Issue #84  --  March 9, 2000

<< U P F R O N T >>

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Healthy Choice Miles?
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I've received more than a few e-mails from Crier readers who participated in the Healthy Choice mileage promotion which ran through the end of last year. It seems that some of you haven't received your mileage certificates; and others, who received the certificates and sent them to a participating airline program, haven't been credited with their miles.

The good news is that we're also hearing reports of others who are just now being credited. So you're not alone. And, further consolation, it appears that the process is working... just slowly. (There were reports that the promotion response was so strong that they ran short of coupons, and had to go to a second printing.)

For now, 2 suggestions: 1) be patient; 2) retain any supporting documents until the miles appear in your account. (You did make photocopies of your Healthy Choice submission, didn't you?)

If you've reached the limits of your patience, you can contact the Healthy Choice customer service center at 1-800-323-9980.

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Miles-for-Taxes (If You Must)
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It's tax time, again, and the mileage-driven are no doubt wondering if there's way to ease the pain of tax payments by earning miles.

You can, indeed, earn miles for paying taxes... by using an eligible credit card. But there are constraints (VISA not accepted) and costs (a so-called "convenience fee") which may make this a more-pain-than-gain option.

Read the article on FrequentFlier.com.

<< M I L E S >>

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Hilton Expands, Enhances HHonors
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Beginning April 3, the Hilton HHonors program gets bigger and better, quadrupling the number of participating hotels and rolling out a number of other program and service enhancements.

>> New Hotels
Hilton HHonors will significantly increase reward earnings options for its members, presenting them with more than 2,000 participating hotels and resorts for earnings and redemption worldwide -- a fourfold increase in the number of participating properties.

The new brands -- Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Homewood Suites by Hilton -- became a part of the Hilton family in November 1999 when Hilton acquired Promus Hotel Corp.

In addition, Hilton International boosted its number of hotels within the United Kingdom to more than 80 following Hilton Group plc's acquisition of Stakis plc hotels in 1999.

>> New Earning Rates
The program will also expand the number of rates at which members can earn Points & Miles.

HHonors members will earn 10 points per dollar and 500 miles per stay when they Double Dip at participating Hilton, Conrad International, Doubletree and Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels, as well as Bally's and Flamingo gaming resorts and the Las Vegas Hilton. HHonors members will earn 10 points per dollar and 100 miles per stay when they Double Dip at Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites hotels.

>> Enhanced Service
On the service front, Hilton has established a dedicated Hilton HHonors Guest Manager at all hotels within all participating brands. These onsite experts are devoted to ensuring the delivery of personalized service for HHonors guests.

>> Bonus Points & Miles
To promote awareness of the program expansion, between now and December 31, 2000, HHonors members will be offered an additional bonus -- for every increment of $2,000 in folio spend, at any combination of HHonors hotels, members will receive 2000 points and 500 miles.

>> More <<
Hilton HHonors

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Amex Adds Partners
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American Express has added several new partners to its Membership Rewards and Membership Rewards Plus programs.

The new Membership Rewards and Membership Rewards Plus retail partners are: Bergdorf Goodman, Brooks Brothers, Callaway Golf, Country Road, Oreck, Richard Petty Driving Experience, THE RIGHT START and Swiss Army Brands. New Membership Rewards travel partners include: Alitalia Airlines, Air Aruba, Disney Cruise Line, Frontier Airlines, Midway Airlines, Omni Hotels, Pro Air, Qantas, South African Airways and Sun Country Airlines.

>> More <<
American Express

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Kellogg's AAdvantage Promotion
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We reported some time ago on the AAdvantage-miles-for-cereal promotion from Kellogg's. Just this week, we received "official" notification of the offer, which includes somewhat more detail than we were able to provide initially. So, here it is again...

The American Dream promotion rewards customers with 100 AAdvantage miles for each box of participating Kellogg's cereal brands purchased through December 2000 or while supplies last.

Kellogg is printing 100-mile AAdvantage mileage certificates on nearly 70 million cereal boxes. There is no limit to the number of cereal boxes purchased. Certificate redemption opportunities will be available through November 30, 2001.

Cereal brands includes Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Kellogg's All-Bran, Kellogg's Complete Oat Bran Flakes, Kellogg's Complete Wheat Bran Flakes, Kellogg's Cracklin Oat Bran, Kellogg's Crispix, Kellogg's Fruit Mini-Wheats, Kellogg's Healthy Choice, Kellogg's Just Right, Kellogg's Product 19.

