FrequentFlier Forum Topics

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

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, equator was dismayed to discover that Delta will stop rewarding Platinum elites with free airport lounge access: "I don't fly business class, so this was the one perk of the Medallion program that kept me flying with Delta. Without complimentary access to the lounges, for me at least, it makes a lot more sense to begin accruing miles with a different program.... one that does provide lounge access."

Also in the "Airline Programs" Forum, bos2tlv poses a variant of the perennial 'which program is best for me' question: "Would anyone have any advice on which program might be best if I am going to be flying quite a bit between Boston and Tel Aviv?"

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

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Earn Bonus AAdvantage Miles for Hyatt Stays

Between Mar. 15 and June 15, members of Hyatt Gold Passport can earn 1,000 American AAdvantage bonus miles per night for stays at Hyatt hotels and resorts.

Registration is required.

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More AmWest Miles + Discounts at Vegas Hotels

Through Mar. 31, America West FlightFund members can earn double miles and a variety of discounts and value-adds at MGM Mirage hotels in Las Vegas, including Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, Luxor, Excalibur, and Circus Circus.

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Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inns Double the Rewards

Through Apr. 30, members of Choice Hotels' Ea$y Choice program will earn double Easy Choice stamps for stays at participating Econo Lodge or Rodeway Inn locations in the U.S.

With the bonus, members earn two stamps per night, up to a maximum of 10 stamps per stay -- enough for a $50 room credit.

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Continental Reduces Mileage for Short-Haul Awards

Continental OnePass members can now book Standard Economy award tickets for 20,000 miles -- a 5,000-mile discount from the 25,000 miles normally required -- when traveling fewer than 1,500 miles roundtrip.

The discount applies to Standard Economy travel awards on Continental and Continental Express within the 48 contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada.

At press time, there was no information about the new award level on Continental's website. However, a company spokesperson assured FrequentFlier.com that qualifying online bookings would automatically reflect the discounted rate.

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Bonus for SkyMiles Credit Card Charges

Between Mar. 1 and Apr. 30, SkyMiles members will earn a 20% bonus for charges made using their Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. (Cardholders still earn Always Double Miles for eligible purchases.)

A maximum of 10,000 bonus miles may be earned with this promotion.

Registration is required.

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New Site Links Buyers with Miles

It's a common refrain in conversations between mileage mavens: I'm in the market for a super-widget... how can I earn miles for the purchase?

The problem of matching up products, retailers and rewards programs has been largely solved with the launch of a new website, ev'reward. Site visitors can search by company name (e.g. Target.com) or by product category (apparel, books, jewelry, etc.). In response, the site displays a list of programs broken down by category (cash back, travel rewards, savings rewards, etc.), including the earnings rate associated with each program.

Very handy, indeed.

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Midwest & Northwest Link Mileage Programs

When we reported in last week's newsletter that Midwest and Northwest were rumored to be on the verge of joining each other's frequent flyer programs, we were correct in every respect except one. The effect date was not Mar. 1, as one publication had claimed, but May 1.

Effective May 1, Northwest WorldPerks members will be able to earn and redeem miles for flights operated by Midwest Airlines and its subsidiary, Skyway Airlines, operating as Midwest Connect.

And members of Midwest Airlines' Midwest Miles program members will be able to earn and redeem miles on flights operated by Northwest and Northwest Airlink partner airlines, Pinnacle Airlines and Mesaba Airlines. In addition, Midwest Miles members will be able redeem miles for flights on KLM.

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United Offers Merchandise Awards to Elites

Through Dec. 31, elite-level Mileage Plus members can redeem their miles for a range of merchandise, including consumer electronics, jewelry, sports gear and cookware, through Mileage Plus Merchandise Rewards.

As a side note, MPMR is a joint effort of United and Brainstorm Logistics -- a New Jersey-based company which "specializes in providing branded merchandise and fulfillment on the website." It's the same company Continental partnered with to develop their Miles for Merchandise program.

Continental's version differs from United's in two key respects. First, it's not limited to elite program members. And second, the merchandise is offered for a combination of miles and cash, rather than miles-only.

Various permutations of miles-for-merchandise awards are now available through the programs of American, Continental, Delta, Frontier and United.

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Fast Food Traps
Provided by Healthy Travel Network

Over the last dozen years, restaurateurs have opened many great alternatives to the usual burger and fries joint. But don't let the seemingly healthy menus of these newcomers trick you into thinking that it's all good for you. Many of their items provide a taste alternative to burgers, but aren't any better on the nutrition scale. Armed with our examples and alternatives, you can still enjoy these establishments and make healthier choices.

