. Each FFP has different rules per airline, fare class and zone, and I find it difficult to obtain transparency. Add codeshares, and you get to a complete mess: How many miles does a V class ticket for a LH coded flight, operated by AC, earn in the UA program? Is there any smart way to make sense of it all and optimize earning?

I am a loyal United flier, and though I have frequent flier numbers with other airlines, I have hundreds of thousands more United miles. Thus if I want to do award travel, I have to fly on United. My question is how you can book with your United miles on the rest of the Star Alliance. Does the flight have to be a listed United code share? Or is it by airline whether you can redeem your United miles? It's just frustrating when Singapore Airlines flies to the destination but you cannot use your United miles for the ticket. Singapore is obviously the preferable airline! Just wondering if there is a method to the madness!

As a 1K on United, I enjoy some of the best perks that top status has to offer, including upgrades, waitlist priority, dedicated reservations and customer service, and in generall excellent treatment. There's no question to me that for someone who flies 100,000 miles a year, sticking to one airline is absolutely worth it.

My question concerns those at the other end of the spectrum, namely people who fly just enough to attain the lowest status level (e.g., "Silver") but not more: Are the benefits that come at the lowest status levels really worth the extra costs and potential inconvenience of sticking with one airline? I used to think so, but I'm not so sure anymore, particularly with the airlines' significantly diminished capacity, making upgrades harder to obtain; the the increasing difficulty of using frequent flyer miles to get where you want to go, when you want to go there; and proliferation of "Low-Cost Carriers," which often can get you from A to B at a much cheaper price.

In short, is the lowest-tier elite game still worth the candle?

My biggest dilema when it comes to using points and miles is knowing how to best combine points that fall under the same airline alliance/group. For example, I know Delta and Northwest merged thus their rewards programs merged. How do I best stay on top of airline mergers and know when I can move around miles to allied rewards programs?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

My wife and I like to use the points & miles I earn on business travel for personal travel. We do not have a huge budget for vacations but can take advantage of my United 1K status to get upgrades and do some international travel. However - is it worth it to use the miles? Here is an example:

Right now I could use 250,000 miles to buy two Business Class seats to Bangkok to visit a friend there, and pay nothing for the flights. However, I also have upgrade certificates available that I could use to purchase Economy tickets for as low as $1200, and upgrade them to Business Class, getting the same end result.

I'd be out $2,400 that I really don't have to spare, but I would also still have 250,000 miles in the 'mileage bank' which would buy TEN saver flights domestically. So - should I use the miles? use the money? buy one with each? What is the best way to spend the miles to get the most dollar value in return for them?

In this case I'm probably going to end up doing one of each, primarily because I don't think I'll quite have all 250k on account by the time I need to book, but I'd rather save the cash. However, next year when I need to take the family on a quick trip to a sick relative, and end up buying four $800 fares to somewhere domestically, I'll probably kick myself.

I live in Europe, I travel quite a lot, enough to maintain Gold on OK+ and Gold on Hilton HHonors.
I read everyday how frequesnt travellers on Flyertalk find great ways to use their miles and points, but most of these opportunities are only applicable to US-residents or are linked to US-departe cities.

Living in Europe, when it comes to using accrued miles and points, biggest dilemma I have is to be able to use my points and miles in such a way that I can then say I really made a good deal. It sounds easy, but everytime I get to it, many questions come up:
- is it really the place I want to go for THE holiday?
- should I not wait for another offer, when I will have X more points?
- how much $ do I need to spend if I take up on this offer and do I have this money available?
- is it worth to spend my miles or pay and earn some more?

So far I was able to use some miles only once for a continental Biz-class ticket on special sale, and I am still looking for the perfect redemption offer to combine miles&points for THE holiday :)

As others note, bigest dilemna is how to get a US Bank issued miles credit card as a Canadian without out a US address or SSA....ah, to be able to add 100K BA miles with the current program to the current kitty....

The biggest dilemma for this Exec Plat on AA is trying to book two first class or business class international tickets on the One World network;
I'm looking to burn my miles for a long 'round-the-world trip for our honeymoon.

I have lots miles to burn but no one is willing to take them for the days I want to travel. Even months out, the availability on Cathay, JAL, and Qantas is nil for two 1st/biz class tickets.

The other option is to take a cruise, but if I wanted to spend my honeymoon in a cramped tin can, I might as well stay in coach on AA. =D

Getting rebooked from First Class (which frequent flier miles were used for) to Coach from DFW to PHX due to being told there were mechanical problems at the gate. After arriving to PHX, i was told there was no noted problems with my scheduled flight noted in the computer and that it listed me as flying standby. The American Airline luggage customer service saying "Sorry There is Nothing we can do since you chose to fly standby."

So I argue with the customer service person for over an hour trying to explain that I was not flying stand by and was told no refunds for first class tickets. The Airlines would not deliver luggage that was still on the original scheduled flight. So I had to wait for my bags to be delivered.

Funny thing is, American Airlines could have looked like a hero being proactive and preventing a long delay in DFW, but since there was no communication from the DFW and PHX airline staff, instead I received a very poor attitude and basically being called a liar from the service reps and using my first class award ticket (not an upgrade)to fly coach and then have to still wait around the airport for my luggage. This happend last weekend on Sunday, Nov. 22.