Mileage award certificates printed on the back of the cereal box must be redeemed in groups of five and mailed to Kellogg's American Dream promotion, P.O. Box 185595, Battle Creek, MI 49018-5595. There is no limit to the number of mileage award certificates returned. Earned miles will be credited to a customer's AAdvantage account balance. Consumers with questions about the American Dream promotion can call 1-800-962-1413.

>> More <<
American

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At Starwood Hotels, Click... Book... Bonus
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Members of Starwood Preferred Guest who reserve a Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, Luxury Collection or W hotel online by April 30, 2000, will receive 1,000 bonus Starpoints or airline miles for each stay completed by May 31, 2000.

Travelers can earn up to 10,000 Starpoints or miles during the "Click... Book... Bonus" promotion. Bonus points are earned for hotel stays when reservations are made online. Travelers must be members of Starwood Preferred Guest to participate.

>> More <<
o Four Points
o Luxury Collexction
o Preferred Guest
o Sheraton
o St. Regis
o Westin
o W Hotels

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Bonus SkyMiles for Delta Connection Flights
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Delta Connection carriers Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Comair celebrate new jet service between New York's LaGuardia Airport and Charleston, S.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, N.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Richmond, Va. and Savannah, Ga. by offering double bonus SkyMiles to customers traveling on these new nonstop flights this spring.

Delta Connection carrier ASA begins three daily round-trip jet flights on March 16 from LaGuardia to Columbia, Greensboro and Richmond. ASA also begins two daily round-trip jet flights between LaGuardia and Jacksonville on March 16. The SkyMiles double bonus offer will be available on these qualifying flights March 16-May 15, 2000.

Delta Connection carrier Comair begins three daily round-trip jet flights on March 16 between LaGuardia and Charleston. Double bonus miles will be available on these qualifying flights March 16-May 15, 2000. On April 2, Comair will begin two daily round-trip jet flights from LaGuardia to Savannah and double bonus miles will be available on these qualifying flights April 2-May 31, 2000.

The new nonstop Delta Connection jet service will be operated with the 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet.

>> More <<
Delta

<< 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...

>> Fares to London Start at $219 Round-Trip

American Airlines is offering low, web-only fares to London, England with round-trip fares starting at $219. Tickets must be purchased on-line by March 12.

For more details, please go here.

>> Fly to Spain from Chicago and New York for $263 R/T and Up

Iberia Airlines is offering discounted flights to Spain from New York (JFK) and Chicago (O'Hare), with round-trip fares starting at $263. These special fares are available for departure on select dates only.

Here are the special, round-trip fares, with the allowed departure dates listed:

o New York (JFK) to Madrid: March 12, 13, 19, 26, and 27
o New York (JFK) to Barcelona: March 13-16, 19, 21, and 25-31
o Chicago to Madrid: March 20, 21, 27, and 28

For more details, please go here.

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

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Tower Air Update
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We reported last week on Tower Air's bankruptcy filing, and mentioned that El Al was rumored to have expressed an interest in providing Tower with financial assistance in exchange for an equity stake in the company.

That rumor was confirmed this week. El Al Israel Airlines has began talks with Tower regarding a possible investment.

It remains to be seen whether an El Al investment would be sufficient to reverse Tower's decline, especially as foreign companies are prohibited from acquiring more than 24.9% of U.S. airlines.

>> More <<
Tower

<< 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."

>> Trade Show Tips

Watch out for huge trade shows that can clog a city's airport and fill hotels unexpectedly. But if you are headed to that crowded show, here are some survival tips.

o Opt for preregistration, if possible, to avoid long lines at o-site registration. For a high-tech twist, many large conventions now allow preregistration via special web pages.

o Set up meetings with important contacts before the convention, because once you get there, you'll be competing with hundreds of other attendees, not to mention cocktail parties, banquets, and breakout meetings.

o While trade shows are a big part of doing business in the United States, the concept is even more popular overseas. No smoking, no eating rules that are standard at U.S. trade shows may jot apply elsewhere. Europeans use trade shows as an opportunity to do business, like signing major contracts or making deals, whereas Americans tend to use trade shows for networking and relationship maintenance.

o Bring your cell phone, or rent one on-site. During breaks or before or after meals, convention center phone banks are packed. A good idea: Many hotels and car rental companies will rent business travelers cell phones for the duration of their stay.

