Issue #77  --  January 20, 2000

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Welcome, Smarter Living
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Beginning this issue, we will be featuring "Deal Alerts" from SmarterLiving.com in the "Steals & Deals" section. We have developed a close relationship with Smarter Living over the past 6 months, and trust their ability to provide timely and accurate fares updates, as they do for the L.A. Times online and other publications.

Welcome Smarter Living!

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Smarter Living

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Welcome Back, OAG
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In the December 16, 1999 issue of The Crier, we ran an ad for the OAG Pocket Flight Guide, like the one above. Unfortunately, we misprinted OAG's website address, so the link didn't connect to anything. We apologize to anyone who was confused or inconvenienced by our mistake, and hope you'll try reaching their site again. We use the OAG Pocket Flight Guide here at FrequentFlier.com, and can recommend it as an indispensable tool for frequent travelers.

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OAG Pocket Flight Guide

<< M I L E S >>

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Double Aeroplan Miles
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(Air) Canada is looking for a few good Americans...

Travel on any scheduled Air Canada or Air Canada Connector flight between the U.S. and Canada to earn double Aeroplan miles between January 15 and March 31, 2000.

Flights must be nonstop, and travel must be in J, C, Y, M or B class to qualify for double miles.

Code share flights are not included in the offer.

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Air Canada

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Bid for Canadian Airlines' Award Seats
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If you're looking for award seats between Canada and London, Rome, Boston or Los Angeles, check out Canadian Airlines' online auction.

Between January 17 and 21, members of Canadian Plus can bid miles for award tickets from Canada to a number of Europe and U.S. destinations.

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Canadian International

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Midwest Express Elites Get Bigger Bonus
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Milwaukee-based Midwest Express increased the bonus for elite members from January 1, 2000.

Frequent Flyer Plus members now earn an additional 50% of their normal miles, up from 25% previously. Bonus is for eligible flights on Midwest express, Skyway and codeshare flights.

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Midwest Express

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TRIP.com Triples Booking Bonus
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Between January 17 and March 31, 2000, earn three rewardTRIP miles for every dollar spent on an airline ticket purchased at TRIP.com.

For instance, purchase a $500 airline ticket through TRIP.com will receive 1,500 rewardTRIP miles that can be redeemed for miles in any of the participating airlines--American, Continental, Delta and TWA.

The Triple Miles promotion is based on TRIP.com's rewardTRIP program, which offers travelers one mile for every dollar spent on an airline purchase made through TRIP.com.

An interesting feature of TRIP.com's program is that it allows you to buy a United ticket, for instance, and redeem the rewardTRIP miles earned from that purchase for American AAdvantage miles.

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TRIP.com

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Delta Does Upgrades Online
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Delta's Medallion SkyMiles members may now process their 800-Mile Segment Upgrades online at www.delta-air.com . This Web-based feature enables Medallion members, Delta's most frequent customers, to redeem their segment points and upgrade to Business or First Class on purchased reservations for flights within the United States, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico.

Medallion members may access their reservations via the Web at www.delta-air.com and select the flights that they would like to upgrade. Platinum Medallion members may request segment upgrades any time after making a reservation. Gold and Silver Medallions may request segment upgrades 72 and 24 hours before flight departure, respectively.

The online 800-Mile Segment Upgrade feature can access any reservation that includes a Medallion SkyMiles account number. Customers have the option of being placed on the waitlist if their flight is sold out in the requested upgrade class of service. They may also review waitlist status and the number of points required to upgrade each flight segment.

SkyMiles program members receive four complimentary 800-Mile Segment Upgrade points upon reaching Silver Medallion or Gold Medallion status. Each upgrade point secures one 800-Mile Segment Upgrade and is valid on most published Delta fares within or between the United States, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. Additionally, for every 10,000 base miles flown, Silver Medallion members earn four 800-Mile Segment Upgrade points, while Gold Medallion members earn eight. Platinum Medallion members receive unlimited Delta one-class, 800-Mile Segment Upgrades. Medallion members may also purchase segment upgrade points using either miles or money.