Try dating someone who doesn't fly the same alliance / airline as you. We can never travel together - because he's practically married to his airline.

Thankfully we both could go and see this movie together :)

Simple. To upgrade a ticket with miles you have to call to process or even wait-list using miles. You also have to give all your payment info and it always takes 10min +. Why can't using or requesting milage upgrades be just as easy as it is with stickers? Also once you request and are wait-listed, no way to confirm you are listed or verify via AA.com.

Also, does anyone know where I can get help for travel withdrawal symptoms?

My biggest dilemma is that I can never seem to get enough miles. As soon as I earn 50K, I spend it on an international coach ticket.

My second-biggest dilemma which will go away at the end of the year is who to status match from delta gold status that I have left from 2 years ago? Right now I'm flying mostly on *A.

I just don't understand why most airlines have chosen to limit award-booking capability on their respective websites. It's not like the technology is futuristic or unavailable; we see excellent award-booking sites like ANA or Southwest. In fact, United.com used to let travelers book open-jaw awards online. Unfortunately, that function was REMOVED from the website.

Is this laziness on the part of airlines? Or simply a greedy desire to collect ticketing fees?

I am a moderate traveller earning enough miles and points to take one nice international business or first class trip per year for myself and my wife; now we have kids is it worth saving up my miles for 2 or 3 years to bring them too, or is this a risky strategy, as airlines can devalue the currency or even go out of business?

Wendy:

Great gift, hope you get some good feedback / posts on this.

I have one for you. I am a NW defect by force to the new DELTA. While I really never had issues with redeeming awards on NW it seems from my experience and the experiences of my counterparts on FT that many of the overseas award tickets are getting mysterious fees added to the "award" ticket to the point that they almost cost as much as a cash ticket for the equivalent itinerary! One question, isn't an award ticket supposed to be, like FREE?

Another question is award availability on many airlines. With the downturn in the economy and flight schedules being reduced, the award availability that was there a few years ago seems to have diminished. My question is are the days of "great" award redemption gone?

I've become accustomed to the perks that elite membership offers. And, as I near retirement (okay in about 10 + years) I am increasingly worried about achieving lifetime benefits in the programs that I have been loyal to--Marriott, American, and Delta. I need Mr. Petersen to guide me and others as we "senior" travelers face the dilemma of losing status when we need it the most!

Each airline speaks Miles & Points & Status in a different dialect of a different language, with different rules & different values. Even within the same alliance.

Having joined a couple, how do I calculate which airline's miles and points program is the best to spend, which is the best to hoard, when do I spend, and how do I sort it all out?

When buying a seat using miles I would miss out on so much that has value to me as a frequent flyer:

Miles from the credit card purchase, plus bonus miles from being linked to that airline;

Miles from the flight, plus bonus being a person of Status, plus bonus from class of flight;

Miles from the flight towards Status / Elite qualification, plus bonus here on class of flight purchased.

And, the airlines often don't let seats go cheaply in comparison to how much flying it takes to earn those miles.

So, how do you suggest weighing up what all needs to be considered when deciding whether to buy a seat using miles or money?

I hate asking for help, so can Randy tell who has the best online awardbooking engine providing the best options including award stays on hotels?

Good Day:
I am always taken aback on how difficult it is to redeem frequent flyer miles.
Can I redeem miles in general?
Yes.
Can I redeem miles when I want?
No.
Can I redeem miles wherever I want to go?
No.
As a frequent flyer, miles are the way airlines acknowledge and thank my patronage.
Then why should frequent flyer programs matter when miles cannot be redeemed?

How do you book tickets for 2 to difficult to book locations (i.e. US to Australia) in business class using miles? It seems that many times there is only 1 seat available for award travel. I hate the thought of "wait listing" for the other seat. What if it doesn't come through and you are sitting in coach while your spouse is in business for the long trip (because you know that you will be the one in coach and not your wife - lol)?

Thanks.

I'm a teacher, so can only fly on weekends, major holidays or at peak times in the summer. I can manage to collect points on United, but can't usually find a way to USE the points. Do you have any ideas on how I might be able to actually book a flight with points at peak times, since I'm not an elite level flyer?

My biggest dilemma when burning miles now is "How can I route this trip thru Frankfurt so I can pick up a duck and get a Mercedes Benz to drive me to the plane"

An infuriating FF experience:

Jet Blue has been touting their new TrueBlue program that offers no blackout dates. They say that if a FF seat is available on the flight you want then you can have it no matter what the date. So instead of buying a $600 Christmas weekend ticket from NYC-Oakland, I decided to buy the additional Jet Blue points that I needed (7,200) to get a free ticket. I looked online and found that FF seats were available on the flights that I wanted so I paid the $200 for the additional points. When I tried to get the ticket with the TrueBlue points I was told that because the majority of the points I was using were from the old TrueBlue program I was bound by the old program rules, not the new one. So... not only did I buy $200 worth of points that I wasn't able to use, I also had to pay $600 to get the ticket.