o Forget about that new pair of Kenneth Cole shoes you've been wanting to show off to all your colleagues. Stick with a nice-looking but comfortably broken in pair. Women should avoid heels--not just because they can be uncomfortable when worn for long periods, but because trace show floors are usually uneven and full of obstacles like carpet wrinkles and electrical wiring.

o If you plan on collecting lots of brochures, premiums, and other goodies at the trade show, consider using a backpack or external luggage dolly to drag your cache behind yopu. Carrying around a heavy bag for hours is hard on your hands, arms, and lower back. To avoid the hassle of carrying your stash back home with you, simply ship the material to your office. Many smart overnight mail companies have set up shop on trade show floors for this purpose.

o Another timeworn but essential piece of advice: Don't forget those follow-up notes to important clients or new prospects. Write them while you are at the convention, or on the plane home.

Chris McGinnis
Travel Skills Group
http://www.travelskills.com

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

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Miles for Debit Cards
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I love your 'Crier.' I just wanted to let you know that with the CompuBank, Inc. debit card you earn 1 click reward for every $1 spent. As you know, these are transferable 1:1 with most airline programs.

Thanks,
 - David

[As David notes, the CompuBank debit card should be on your list of debit cards which earn miles, alongside the Continental debit card. Unlike the Continental card, for which you can sign up with no further commitment, you will have to open an account with CompuBank to get their debit card. On the other hand, you earn 1 ClickMile (convertible into a range of airline miles) for debit purchases, rather than the 1-mile-for-$2 payout from the Continental offering. You can find out more about CompuBank at http://www.compubank.com/. Thanks also to Cole and other Crier readers for raising this topic.]

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US Airways Changes
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In last week's edition, you said there were only "minor" changes in US Airways Dividend Mileage FF program.

I would suggest that the following change is a pretty "major" one - Chairman's Preferred Members NO LONGER get a "free" membership in US Airways Club. That was a great perk but very hard to find out about..... But it is gone effective with 2000. Those who were CP in 1999 got the free membership for 2000, but no more.....

Also, US Airways had a computer program available for all Dividend Miles members called Personal Travel Works that you installed on your computer and that let you connect directly to their computers via CompuServe from your location. It was fast, convenient, and great to use. It was "dropped" in favor of their web-based PTW which is slow, confusing, and not very helpful.

Both of these I will certainly miss!
 
 - Steven
   Chairman's Preferred
  (Flew nearly 150 segments last year; on the road 140+ nights in 1999)

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

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Travelocity, Preview Merger Deal: Done
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Travelocity.com and Preview Travel, Inc. this week announced the close of a merger combining the two companies. The completion of the merger follows the approval yesterday of Preview Travel stockholders.

Sabre Holdings Corporation will retain approximately 70 percent ownership of the new Travelocity.com business with the remaining 30 percent to be publicly held, as described in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Integration of the two sites to create the new Travelocity.com has begun and is expected to be completed by third quarter 2000.

Both the Travelocity.com and Preview Travel sites will remain fully operational until site integration is complete.

>> More <<
o Preview
o Travelocity

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

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Larry Magid Gets a Mileage Card
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"A few weeks ago when I was between planes in the Continental terminal at Newark airport, someone offered me a free digital watch if I signed up for a Continental Airlines Chase Platinum Visa card with Chase Manhattan Bank. As I had an hour to kill before my flight, I took a few minutes to fill out the application."

So begins Lawrence Magid's ill-fated trip down the road to miles and, ultimately, disappointment. (This story caught my eye because I read Larry's L.A. Times articles on computer topics. It's a cautionary tale,
well told.)

>> More <<
Larry's Great Mileage Card Adventure

<< F R E Q U E N T F L I E R F U N N I E S >>

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True (Funny) Travel Stories
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A man called reservations to express his displeasure at the restrictions imposed by the Wright Amendment. This law prohibits travel from Dallas' Love Field to any airport not in a state bordering Texas, with an exception for Alabama and Mississippi. The man complained, "Well, California is right next to Texas, so why can't I go from Dallas to Los Angeles.?"

                              * * *

A client called in inquiring about a flight package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "would it be cheaper to fly to California and take the train to Hawaii?"

[FrequentFlier Funnies are true stories from William Joric's "Air Sick Humor." The book can be purchased at the FrequentFlier Bookstore at http://frequentflier.com/ffp-books.htm]

Until next week...