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Delta

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SkyMiles for Flood Relief
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Delta Air Lines' SkyWish program, which allows SkyMiles members to donate unused miles to charity, is accepting SkyMiles designated for Venezuelan flood relief.

Through Feb. 14, 2000, SkyMiles donated to The United Way International will be used primarily to help ongoing emergency efforts. Miles donated will help transport relief personnel to crises sites or injured people in need of advanced medical care to locations outside of the disaster area.

The excessive rain, flooding and mudslides in Venezuela have caused the greatest disaster of the century in this South American nation. Thousands of people have perished, while survivors are in need of food, water, medicine and shelter.

Members may donate any amount of miles above a 5,000-mile minimum. Delta will add 1,000 miles for every 5,000 miles donated. Donations are not tax-deductible for Delta or SkyMiles members.

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To donate miles: Members should submit in writing the amount of mileage they wish to give and to which charity; include their SkyMiles account number; and send via fax to 404-773-1945 or via U.S. mail to Delta Air Lines, Inc., Dept. 745, SkyMiles Service Center, P.O. Box 20532, Atlanta, GA, 30320-2532. Mileage will be deducted automatically from the member's account, and deductions will be reflected on the next mileage summary.

<< S T E A L S & D E A L S >>

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Deal Alert from SmarterLiving.com
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Two hot deals from SmarterLiving.com...

>> Fare War To European Destinations!

Travel to Europe this winter just got a great deal easier.

Many major airlines have cut prices on flights to various European destinations. These round-trip fares start at $198 and are valid for travel through March 31.

For more details, please visit Smarter Living

>> Seniors Can Save Up To 50% At Hyatt Hotels

Travelers aged 62 and over are eligible to save up to 50% off the regular room rates at participating Hyatt hotels. These rates are available through the end of the year.

Sample rates include $69 at Hyatt San Jose, $75 at Hyatt Orlando, $79 at Hyatt DFW (Dallas), and $99 at Hyatt Regency Los Angeles.

For more details, please visit Smarter Living

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Sweepstakes: Win Free First Class
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Cathay Pacific is giving away first class, literally.

Members of Cathay's CyberTraveler are eligible to enter the airline's Truly First Class Sweepstakes. The prize: 2 free first class tickets to Hong Kong; 3 nights each at the Island Shangri-La and Kowloon Shangri-La hotels; $2,000 spending money; connecting flights from the winner's home city; door-to-door limousine transfers.

If the winner is someone who was referred by another CyberTraveler and noted the referral on their entry form, the CyberTraveler who referred the winner gets the same prize.

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You can register as a CyberTraveler at http://www.cathay-usa.com. Select the Truly First Class Sweepstakes icon. Entries accepted through April 15, 2000.

<< T R A V E L O N L I N E >>

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United Debuts Flight Paging Service
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United Airlines has introduced a free new flight paging service that will proactively inform customers of flight delays, cancellations and gate information via e-mail. Messages can be automatically sent to a customer's personal computer, text-enabled cellular phone or alphanumeric pager, enabling travelers with wireless capabilities to stay abreast of schedule changes even when they are on the road.

Customers wishing to take advantage of the new service simply complete a paging request form at the airline's website whenever they book or change a reservation for United, United Shuttle or United Express flights. Individual users can tailor the service to suit their preferences by choosing different options on the form, such as whether to be alerted when a flight is delayed more than 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Gate information can be provided within one to four hours of the scheduled arrival or departure time.

Customers who are unsure about the capabilities of their pager or cellular phone can use the test pager option on the registration screen to determine whether their device can accept messages from the flight paging service.

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United

<< I N D U S T R Y U P D A T E >>

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Airlines' 4th Quarter Results: Good
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In spite of a 12% increase in the price of jet fuel during the 4th quarter of 1999, most U.S. airlines beat analysts' expectations for the October-through-December period.

