Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel
We welcome reader feedback on issues related to travel generally and frequent flyer programs in particular. Please use this link to submit comments.
No More United Miles for Groceries
"Pursuant to something I read in your newsletter of last week, today I received a letter from Vons/Pavilions notifying me of the end of their participation in the Airline Mileage Rewards program.
"Silly as it sounds, over the many (10-12?) years that I have been enrolled in this, I have earned many miles from shopping at Pavilions. It will be interesting for me to see if now I feel more inclined to shop at the Ralph's which is actually nearer to us; the mileage incentive was a good one for me to continue going to So. Pasadena.
"Oh well, so it goes, right?" [Dana K.]
Dana was kind enough to scan the letter she'd received and send it along. The relevant portion reads as follows: "At Vons/Pavilions, we listen closely to our shoppers and understand that in the current economic climate there's an overwhelming need for lower prices. To fulfill that low price need while also providing high-qualify products our shoppers expect, we have decided to refocus the value previously offered through our Airline Partnership into lower prices on the items all customers need."
To Todd J., Whose 364,000 United Miles Expired
"I experienced the same situation with American.
"I did plead, and I wrote 3 letters and did follow up call. In the end they used the re-engagement program, which they don't tell you about up front. This has certain targets to hit such as amount spent on a credit card, and merchandise purchased with their partnership programs such as Netflix, FTD, etc. I will get all my miles back and not have to spend an inordinate amount of money to do so. Does United have a re- engagement program that they don't want to tell you about?" [Margaret V. - Webster, NY]
[FrequentFlier replies - Another reader had a similar experience with United, and advised that it's an unpublished feature of Mileage Plus. To confirm, we have put that question to United and are awaiting their response.]
More Expired United Miles
"Well, where do I start! My name is Stanley M., United frequent flyer. I had about 237,000 miles in my account. I loved flying UA when my friends were flying AA. I found myself in some hard times and my flying became limited.
"Last year I purchased a ticket to Kansas/Miami and something came up and I could not fly. More hard time came my way. I called to find about the ticket that I purchased and did not use. While there I checked on my account and I was told that my balance was 0, zero. And the young lady at the other end did not care about my plea, was rude and treated me as if i was a nobody. Can someone look into this for me?" [Stanley M.]
[FrequentFlier replies - See the note above. We're trying to confirm whether there's an unpublished feature of Mileage Plus that allows members to reactivate expired miles for a reasonable cost. If not, your only option is to pay $0.0125 per mile plus a $25 processing fee to return the expired miles to your account.]
Wrong Name on Ticket
"I recently purchased an international ticket through a phone call to US Airways. I have noticed that my last name is spelled wrong even though I had used my frequent flyer account to purchase the ticket and I was not asked to spell my name at the time of purchase.
"Upon calling international reservations to advise that the spelling did not match my passport, I was told that, yes, there could be a problem at time of travel, but that there was nothing they could do to change the name on the ticket. How is it possible that they cannot reissue a ticket with my correct name?" [KB]
[FrequentFlier replies - If US Airways issued a ticket in the wrong name, they must correct it. That's especially important in these security-conscious times, when the names on tickets and government-issued I.D. must match. Escalate your request to a supervisor.]
Another Airline Employee's Perspective
"According to my daughter, with Continental Express, she says the same thing that Charlene commented on [in last week's newsletter].
"What is wrong with people now? If you have a job and are doing it, would you want a customer yelling at you, etc. You don't make the rules anymore than the airline personnel do. Write to the airlines, TSA, or someone who can change the rules. The people in the trenches cannot... and besides, don't you want to fly safe? I know I do." [Loretta in MS]
Until next week...
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