Issue #78  --  January 27, 2000

<< U P F R O N T >>

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Dueling Awards
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There are 2 sets of awards results being announced this week, one of which we're reporting (see the "Industry News" section), one of which we're not.

We're NOT reporting the results of the annual Freddie awards. Why? Because a popularity contest for frequent flyer programs is a fundamentally misleading endeavor. And because it's misleading, it's misguided... unless the goal is to generate ad revenues from winner wannabe's.

Don't misunderstand. The Freddies do have entertainment value, as do the polls we run on the FrequentFlier.com site. As, for that matter, do the Miss Universe awards. Where the Freddies go astray is in taking themselves too seriously, and positioning the results as being somehow actionable. Not! You should no more join the Freddie-winning frequent flyer program than you should propose marriage to Miss Universe. (Hmmmm... bad analogy?)

The point being that the awards distract people from the real considerations that underlie the choice of an appropriate frequent flyer program by purporting to answer the question: What program should I join? If you want help with choosing a program, check out "How to Choose a Program."

Then, if you still want to see "the winners" (bathing suits, high heels, hype and all), go to http://www.freddieawards.com

<< M I L E S >>

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Earn Miles for Car Purchases at CarMiles
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The CarMiles Rewards Program rewards car buyers with up to 15,000 miles on their choice of airlines when they make car-related transactions at participating dealers.

CarMiles was launched early last year through Delta Airlines. TWA, America West, Northwest, and Alaska Airlines joined the alliance later in the year, and American is slated to join early this spring. In January, the CarMiles Rewards Program expanded into Canada through an affiliation with Canadian Airlines.

Consumers can access CarMiles online, through websites customized for each airline (e.g., www.CarMiles.com/Northwest, /TWA, etc.), or offline, though the CarMiles 24-hour call center. Either way, they are directed to a local car dealership where they are rewarded with airline miles for buying or leasing a vehicle, having their car repaired, or taking out an auto loan or extended warranty. The buyer remains anonymous to the dealer, maintaining all of his or her leverage in negotiating the best deal.

Mileage awards for new vehicles are based on the price of the purchase or lease. Consumers earn 5,000 miles for vehicles costing up to $20,000, 10,000 miles between $20,000 and $40,000, and 15,000 miles over $40,000. Buying a used vehicle of any kind earns an award of 10,000, no matter what the selling price.

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Delta Has New SkyMiles Auction Packages
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Delta has 8 new travel packages up for bid in its latest SkyMiles "More for Your Miles" auction.

Between now and February 4, SkyMiles members can bid on the following packages using miles from their account. Travel is available as early as March 23, and all packages are for two persons and include round-trip airfare.

Among the new offerings:

-- Travel to exotic beaches and safaris in South Africa. This five-night package includes a two-night stay at the Sabi-Sabi big game reserve and three nights enveloped in the magnificent beauty of Cape Town at the Protea Hotel Victoria Junction. Travel dates are between March 1 and June 30, 2000. One package is available.

-- Cruise the Caribbean, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas. An 18-night package offered by Seabourn Cruise Line features stops in Dominica; Barbados; the Canary Islands; Casablanca, Morocco; Cadiz, Malaga and Barcelona, Spain. Travel dates are between March 30 and April 18, 2000. One package is available.

-- Hit the links at the site of the 2000 British Open and play with a pro. This four-night package in St. Andrews, Scotland, the birthplace of golf, includes round-trip BusinessElite airfare, meals and a golf clinic and tournament with a PGA professional. Tennis pro Stan Smith and golf commentator Charlie Jones will accompany auction winners during the final rounds of the British Open. Travel dates are between July 21 and 25, 2000. Five packages for two people are available.

>> How to Bid
SkyMiles Members may bid during air travel by pressing *B - I - D on the GTE Airphones provided in-flight. Members also may bid via toll-free phone at 1-877-BID-MILES (1-877-243-6453), by toll-free fax to 1-877-243-2266 (see Delta Web site at www.delta-air.com for bidding form), by e-mail to delta.bids@delta-air.com. Members must maintain the number of miles bid as a minimum SkyMiles account balance from the time of bid submission until winner notification. The highest qualifying bid is deemed the winner. Incomplete bids are invalid and ineligible. Bids are ranked and awarded based on time and date received. Initial bid is final and not retractable. Bid closing is midnight EST on February 4, 2000. Additional information on each package can be found in the January SkyMiles newsletter at www.delta-air.com . Eligible bidders must be a SkyMiles members and all program rules apply.