Revenue-wise, the picture was a rosy one--

                        4th Quarter Revenue*

                          1998       1999     Chg
 

 American                 $4.2       $4.5     +8%
 America West              $.51       $.57   +12%
 Continental              $1.9       $2.2    +11%
 Delta                    $3.4       $3.7     +9%
 Northwest                $2.2       $2.6    +16%
 Southwest                $1.1       $1.2    +14%
 United                   $4.3       $4.5     +5%
 US Airways               $2.12      $2.14   <+1%

   * In US$ billions

Having done well by their shareholders, let's hope the airlines can do better in 2000 with 2 of their less-satisfied constituencies--customers and employees.

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How To: Airline Complaints
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[Editor's Note. Thanks to Linda for sending in the following instructions on registering dissatisfaction with airline service. Do note that communicating your complaint to the Fed should be a secondary resort, after you have given the airline an opportunity to resolve the problem.]

As mentioned in Thursday's edition of FedNews OnLine, airline passengers now have the option of lodging their complaint when they receive shoddy service. The Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) operates a complaint handling system for consumers who experience air travel service problems.

Consumers with concerns about airline safety or security should call the Federal Aviation Administration toll-free at 1-800-322-7873. Consumers can call the ACPD 24 hours a day at 202-366-2220 to record their complaint or e-mail them at http://www.airconsumer@ost.dot.gov.

Phone calls will not be reviewed. E-mails will be forwarded to an airline official for further consideration whenever appropriate.

Consumers can also write a letter to:

Aviation Consumer Protection Division
U.S. Department of Transportation
Room 4107, C-75
Washington, DC 20590

Consumers who do register a complaint are asked to be brief and concise in describing the problem and are asked to provide the following information: your name, address and daytime phone number including area code, the name of the airline or company about which you are complaining, the flight date, flight number, and origin and destination cities of your trip. If you write, you should also include a copy of your airline ticket (not the original) and any correspondence you have already exchanged with the company.

<< B U S I N E S S T R A V E L T I P S >>

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Things to Know Before You Go
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The following is part of a continuing series of business travel tips from Chris McGinnis's "The Unofficial Business Traveler's Pocket Guide--165 Tips Even the Best Business Travelers May Not Know."

>> Get creative with Ticketing

Business travelers typically fly midweek and cannot take advantage of cheaper airfares that require a Saturday night stayover. Unfortunately, this forces the cost-conscious to bend the rules in order to find affordable fares. While the airlines consider the practice unethical--because they feel that you are being deceptive--some travelers opt for "creative" ticketing strategies to save money.

A "back-to-back" fare works when (for a midweek trip) it is cheaper to buy two roundtrip tickets that require a Saturday night stay than one unrestricted, full-coach fare. "Back-to-backers" buy one roundtrip ticket that starts in their hometown and another ticket that originates in their destination. When they simply throw away the second half. This may be much cheaper than one unrestricted full-fare coach fare--savings can be as much as 50 percent.

A "hidden-city" fare is created when competing air carriers are forced to meet fare pricing set by a competitor within a certain market. In doing so, carriers will sometimes offer a lower fare to a destination that connects through one of their higher-priced hub cities. To take advantage of hidden-city fares, book your flight to the least expensive city (beyond your final destination) and simply get off when the plane stops at the higher-priced hub city. These work best when buying one-way fares. WARNING: carry on all your baggage so that it isn't sent to the ticketed destination.

If you're having difficulty understanding these arcane measures, just ask your travel agent how they work. Some travel agents are more than happy to privately oblige; others refuse. Ask around. But beware: The airlines are trying to track down offenders, charging full fare at the gate and even threatening to take away frequent flier privileges.

Chris McGinnis
Travel Skills Group
PO Box 52927
Atlanta, GA 30355
http://www.travelskills.com

<< S I T E 2 S E E >>

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Airline Websites Rated
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A January 13 article on the ZDNet site rates airline websites according to their usability.

Specifically, they measured the time required to navigate the airlines' sites to reach crucial information. Using that rather limited (but important) metric, the winners, in order, were: Northwest, Alaska, Japan Airlines, and United.

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ZDNet's Travel Website Review