In the past, I have booked business class award tickets to exotic destinations for my wife and I. In 2005 to Tahiti and in January 2009 to Bali. Both times, I was not able to secure all the segments in business class on the business class award because some of the star alliance partner airlines would only allow coach. My miles were USAIR and my 2005 return trip included coach SYD to LAX on United and in January, NRT to SIN on Singapore in coach. All the other segments were business. Even though I was told upfront that I would likely not get upgraded on those segments, is there any way possible to ensure the entire itinerary on a business class award will be in business class?

I have many miles that I would like to begin using, particularly USAirways miles as I stopped flying them regularly a few years ago, due to their horrendous customer service. But, of course, I hear that they also have the worst redemption availability... and wow, I've sure seen that first had. So, I've tried my best to book 5 business class award seats to Barcelona for next year. I tried to be proactive, and called USAirways 330 days prior to the return date of my trip, so that I can be the first person to request the space and guess what.... There was insufficient availabilty for my family of 5. I told them that I was flexible, maybe 3 can fly on one day, and 2 on the prior day... And guess what.... I still couldn't get the availability to go nonstop from Philadelphia to Barcelona... How could they not even have 2 seats available so far in advance?? They did however suggest that I take a partner airline and take 3 flights going and returning.... But, really, I wasn't trying to take an around the world trip. I just want a smooth, convenient non-stop flight, which I understand is asking too much... (Even at 330 days in advance). Soooo many miles, yet sooo many headaches just trying to find a convenient way to use them. Oh well... I am holding on to the useless miles for another year, because I'm all about convenience, and will instead pay to fly AA nonstop from New York. Hopefully at my age, I will have many years to find the right set of dates and destinations to use up a million miles. Hmmm, maybe some day I'll call USAirways to book a trip around the world... 330 days in advance of course... and just maybe they will find availability for my family of 5. Please, Wish me Luck! :-)

use 'em now or save 'em for later? use 'em for upgrades or blow 'em on an F trip around the world? we should all have such problems - but that's the one i'm facing now - finally retired recently and have the time to use my hard-won caches of miles (not enough to just keep going almost forever or even for more than a couple of those F RTW trips) - and i know if i wait too long they'll be devalued even more than they have been already - Randy - what's the word from your all-knowing crystal ball and ear to the ground?

I'll post Dovster's Dilemma, and where it can expand from there: Geography is in flux.
He asked an airline promo representative, "Is there any way to convince (airline) that Israel is located in Asia? I will be more than happy to send a free globe or world atlas to whoever is in charge of (airline)'s Geography Department."

Apparently, the airline's that "Gold and Platinum (elite status members) living in Asia receive complimentary (airline) Club access." But he therefore is denied this club access, because "Apparently (airline) believes that Israel is located on some continent called "The Middle East"."

In a wider view, this problem also affects members in Amman and Dubai (Middle East / Asia) as well as Mumbai (Bombay / South Asia). The airline also flies to Istanbul, situated in both Europe and Asia, and folks can commute between both sides of the Bosphorus in a matter of a few minutes. The airline treats them as Europe, however, and he bemoans "while they may not get (airline) Club membership, they do get European rates for award tickets. These are lower than the Asian rates -- and the Asian rates, in turn, are lower than the Middle Eastern."

So if you treat then treat "The Middle East" as Asia, what then happens to Cairo, Egypt, which in terms of continents, is in Africa? And if you add Cairo (in Africa), will the folks at the other end of Africa, such as Johannesburg, cry foul?

You might want to pass on that Geography for $1000 question.

Hi. Given limited time, I have trouble keeping track of all of our mileage/hotel/points schemes and maximizing to get best advantage. I need suggestions of how to best use United's System Wide Upgrades (my husband and I, both United 1Ks have two each expiring in January) and how to use RCI points (63,000) expiring in February. We are looking for a four/five night getaway in January in the U.S. or abroad, with airfare not to exceed $800 per person. Thanks.

We are planning a trip of a lifetime for our son’s future graduation. He has been enthralled with Egypt since he was 8 years old and is even considering studying to become an Egyptologist or anthropologist. I have carefully planned for years and we will have enough frequent flier miles one year before we travel for 4 business class tickets on United Airlines from Hawaii to Egypt. Here are some questions I have. How far in advance should I book? Is there a specific time of day I should call when frequent flier seats become available? What flights tend to have the most frequent flier seats available? Is one city better to fly to than another for seat availability? Should we split up and fly in twos? I have often found it very difficult to get frequent flier seats from Hawaii and would love to get your advice on the best way to secure 4 business class frequent flier seats from Hawaii to Egypt.

My most significant challenge is getting enough DL PMUs and Skymiles to upgrade M fares for international flights. I am a DVT/PE (saddle pulmonary emboli) patient who must upgrade for medical reasons. These elite benefits reflect almost nothing other than actual flying as there are no other realistic options available in my case to satisfy this hearty appetite.

It compounds my grief that I can barely patch together a fragile coalition of unlikely resources that regrettably does not begin to allow me to think about award travel so that my spouse could go with me to places of mutual interest. However, if the M fares keeps going up at an alarming rate this will be a moot point as neither my office nor I will be able to pay for fares that are out of reach which would end my career.

