A Fond Farewell to Freddie

Sir Freddie Laker, one of the pioneers of low-fare air transportation, died last Thursday at age 83.

Laker's Skytrain took off in 1977, offering ultra-cheap fares on U.S.-London flights. There were no reservations -- first come, first served -- and food and drinks cost extra.

In what the U.K. courts belatedly ruled to be collusion, other transatlantic carriers, including British Air and Pan Am, undercut Laker's fares and drove Skytrain into bankruptcy in 1982.

Bankruptcy Watch

When Delta reported its fourth-quarter earnings this week, the typical headline in the financial press was something along the lines of "Delta Narrows 4th Quarter Loss."

Indeed, the $1.24 billion loss sustained in 2005's final quarter is a significant improvement over the previous year's $2.21 billion. For the full year, Delta lost $3.8 billion, down from a $5.2 billion loss in 2004.

Meanwhile, Delta and its pilots remain far apart in their positions on a second round of permanent pay and benefits concessions. A union representative last week warned that the pilots would definitely strike if an agreement could not be reached.

The threat of a pilots' strike also looms large at Northwest (which filed for bankruptcy on the same day that Delta did).

This week, Northwest pilots began voting on whether to authorize a strike in the event that the company unilaterally voids their existing contract. Ballots will be counted on or after Feb. 28. For its part, Northwest management contests the pilots' right to strike, as long as the company receives permission from the bankruptcy judge to abrogate contracts (which has been sought but not yet received).

FrequentFlier Forum Topics

As always, there's plenty of activity on the FrequentFlier Forum.

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, rustach just missed reaching his targeted elite tier: "I came up 1,800 miles short of renewing my American Platinum status. In spite of giving me 8,000 miles for a severely delayed flight to Honolulu, they would not give me the 1,800 miles to retain my Platinum status and instead suggested I pay $499 to buy Platinum level. Has anyone else come up just short of reaching elite status and found a way to make up the difference without paying $499?"

And in the "Hotel Programs" Forum, Cornroaster shares a link to a short survey which pays 250 Priority Club points to complete. Deadline: Feb. 28.

And much more. Questions, answers? Post them to the Forum!

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Consider a Zephyr, Earn AAdvantage Miles

AAdvantage members can earn 250, 2,500 or 25,000 bonus miles respectively for watching a promotional video, taking a test drive or actually purchasing a 2006 Mercury Zephyr.

There's no published end date to this offer.

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Free Nights at Best Western

Between Feb. 12 and May 6, members of Gold Crown Club International will earn one free night after every six nights at Best Western hotels. Only Sunday-Thursday nights qualify.

Registration is required.

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Diners Club Points Net 20% Bonus

Between Feb. 1 and Mar. 30, Diners Club Rewards members will receive a 20% bonus when redeeming points through the Tailored Travel program.

With the bonus, 100 Club Rewards points can be redeemed for $1.50 (versus $1.25 normally) in travel. So, for example, 25,000 Club Rewards points can be redeemed for a $375 airline ticket.

Tailored Travel allows Diners Club members to use points to purchase travel through a Club Rewards Personal Travel Consultant (for a $15 fee), or through an online travel service, a travel agent or directly with a travel provider (for a $5 fee).

With the loss of most of its major U.S. airline partners, Diners is promoting Tailored Travel as an alternative award option.

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Hertz Offers Bonus for Fun Cars

Through Mar. 31, members of Hertz #1 Club Gold will earn a bonus when renting cars from the new Hertz Fun Collection -- an additional 350 miles or two #1 Club Credits for Leisure Weekly rentals or an additional 200 miles or one Credit for Leisure Weekend rentals.

The Fun Collection includes such cars as the Ford Mustang convertible, Mazda Miata and PT Cruiser. They're not available at all Hertz locations.

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Double Points & Miles at Salt Lake City Homewood Suites

Through May 31, Hilton HHonors members will earn double base points plus double Delta miles for stays of two or more nights at the newly opened Homewood Suites in downtown Salt Lake City.

Request Plan Code HH2 if making reservations by phone.