>> More <<
Delta

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OnePass Miles for Wyndham Stays
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Beginning Feb. 1, 2000, Continental OnePass members will earn 500 miles when paying the qualifying rate at any Wyndham property in the U.S., Canada or the Caribbean.

Continental OnePass is Wyndham's fifth frequent flyer program added in the last sixty days. Others include Delta SkyMiles, United Mileage Plus, Trans World Airlines Aviators, and US Airways Dividend Miles. Also, Wyndham has had a long-standing partnership with the American AAdvantage program.

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Wyndham

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Horizon Air Doubles Miles
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Horizon Air will award double miles to Mileage Plan members traveling on nonstop flights between Seattle and Eugene, Medford, and Redmond/Bend, Oregon, and between Medford and Portland February 1-May 31, 2000.

The double miles offer means members can earn 1,000 Mileage Plan miles each way on the routes included in the special offer.

The airline has also lowered one-way business fares between Seattle and Eugene by 33 percent. The new lowest fare that doesn't require a roundtrip purchase or Saturday night stay is $134 one-way when purchased seven days in advance.

Horizon Air serves 40 cities throughout California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Alberta, and British Columbia.

>> More <<
Horizon

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Double ClickMiles for FTD.COM Purchases
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From January 24 through February 14, earn double ClickMiles when making purchases at FTD.COM plus one or more other featured ClickRewards partners, including garden.com, cooking.com, Gap, e-nutrition, etc.

>> More <<
ClickRewards

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Radisson Offers Free Nights
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Members of Radisson's Gold Rewards program will earn one free night at a Radisson when they stay at participating Radisson hotels three times before the end of May.

Radisson also announced plans to expand the program globally into Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region later this year. Gold Points can currently be earned at Radisson hotels in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean; and redeemed at select Radisson hotels throughout the world.

With Radisson Gold Rewards, members choose to earn 2,000 Gold Points or 500 airline miles from more than 20 airline partners for each Radisson stay.

>> More <<
Radisson

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WebMiles Debuts
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WebMiles is the newest entry into the increasingly congested miles-for-online-purchases space.

Here's how it works... Register at the WebMiles website. Thereafter, when you make purchases at the websites of participating retailers, members will earn 1 mile for each dollar spent. Note that you must go first to the WebMiles site, and link to retailers from there in order to earn WebMiles. On the award side, WebMiles allows members to request flights on any airline.

WebMiles has assembled a pretty extensive roster of brand-name etailers, including 1-800-FLOWERS, art.com, cooking.com, DVD Express, Land's End, Hammacher Schlemmer, OfficeMax, etc.

There are some important caveats to bear in mind with this and similar programs. First and foremost, these are proprietary miles. You cannot mix them with miles earned in airline or other programs. Secondly, while WebMiles boasts that their flight awards can be taken on any major U.S. airline, there are 2 significant constraints: (a) you must make your award request at least 21 days in advance of travel, and (b) the maximum value of the award ticket is capped at $0.02 per redeemed mile.

>> More <<
WebMiles

<< 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...

>> $260 Round-trip to Europe on NWA

Northwest Airlines is offering round-trip fares of $260 to London, Frankfurt or Paris from 10 US cities. Depart January 27-28, return January 31, February 1 or 2.

For more details, please visit here.

>> Spring Fling with Vanguard's $58 and Up R/T Fares

Vanguard Airlines is offering round-trip fares starting at $58. Travel is valid February 7 through May 15 and tickets must be purchased by January 28.

For more details, please visit here.

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

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OAG Awards Results
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OAG (one of the sponsors of this newsletter) this week announced results of their "OAG Airline of the Year 2000" awards, based on survey responses by OAG subscribers.

Without further ado, the winners...