I have purchased upgrades on AA currently Gold Status. I am flying with wife & two kids on high priced holiday domestic purchased tickets. Wife says I am an idiot for suggesting that kids fly coach and wife & I first class. She says all or none. That would require 12 purchased upgrades each way. Not worth the price. Am I being selfish or am I really an idiot?

As LH FQTV I would like to know, how I could protect against mile inflation making awards even more unattractive. Also I would like to know Randy´s advice on the best programme among Star Alliance carriers in regard to get Gold Status easily.

Kind regards
cimber

two-fold question--when looking to use flyer miles--one is that flights from Albany, NY hard to find and time to get free tickets are never when I have time off?

i by no means have hundreds of thousand of miles to use, been saving them for years and hoping to use them in the next couple to take a upgrade to business class for a trip to italy with my husband. the problem is that there are soo many restrictions with grades of tickets , the list goes on and on. I have both united and continental and cant figure out what will be my best bet to use. I want to know who would be best so I can concentrate on wha to put my purchases on so I can get best bang for my buck

My biggest dilemma: should I move?

Don't get me wrong. Alaska is a gorgeous place.

But despite our status as a major cargo hub (fifth busiest in the world) and with as much passenger traffic as Long Beach and Long Island combined, with industry cuts and the recession, Anchorage has been left with what is basically a monopoly carrier that has no qualms about imprisoning locals with insanely high fares. Their "Hot Deals" (lowest fare class) airfare on the shortest out-of-state route (to our neighbor city, Seattle) is double their CASM--and it goes up from there!

The absolute lowest--lowest--published fare filed out of ANC is 6cpm. Not too bad, but remember: FlyerTalkers groan at having to pay more than 3cpm for a mileage run. And I have yet to actually find availability on that fare. The best option with actual availability is 7cpm. There's never anything lower than that. (And forget intrastate flying: the best web special on ANC-FAI is 25cpm!)

With minimum $450+ airfares to our 1500-mile-away suburb of Seattle and airfares triple that to Europe, members of the middle class who don't fly for business simply can't afford to maintain elite status and continue to earn miles. At least I can't. I'll be losing Alaska Airlines MVP status this year--along with my sanity from having to stay housebound for much longer than usual!

So, I've been contemplating moving. I don't really care where I end up, as long as it's near an airport with the occasional reasonable fare--or, at the very least, near a freeway or railroad station that can get me to an airport with the occasional reasonable fare!

So, my question: is it sad that the greed of an otherwise good company and carrier (whom I have many friends working for) is causing me to consider uprooting and shaking up my entire life? Is it worth moving? Is it wrong for a travel addict like me to have some anger? Or am I justified?

Has anyone else ever quit a good job and moved thousands of miles because of a single air carrier? Or will I be the first?

Randy, please confirm my sanity!

How do I explain to family members what makes a trip worthy of using miles, or not?

I love my miles. I have been mindful of earning each and every one. In fact, I would rather watch them sit in a big pile than use them.

Family members just don't understand. My sister didn't talk to me for weeks because I would not give my nephew miles for a last minute flight that would have only set him back a couple hundred bucks. The trip was definitely not miles worthy. I told her I would let him borrow the money, that it wasn't worth wasting so many miles if the ticket only cost that much. She refused to embrace the concept. The only thing that got her past the upset were the miles I later gave her for a trip to London, which did make sense. I tried to explain the difference and she said, "uh huh, uh huh," as if she finally understood, but I think she just wanted to go to London ...

Further, I have been a frequent flyer for over two decades, but married only two years. My husband and I still have yet to go on our honeymoon, and miles are the reason! I just can't see parting with them. He expects to use my pile of miles for a first class trip to Australia, but prefers, and uses, cash instead of the airline credit card I gave him! Even for big purchases, where he will write a check. Yes, its true! I am wondering where the miles will come from to replace the ones used for our honeymoon and he seems to think if they are sitting there, simply use them!

How do I get through to these people?

4 of us are going to the US Open Golf at Pebble Beach this summer, June 14 to 20, 2010. We are traveling from East TN (TYS or CHA) and the ticket prices have increased since Sept to now by about $300 (from about $200 to $500+). Any ideas on cheaper fares, will they go back down, are we toast when it comes to a good buy, etc? We couldn't buy at the time till we had everyone committed and calendars cleared, now in Nov the prices are doubled.

I was going to say that my problem is I need a new job that allows me to travel, but (though true) that's a little boring. So wrote this instead. Enjoy! :-)

-----

Roger was having a bad day. Worse then that, he was having a Bad Day. The. Ultimate. Bad. Day.

Roger had it all. A nice place with some nice toys, nice suits, a decent amount in the bank account and most importantly, he had a lot of frequent flyer points. A lot. Like more then what most normal people would even dream possible. A veritable Mountain of Points. Most of the points had come via the credit card – spend one dollar get one point. And Roger was smart – he knew to stay at certain hotels in order to get bonus points. He knew to rent his cars from the one company that also gave bonus points. But by far, the most valuable, the most cherished of those miles were the status miles.

Status Miles. Just the words alone had a special glow that surrounded them. Status Miles. Words that slid off the tongue leaving a warm, special feeling behind in the mouth as they came out. Status Miles. Like silk fluttering gently over the skin. Status Miles. Those special rewards that came from flying.