Panera
One of the best sandwich choices that you can make at Panera is the Smoked Turkey Breast on Sourdough: 430 calories, 14g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 44g carbs, 29g protein). You can reduce it further by skipping the mayo. Contrast the turkey sandwich with Panera's Tuna Salad on Artisan Multigrain: 810 calories, 42g fat, 6g saturated fat, 75g carbs, and 31g protein. Lesson learned: Skip mayo-based salads and spreads, unless they are specifically designated as low-fat.

Au Bon Pain
Au Bon Pain has a number of great salad options. Your best bet is the Thai Chicken salad: 16g protein with only 140 calories and 2.5g fat. All of Au Bon Pain salad's are fairly reasonable (the Tuna Garden Salad is the most caloric with 400 calories and 24g of fat), but watch out for the salad dressings. Pour on the Blue Cheese dressing and you'll add 370 calories and 39g of fat. A much better choice: the Fat-free Raspberry Vinaigrette which is only 80 calories and zero grams of fat.

Note that we're not trying to single out these two establishments; they have many good menu items. We selected them because of their prevalence and popularity. These are a just a few examples of the many options-both good and bad-that you'll find in your travels. Choose wisely and you can avoid the fast food trap.

After almost two years of publication, this is unfortunately our last FrequentFlier Fitness column. We hope you've enjoyed our content. If you want to continue getting our healthy travel news and tips, sign up to get our free monthly newsletter.

Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Europe Sale Fares from $299

Spring flights to Amsterdam, London, Paris, Zurich, and other cities in Europe are on sale from package tour provider 1-800-Fly-Europe. Prices start at $299 roundtrip for travel in April and May.

Departures are valid midweek from Apr. 1 through May 28. Book tickets by Mar. 31.

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2) Hawaii Fares on ATA from $318

ATA recently expanded its Hawaii service to include flights from Oakland and Ontario, CA. In addition, the expansion includes the only nonstop route between the mainland U.S. and Hilo, on the Big Island. To promote its new routes, ATA is offering flights from $318 roundtrip for travel in April, May, and June.

Travel is valid from Apr. 27 through June 8. Travel to Hawaii (on most routes) is valid Mondays through Wednesdays, and returns from Hawaii are valid Tuesdays through Thursdays. Book tickets at least 21 days in advance, and by Apr. 24.

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Win a Trip to the Races

This week we're featuring a contest instead of the normal sweepstakes. (The difference: a contest winner is chosen on the basis of merit; sweepstakes winners are chosen at random.)

Enter Budget Rent A Car's Fastbreak Winner's Circle contest by Mar. 24 for a chance to win a trip for two to Churchill Downs, Belmont Park, or Saratoga to attend a thoroughbred horse race. Trip includes air, hotel, rental car and VIP track passes. To enter, submit three time-saving travel tips.

Participants must be members of Budget's Fastbreak program.

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Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

"I just found out rather unpleasantly that my 21,000 Delta miles have expired because I haven't flown with them for 3 years. I have accounts with other airlines that have miles on there for multiple years. I have more than 80,000 with Northwest, for example, that I earned more than 6 years ago and I haven't flown with them in more than 4 years. Is there anything I can do to get these miles back? What could possibly be Delta's interest in dumping my miles? Surely they must figure that I will dump them even faster with far worse consequences for business and PR?" [Reader]

[FrequentFlier.com replies - The policy of most major carrier programs is to expire miles after three years if there's no account activity. Note that any account activity whatever will extend the life of the miles, so with all the earning and redemption opportunities there's no reason to allow miles to disappear.

If miles do disappear, it's always worth a call to the airline's service center to plead for mercy.]

"In the rants and raves topic, a question was asked about receiving FF miles as a business owner for trips taken by employees but paid for by the business. Delta has a business account that can earn points based on company travel which are then converted and can be redeemed for travel, Crown Room memberships etc. The traveler also can accrue miles in their individual account for the trip. More info and enrollment WWW.DELTA-SKYBONUS.COM." [Amy]

"A business owner, or anyone else, who wants to accumulate FFM for tickets bought for others should investigate Citi's Premier Pass - Elite Level Mastercard. Costs of any airline ticket charged to the card, as well as miles actually flown on that ticket, are awarded to the cardholder regardless of who does the flying. Airline FFM are awarded to the ticket holder too. Further, tickets costing over $299 can get a free Companion Ticket." [Ralph H. - Springfield, Virginia]

"Regarding your AOL comment and the proposed fee-based email scheme [reported in last week's Crier]... I wouldn't worry too much, AOL's subscription rate will drop through the floor if subscriber's think they aren't getting all their mail, for any reason. Same goes for Yahoo. AOL can't figure any other way to make money. The days of portals are dead. The board realized it when they canned Case." [Makr]

Until next week...