Airline of the Year 2000 -- Emirates
Best International First Class -- Singapore Airlines
Best Long-Haul Executive/Business Class -- Virgin Atlantic
Best Short-Haul Executive/Business Class -- Continental Airlines
Best Long-Haul Economy/Coach Class -- Singapore Airlines
Best Short-Haul Economy/Coach Class -- Singapore Airlines
Best Trans-Atlantic Airline -- Virgin Atlantic
Best Trans-Pacific Airline -- Singapore Airlines
Best Europe-Far East/Australasia Airline -- Singapore Airlines
Best European Airline -- Virgin Atlantic
Best African Airline -- South African Airways
Best Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent Airline -- Emirates
Best North American Airline -- Canadian Airlines
Best Central/South America/Caribbean Airline -- Varig
Best Asian Airline -- Singapore Airlines
Best Australasia/Pacific Airline -- Qantas Airways
Best Frequent Flyer Program -- Continental Airlines
Best Airport -- Singapore Changi
Best Airline Web Site -- Scandinavian Airlines System

>> More <<
OAG

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Travel, Safer During 1990's
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Air travel in the 1990's was safer than it was during the previous decade.

While there were more accidents during the 1990's, the growth in travel was greater than the increase in accidents, lowering the average risk per passenger.

The number of airline accidents worldwide rose by 28% to 480 in the 1990's compared to the 1980's, and deaths increasing by 12.5% to 11,950, according to a report issued this week by Flight Magazine. Meanwhile, the number of air travelers rose 32%, and there were 30% more flights.

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Happy Birthday, B747
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It was late at night, Jan. 21, 1970. With 336 passengers aboard, the giant Pan American World Airways 747 hurtled down the runway at New York's John F. Kennedy airport, took off gracefully, climbed smoothly, then turned east toward London and into the history books.

Thus began the age of the jumbo jet.

This month the 747 celebrates 30 years of service, and has posted some pretty impressive numbers: 1,238 have been delivered, more than any other widebody jet in history. And 1,100 are still in service, 500 of which are the high-technology 747-400.

In November 1999, the 747 received its own U.S. postage stamp, recognizing its place as one of the top three aviation achievements of the 20th century - along with the Wright brothers' first flight and Lindbergh's crossing of the Atlantic.

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Boeing

<< 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."

>> Consider Alternate Airports

Another way to get around high fares and tight restrictions is by flying to nearby airports. Most major business travel destinations have a smaller secondary airport that usually handles low-fare or regional flights. Many times a major will match fares and lower restrictions to both the primary and secondary airports. The key is that you must ask your travel agent to check for fares to these secondary airports. Some examples:

>> Los Angeles
The LA basin boasts four airports in addition to Los Angeles International (LAX). These include Long Beach, Orange County, Ontario and Burbank.

>> Chicago
O'Hare is the major airport, but many large carriers will match the low fares that the smaller carriers offer to nearby Midway Airport. With the recent introduction of an El (metro) stop, many travelers prefer Midway to the sprawling and crowded O'Hare. Low-fare seekers may also consider flying to nearby Milwaukee--about and hour north of Chicago.

>> Washington D.C.
Ronald Reagan National is the city's close-in convenient airport, but also the most expensive. Suburban Dulles International and Baltimore/Washington International offer much better deals.

>> San Francisco
Considering traffic, it is sometimes faster to drive across the bay bridge from Oakland Airport than to drive up the peninsula from San Francisco International. Those willing to drive a bit further may find a lower fare at San Jose or Sacramento airports.

Other primary-secondary airport examples: Miami and Ft. Lauderdale; Denver and Colorado Springs; Houston International and Houston Hobby; Dallas/Ft. Worth and Dallas Love Field. And fares in and out of Newark are usually somewhat cheaper than New York's La Guardia or Kennedy airports.

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

<< R E A D E R R A N T S & R A V E S >>

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Rating the Programs?
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In your newsletter of 1/13/00 there is a recommendation from one of your readers of a service online called PayPal. I checked their web site and it looks like a very interesting idea, but I am reluctant to sign up and give them all my credit card information without some assurance from an outside party that they are legitimate.

You state in the newsletter that this was not checked out by you. I think it would be wonderful if you did and reported back on it. The concept of being able to use a credit card with mileage awards to pay things like my son's expenses at college for rent and things is appealing. I can see many uses for this if it is real.

And thanks for the Frequent Flier Crier. I really enjoy reading it and find it very helpful.

 - Penny

[Editor's Note. In principle, it's a great idea. In practice, we simply don't have the resources to join and participate in all the loyalty programs out there... much as we'd like to.]

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

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Air Traffic Control Online
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Here's one for all of you who just can't get enough of all things aviation-related.

This website broadcasts pilot-to-control-tower communications for flights arriving at and departing from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. You'll need the RealPlayer plug-in--a free download if you don't have it.

>> More <<
http://www.cyberair.com/audio/chiapp/index.html

Until next week...