Flying where? Well that didn’t really matter now did it? Flying generated Status Miles. Oh how wonderful that was! Just that feeling of sitting on the airplane flying above the clouds knowing that Status Miles were his. And better still to see those precious, those truly precious Status Miles in black and white in his account. Mmmm … Status Miles.

Status Miles. Status Miles. Status Miles.

And it was all over on this Ultimate Bad Day, because Roger had just been fired by some jerk named Ryan Bingham. Ryan – the smooth talking stuffed suit who was there only because Roger’s boss didn’t have the guts to face him himself. Ryan – the well-coifed, sharp dresser who smiled and said, “Roger, I’m here to talk about your future.”

Future?! What future? There never was any future. There was only Now. And now only mattered if Status Miles were accumulating.

And now, there would be no miles. Not anymore. That was over.

The Ultimate Bad Day indeed.

Roger had fumed, had sworn, had heatedly told Mister Jerk Ryan Bingham that he was taking everything away. Who was he to do this to Roger? But The Jerk had just nodded as though he knew. But what could he possibly know? How could someone like him possibly even begin to understand what was at stake? What it was that was being unceremoniously yanked from Roger?

It wasn’t the job. It wasn’t the prestige of working for the company. Heck, it wasn’t even for the money (though that was pretty good). It was the opportunity to accumulate Status Miles.

Roger knew well enough he could fly anywhere in style and comfort for a long time if he just used his miles. He knew how to work within the system to get himself around the world in First Class for only 120,000 points. Spending that wouldn’t even begin to make a dent in his account.

But that wasn’t the point. Spending miles might be OK for some, but for Roger the goal, the whole point of everything was to accumulate Status Miles. It wasn’t a competition, it wasn’t even necessarily a challenge. Nobody even knew Roger did this and nobody really needed to know. It was just The Way Things Were. Accumulation of Status Miles was the only thing that mattered.

And so, on The Ultimate Bad Day, Roger had a problem. How could he find a new role that would allow him to continue his mission? Where would he begin his search for the job that would enable him to get back to accumulating Status Miles?

What would you consider to be the five best strategies for accruing frequent flyer miles?

Airlines and hotels are flooding us with miles and points lately. There are so many miles and points in the system that devaluations are running rampant and award seats at the lowest mileage level are like finding a needle in the haystack. So, why am I continuing to bother with this and seeing continued frustrations with a constantly devaluing currency and loads of time wasted on finding the ever elusive award seats?

Should I just start flying the low cost airlines and get me the best cash rebate credit cards and save me from this addictive hobby? Is there a cure for my disease? A facility for miles/points detox perhaps? :-)

Airline seat prices, like the stock market change regularly throughout the day/week/year. For this reason a seat next to yours may vary in price by hundreds of dollars. So when redeeming frequent flier miles how can a value be estimated? Personally, I seldom use frequent flier miles for myself realizing the flight if purchased may accrue miles. :) My best value has been flying family and friends to places they want to go. Their appreciation seems to provide the best value.
At any rate, I don't believe my question has an answer but I'll ask anyway. What is the true value of a frequent flier mile?

I'm an AA EXP and I am always trying to calculate whether or not to use miles or dollars for a trip. I know it's a personal calculation, but I don't have just one CPM value to deal with. Another factor is the availability of of awards. Sometimes I just struggle trying to figure out which is the best value. The CPM varies with the seasons and so does the Award availability.

Here is my ongoing dilemma:

I am engaged and like to use my miles to fly my fiance on reward tickets. I however, want to buy my own ticket so that I can continue to get the needed EQMs to make my elite status for the next year.

I am always trying to build her a reward inventory up front, then building it backwards as a purchased ticket for myself, then hoefully upgrading it myself.

It always seems that the reward inventory (at least on Continental ...I fly out of CLE) isn't available for flgihts that are reasonably priced for revenue tickets.

Help us out here and get us flying upfront together!

Pete (and Lisa)

When traveling on pleasure my timing is often very flexible. Where some airline web sites are better than others in showing what days have awards available, because availability is constantly shifting, I know of no easy way to watch for seats, particularly at the lowest levels. Is there one? Once -- maybe it was Randy -- someone had a service where for a fee they would keep checking for you and because of their expertise would know alternative routings to check. Does such a service exist today beyond the free help and advice on www.flyertalk.com?

When I travel, I love to talk with locals. Most are friendly and want to practice their English. In Vollendam, Holland, I started talking with an elderly local gentleman, who was a retired Catholic missionary to India. He told me about Markam, a former island just offshore, that was Protestant. I paid for his ferry ride and spent a pleasant afternoon with him discussing the two cities. He would stop residents of Markam and ask their feelings about the road that now connected it to the mainland. Talking with locals is the best way to find spots that locals visit.

Hi, I am Premiere Exec with United, but i now spend 1/2 of the year over seas. i am not sure if i should stick with UA or switch to LH.
I normally fly buisness/first when flying back to the states, so i dont really benefit from UA in terms of Economy plus, upgrades, priority boarding etc due to status.

