The Extra Mile

To Maximize Miles, Keep Track of Airline Partner Changes

Q&A: How can I consolidate miles from several programs?

August 30, 2003 - As with marriages, coalitions between airlines wax and wane, begin and end. And as they do, the intricate pattern of frequent flyer program partnerships is continually redrawn.

Case in point: Delta and United recently issued simultaneous news releases announcing the upcoming termination of their frequent flyer program tie-up.

For members of United's Mileage Plus program, Sept. 15 will be the last day to earn and redeem miles for Delta flights. Oct. 15 is the last day for Delta SkyMiles members to earn and redeem miles for United flights. And Feb. 29, 2004, is the deadline for members of both programs to complete award travel on the other airline.

Unlike real life, this divorce comes after the parties had already remarried.

Delta, as of July 15, is engaged in a three-way frequent flyer program relationship with Continental and Northwest.

And United will be expanding its relationship with US Airways, which encompasses reciprocal frequent flyer program participation.

Both of the above -- which might be called domestic alliances and include code-sharing and reciprocal airport lounge access -- are expected to evolve into global alliances, multi-carrier networks with interlocking operations and mileage programs.

Also new on the frequent flyer program front, as of Aug. 1, Continental and Virgin Atlantic are mileage partners. Continental OnePass members may earn and redeem miles for Virgin flights, and Virgin flying club members earn and redeem miles when flying Continental.

For savvy travelers, there's a telling difference between the relationships that Continental and Virgin now have with Delta. Whereas members of Delta's SkyMiles program will earn elite-qualifying miles when flying Continental, the miles they earn on Virgin flights do not count toward Delta elite status.

The special treatment of elite benefits is a defining characteristic of an alliance, versus a simple bilateral commercial agreement.

With today's many possible species of airline relationships, it's no longer simply a question of who's with whom; there's also the matter of the marriage contract's fine print, which translates into more (or fewer) miles and benefits for frequent flyers.

Current News & Offers

This summer's intense competition among communications companies has generated an unprecedented number of mileage offers. Two of the more lucrative deals are the following from Southwest and United.

Through Aug. 31, Southwest Rapid Rewards members will earn eight credits for signing up for Earthlink dial-up, DSL, cable or satellite services. In Southwest's program, an award ticket is offered for 16 credits, so this offer gets you half way to a free ticket.

Details are here.

And through Sept. 15, Sprint is offering members of United's Mileage Plus 25,000 miles -- enough for a free domestic ticket -- if they combine local and long-distance service with Sprint and activate two new phones with Sprint PCS service.

For more, visit United's website.

Readers: Miles on their Minds

Question from Patrick

Can you tell me if there is any way to consolidate miles from several airlines after they are earned? I have points with at least six airlines, each good for several domestic roundtrips. What I don't have is enough miles with one airline to take my family to Europe. Given the ticketing and code-sharing some of these airlines have, is there any way to consolidate miles (after earned) to one airline?

Answer

The ticketing and code-share agreements are indeed often parts of larger agreements which include frequent flyer program links. But those links do not generally allow for the outright transfer of miles between programs.

There are the traditional vehicles for exchanging miles among programs -- Diners Club, Hilton HHonors Reward Exchange, and Points.com. But you will sacrifice a minimum of half your miles in the conversion process, and in some cases as much as 90%.

You would probably be best served by taking advantage of advance-purchase fares to Europe, for which you will earn miles, and redeeming your miles selectively for flights which would be very expensive otherwise.