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JAL Will Join Oneworld Alliance

Longtime alliance holdout Japan Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding which puts JAL on the fast track to become a full-fledged oneworld participant in early 2007.

JAL has a longstanding marketing relationship with American Airlines, a oneworld founding partner, and it was always assumed that JAL would eventually choose oneworld over SkyTeam and the Star Alliance (which includes JAL's principal rival, ANA). But until recently, JAL was apparently unconvinced of the benefits of alliance participation.

The current oneworld lineup includes Aer Lingus, American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, LAN, and Qantas. Royal Jordanian and Hungary's Malev are members-to-be.

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Marriott MegaBonus Is Back

Between Feb. 15 and May 15, Marriott Rewards members can earn up to 10,000 bonus points for multiple stays at Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites hotels and Marriott Vacation Club.

Members earn 2,500 bonus points for the second stay, another 2,500 for the third stay, and so on up to a maximum of 10,000 bonus points for five or more stays during the promotion period.

Registration is required.

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US Air, American West Extend Elite Benefits

Current elite members of the America West and US Air frequent flyer programs will retain their benefits beyond the February 2006 expiration date until some time this Spring (exact date TBD).

The extension gives the two merged carriers time to finalize the integration of their programs, scheduled for "late Spring 2006."

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Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Hawaii Fares on United from $420

March flights to Hawaii are on sale from United. Prices start at $420 roundtrip, and destinations include the Big Island, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu.

Travel is valid Mondays through Thursdays from Mar. 1 through 31. Book tickets at least 14 days in advance. United has not listed a booking deadline. Fares require a three-night minimum stay, and the maximum stay is 30 days.

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2) Caribbean Fares on Delta from $188

Travelers departing from New York can take advantage of Delta's Caribbean sale. Flights to the Dominican Republic start at $188 roundtrip, and other destinations include Antigua, Barbados, and St. Maarten.

Departures for most routes are valid through Mar. 31, and travel must be completed by Apr. 30. Antigua departures are valid through Apr. 28. Travel to Barbados and St. Maarten is valid Mondays through Thursdays, and return travel is valid Tuesdays through Fridays. Book tickets by Feb. 20. Fares require a two-day minimum stay.

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Win a Trip for 2 to the 2007 Academy Awards

Enter United's "Reach for the Stars" sweepstakes by Mar. 5 for a chance to win one of ten trips for two to next year's 79th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, including air and two nights' hotel accommodation, and a one-year Red Carpet Club airport lounge membership. Other prizes include Mileage Plus miles (100 prizes of 5,000 miles each) and Red Carpet Club one-time visit passes.

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[Visit http://frequentflier.com/sweeps.htm for more travel sweepstakes.]

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

"All this stuff you receive from travelers who have lost miles, or can't get seats, or their airline went out of business, tells me the good customer never grasped the basic concept of frequent flyer programs.

"The airlines have these programs so they can make money off of them. They simply don't care (with the possible exceptions of Southwest and Alaska/Horizon) if a traveler ever gets a chance to redeem their miles for something other than magazines. You need look no further than how silly it is that you can earn airline miles buying flowers and chocolates or riding Amtrak. Maybe in consolation you could give a flower to the flight attendant of share the candy with fellow passengers on the train.

"But mostly, there isn't a soft heart out there with the air carriers. They've dug yet another hole for the unwary, including they have no expense until someone actually wants to fly on a free ticket. At heart, mileage programs are just a gimmick to get you in the door so you can be fleeced." [Edgar N. - Portland, OR]

[In response to our practice of occasionally continuing the "Rants & Raves" section of the newsletter in the online version...]

"I don't know about everyone else, but I like all the details in the email rather then online. I try to read your newsletter while, what else, flying." [Dave]

[For the record, it's definitely the goal to keep the newsletter self-contained, and in the great majority of cases it is. We only continue "Rants & Raves" online when it runs long. Among the choices: severely editing reader comments or sending out an oversized file. Hopefully we've adopted the best compromise. In any case, it's not a decision taken lightly.]

Until next week...