But if i move from UA to LH, i wouldnt earn enough miles to make star gold with them, but i will at least be redeeming more miles with them for future trips for every flight i do take.

i have been thinking about this for a couple of years, and i basically have another month before i decide if im going to switch from UA.

the main benefit i get from being star gold is the extra baggage allowance, and using the senator lounges instead of the biz lounge.

I am a United/Star Alliance flyer for the most part, but I have orphan miles on other FFP's. On a recent Air France flight, they gave me 10,000 miles for a broken in flight entertainment system. What's the best thing or way to optimize those miles? Thanks!

My problem is with the Delta Airlines American Express card. I can get one of these cards and get perhaps 25,000 miles for signing up. I wonder, though, if Delta will want even more people to sign up next year for the card and thus they might increase the signup bonus. I don't really need the miles right now - I'm alread a Delta Platinum Medallion member and have plenty of miles accrued. I probably will get the card, though. My dilema - sign up now or wait?

My situation: Took the Latin Pass mileage run where 3 in my family earned 500,000 each. Latin Pass group began reducing airlines for which we could redeem miles soon after earning these 1.5 million miles.

Dilemma: Go on multiple whirlwind trips to consume my mileage bonanza quickly or hope that the Latin Pass group holds together for 5 years so we could spread out my vacations to suit my desires and schedule?

I seldom get a full week off, but find myself scheduled in 2010 with a week off in mid-March. I've only been to Europe once (Germany a few years ago briefly on business) and would really like to go to Paris or Prague or London -- but my understanding is the weather in Europe at that time of year is nasty. Should I give up on the idea of Europe and opt for a beach somewhere instead?

As a 16-year old Gold Elite member, it is very difficult to be taken seriously. I have been laughed off by quite a few gate agents when I approached them about an upgrade, even when I wanted to use miles to do so. There was one instance where the gate agent gave my upgrade to a Silver Elite member, just because he was wearing a coat and tie and I was walking around with my Chemistry book. What can I do to be taken more seriously? Flashing my card doesn't seem to be working...

Our company recently instated rules where individual employees are not allowed to use Frequent Flier miles or Hotel points for personal use. This was because of tax reasons.

I travel long-distance frequently, flying in paid business class.

I do get to enjoy perk of having status but that's about it. According to the tax authorities, I am allowed to use my points as I wish with work-related trips. So using the points for upgrades is ok, on work trips.

My question is: how would I get the most benefit out of the situation. It's obvious that I try to book my long-haul flights on airlines that offer First class, but even then upgrading from business to First isn't easy to come by.

And what about hotel stays? Any particular chain where I could use my points for suite upgrades?

Thanks!

We have frequent flyer miles for every airline, but the problem is that we never seem to have enough in each one for a free flight! In Delta, every flight seems to be in the "high" season - every Costa Rica during the rainy season! What do we do with all of these random points which never really amount to anything?

Here's my suggested dilemma for use in the movie:

OK-- my confirmed last two confirmed regional upgrades on UAL (CR-1 or CRU as the airline calls them) are set to expire at the end of the year. Do I upgrade my boss who is flying with me next week or upgrade my mother who is 74 years old and needs a wheelchair and who is flying in for Christmas from Las Vegas for the Christmas Holiday?

As a Continental OnePass member who has earned Elite status this year for the first time since 2001 -- what is the best way to 'efficiently' accumulate miles towards 'maintaining' said elite status (after 2/2011)? Also, at what 'price point' does it make sense to redeem miles for a coach reward ticket - domestically?

Before the April 2009 changes to Air France’s Flying Blue program, I redeemed my miles for an F Ticket (A Class). The Terms and Conditions CLEARLY stated the ticket was changeable for one year from the date of issue and did not indicate that the ticket had to be booked in the same class.

In early October, I telephoned to change my ticket to a date in November only to be told that on August 25th, AF abolished the A Class and would not allow any changed past October 25th despite their own Terms and Conditions and the fact that many F seats were available on every flight.

The agent and her supervisor both thought it was extremely unfair of AF to all of a sudden eliminate A Class and not allow us to book in to F anymore. They went on to advise me to e-mail FB to make an exception.

Seven e-mails later, I received a contradictory response stating, "In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Flying Blue programme, Classic Awards* are valid one year from the date of issue and can be changed or cancelled againstfor [typo is theirs] a fee of 45 euros/70USD/70CAD per person.

We wish to inform you that, your reward ticket is not valid after the October 24, 2009."

After two additional e-mails and one to their CEO, the Canadian AF Office informed me that Paris decided to refund my miles and let me use them until the original expiration of the ticket, however, I would not be able to book any first class tickets and because the redemption rates had skyrocketed, I would have to redeem at the new levels. The Canadian Office also agreed that what the airline was doing was extremely unfair and quite dirty.

I have always wanted to try a mileage run; however, I live in Hawaii and it seems that all of the great deals originate in the continental US. Any suggestions?

The constant problem for non-US based frequent flyer members is that we are the poor relation of US members.

Promos, double mile offers, almost always exclude non-US based members.

What to do? Give up on US based airlines or try and find a partner where I get 100% status miles even on cheap fares?

I once bought American Airline tickets (that were on sale) specifically so that I could get One World frequent flier miles... except I noticed afterwards from my statement that my flight class was "O", which means you get no points at all. How can I prevent this from happening? How can I know during the booking process which letter (flight class) my tickets have been assigned?

My biggest dilemma:

My wife and I are sitting on about 200,000 Continental/*A miles each. It has been her dream to go to Australia/New Zealand and I have finally gotten her to understand my passion for flying so I believe she is OK with the following. I want to surprise her with a trip to Australia however, as a flying "nut" getting there is half the fun to me. I am wondering what *A airlines would provide the most memorable experience (in Biz or First) as well as the most creative "legal" routing to maximize our time in the air from NYC?

Thank you.

You invest years into a frequent flyer program only to find the grass appearing greener on another carrier for what ever reasons float your boat in a particular program. So... when does it make sense to abandon your progress to million miler and annual top tier status on one carrier to move to another carrier only to start from scratch and claw your way back to the front of the plane?

Finding award availability via United's Mileage Plus including which Star Alliance partner awards they will allow their own members to redeem has always been problematic. You can mix/match seating classes and gateway/connecting airports to create an award itinerary, but the tools available at united.com are miserable at being able to do that. Various 3rd party tools have sprung up and then had to remove united's own award availability because united considers the information to be proprietary. How can one take best advantage of mileage plus given the problems in trying to find award availability through United and it's Star Alliance partners?

I live in Niagara Falls, Ontario and is an American Executive Platinum. Although requalifing is not a concern this year, what do you propose I use as an excuse to satisfy the border guards for me to get across the border to BUF for MR on cheap fares?

I have a lot of US Airways miles. The airline seems to be on shaky ground, economically speaking. Do I need to be in a rush to use my miles for fear of them going under or do most defunct airlines usually get taken over by another airline and the miles get transferred to another program? Is this likely for US?

Dilemma: How does one secure a nonstop business class award seat using UA miles from SFO-LHR-SFO on United?

Last year, on Dec 31st, I cashed in 80K UA miles for an business award seat, SFO-LHR-SFO before the award structure went up to 105K for business. My friend was not available on my original date of travel so I tried to re-book new dates.

Can you believe I could not find 1 set of dates with non-stop business class round trip for the remainder of the year! Is this unbelieveable or what? I could find seats with close in dates on connection flights but UA charges $150 each time if I change to a connection.

The UA award engine was not conducive to searching for non-stops and it didn't work even listing months out. This became a very frustrating process to spend hours to call United or use UA search engine only to be told to pay $150 or nothing. Isn't there a better way?

This hardly seems right to save that many miles and not be able to find 1 seat or at least allow for a connection with charging $150 each time. And to add insult to injury, they also charged a close in fee if your new dates were within 21 days. Almost a double whammy. I've given up as I'm also limited that I have to complete my award travel by Dec 31st 2009.

Now using miles on American is a different matter. They don't charge those ridiculous fees to change date/time/flights if my original city pairs SFO and LHR don't change! And in my 20+ years with American, I have never "not" been able to find a desired award seat using their award engine. I've used hundreds of thousands of miles happily on American award tickets.

Please help me get tips on how to effectively use my United miles on a business class award ticket to London without spending millions of hours online or on the phone and tons of $$ out of my pocket searching for a seat.

Thanks!

P.S. I'd love to see the premiere as the people depicted in the movie are like "me". :)

Ive been saving miles for about 5 years now to accrue enough on my United Milage plus account to buy an around the world plane ticket for star-alliance. Is this a good idea or should I be saving money to buy the RTW ticket by using up my milage when I can?

An Aadvantage award ticket was reserved in my name using the Frequent Flyer account of a family member. The family member specified my name as the ticketed passenger including my Aadvantage number in the reservation. The intention was for the miles to be removed from the family member's account, not the passenger. But, Aadvantage took the miles from the passenger's (my) account instead of the family member's account that reserved the ticket. The twist is/was that I paid cash when ticketing.. I did not discover the switcharoo until weeks later when I received my Aadvantage statement. The family member's miles were due to expire much earlier than the passenger's account. If it was known that the family member's soon to expiring miles would not be used, a 1st class ticket would not have been reserved.

Is it acceptable that Aadvantage would remove miles from the passenger account and not the account that reserved the ticket?

I remember being at DCA at Continental's Presidents Club when George Clooney and his female assistant entered the club earlier this year. They were on there way to LAX via Alaska Airlines. The nice thing for them is that no one bothered them in the club, including me although I was tempted to ask him for an autograph for my 23 year old daugther. I guess George is hot for all women?
Now to my dilemma:
I am platinum on Continental, UA, and Delta. My biggest problem, which I believe is common to most other frequent flyers is mileage program flight availability considering the limted seat allocation.

I live in a US Airways hub city, but I've been Premier Executive with United for 4 years and I almost have enough miles accumulated for 2 F tickets to somewhere good, but I don't get upgraded during my normal travel on US since I am a United elite member.

Should I change my earning over to US Airways so I can avoid starnet blocking and begin getting upgraded during the 30% of my flying on US planes with first class cabins, or stay with United so I can have economy plus with them, not worry about whether elite bonuses will come or go, and now begin getting upgraded on my occasional United and Continental flight?

I'd rather keep my miles together to get better trips instead of switching and leaving orphan miles for horrible domestic ticket redemptions which is why I haven't taken the plunge yet.

My biggest dilemma is :
How to score 2 Singapore Air's First or Business class long-haul awards on the same flight, using DL miles? I usually only get one. Exactly when will they open a 2nd seat prior to departure (so I don't have to call back for months).

And if that's not possible, how to tell spouse to sit in the back? :)

With miles and points constantly being devalued how do programs expect to keep their members loyal? I run everything through my program credit cards, and I focus on one airline program and one hotel program to maximize my status and points. Do I start over when a program (ahem Hilton Honors) changes their structure...again? Or do I ride out the storm and hope the program managers come to their senses?

I have 1,214,662 Delta miles available miles to use because I purchase revenue tickets and make purchases on my airline affiliated credit card. I am based out of DTW and just got Delta Platinum Medallion last year. How many miles is too much to accumulate and is it time to start cashing in my miles?

One of my biggest dilemma's came when I just had enough to do a transatlantic for my fiance to see me on my year abroad for an economy on the way there and the Businessfirst on the way back? The worse part is that the day that she will be flying economy is her birthday, I refuse to pay for miles, so hopefully I will have enough to change the reservation before she flies so she will be in Businessfirst on the way there also. The importance of her having it on the way back is that she will be flying back with me. What would you do in this situation? Would you buy the CO miles?

My question deals with upgrades both from status and from using miles. If you get domestic, free upgrades on a trip with a friend do you feel the need to turn down the upgrade to sit with your friend or to give said friend the sit?

On long haul flights (7 hours or more) when you want to use your miles to upgrade yourself and are traveling with a friend do you feel the obligation to upgrade that friend on the trip or simply say "see ya at the gate in SEA?"

When it comes to using my miles, the biggest dilemma I face is almost always:
Do I want to take one trip in business/first, or multiple trips in coach?

The follow up to that is usually:
How do I convince my wife that one trip in business really is the better option? :)

My biggest issue is finding a way to circumvent UA's StarNet blocking and book into LH F or NZ C ex-LAX.

I never use my miles for award travel because I always need the flight miles to qualify for status. :(

In a world where more and more miles are earned through credit card bonuses and partner activities, (especially true for my primary airline Delta). Is it still feasible for people like myself who earn miles solely through flying to continue to be loyal to a frequent flyer program, when miles are constantly being devalued.

Wendy says:
I'll then choose the ten dilemmas that are the most common, the most puzzling, the most infuriating, or simply the ones we can learn the most from.

For international award travel, the best way to avoid the dilemma of hearing 'no award seats available' is the following:

1. If you are flying from a non-hub city and/or to a hub city (ie- Cleveland-Venice), never ask for avails from Cleveland to Venice.

2. Instead, first ask about the critical longhaul hub-to-hub routing options based on your frequent flyer program alliance. So, Cleveland-Venice, ask for the following combination of avails:
Star Alliance: Chicago/Washington Dulles/Toronto/Philadelphia/Newark to Frankfurt/Vienna/Munich/Copenhagen

3. Once you find a hub to hub combo that has space (you have over 20 possibilities!), THEN ask about tacking on the shorthaul spoke-to-hub and/or hub-to-spoke short haul options
Star Alliance- Cleveland-Chicago/Toronto/Washington Dulles/Philadelphia/Newark and Frankfurt/Vienna/Munich/Copenhagen-Venice.

Especially for Business Class awards, this strategy is key because the short haul hub-to-spoke segments these days are often in ONE CABIN regional jets. So, the Cleveland to US hub and Europe hub to Venice could possibly only show Economy seating and thus show unavailable if you ask for a Business Class Cleveland-Venice award search.

I have NEVER been shut out of an award seat in 12 years and over 70 international Business Class redemptions using this strategy.

Why am I driven to spend thousands of dollars on trips I don't need to take so that I can accumulate enough miles to take one trip that I do? Psychologically, there's something going on here, because it doesn't even make financial sense for me to do this (usually) - yet I do because I love the feeling of "flying free" when in reality, that's not the case.

Wendy - cool contest, giving and learning at the same time. I hope there are some real thorny challenges posted.

My husband and I love to travel and are loyal United fliers (and Perrin Post readers!). We have Mileage Plus accounts and our home airport is Denver. We have never in all our years flown first or business before, and dream of doing so to Europe one day. How does one find success in booking an upgrade without spending a fortune since it seems the categories for upgrade eligibility are so expensive? This would be so appreciated as my husband is 6'4" and we seem unusually vulnerable to Murphy's Law (ie, ending up in the very last row on a flight from London to Chicago the last time we went to Europe! Needless to say, that meant no reclining for us and a very claustrophobic seat in our faces for the 8 hour flight! Ugh.).
Thank you!

I am an American living in Southwest Ontario, Canada and, because Detroit Metro Airport is so close (and tons cheaper than Windsor or Toronto), I always fly out of DTW. Problem is, since I live in Canada, I am automatically disqualified when it comes to applying for a decent airline credit card to accumulate air miles (mainly Northwest & Delta). Is there a Canadian bank/credit card that even comes close to the air miles cards offered in the US?

Randy is one of my heroes, too. Thank you for sharing his knowledge and insight with the class!