Loyalty Managers Share (or at Least Acknowledge) Your Pain

You know there's a problem with frequent flyer award seats. I know there's a problem with frequent flyer award seats. The question is: Do the airline executives who manage mileage programs know there's a problem with frequent flyer award seats?

According to a new report issued by aviation analyst and consultant Jay Sorensen -- aptly entitled "Stormy Weather" -- program managers are indeed aware of the traveling public's dissatisfaction with the number of seats available as frequent flyer awards. In fact, a full 67% of program managers responding to the survey recognize "that consumers are frustrated by the lack of basic reward availability for the entire airline industry."

In spite of their awareness of the issue, 56% reported that they had not increased the supply of award seats during 2006. For 2007, 59% of the respondents predict that they will "selectively or broadly" increase reward seats, while 38% foresee no change. In particular, there may be hope for international awards, with a full 73% of respondents expecting an increase on overseas flights.

Finally, the survey queried managers on the overriding goals of their programs. As we have been pointing out for several years, loyalty programs are no longer exclusively or even mostly about loyalty. A full 42% of the respondents cited revenue contribution (from the sale of frequent flyer miles to program partners) as the programs' principal objective. Only 15% agreed with the statement that the programs' are primarily about inducing loyalty.

As we have warned repeatedly, whether the programs are in the business of fostering loyalty or selling frequent flyer miles, they won't be in business much longer if they don't deliver on consumers' expectations -- viz. reasonable access to award seats when it comes time to redeem their miles. The study doesn't indicate whether that's a danger the respondents are aware of.

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FrequentFlier Forum Topics

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

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, mbogda will be flying Alitalia and wonders what the best earning strategy would be: "My question is what is the best SkyTeam member airline to get my miles through, I am thinking of putting it on my NWA WorldPerks account but I don't like that I can't transfer miles out of it, and then was thinking that I might be better off to sign up for Delta or would it be better to start up an Alitalia account, the only problem is that I don't see myself flying Alitalia all that often."

Also in the "Airline Programs" Forum, churwitz plans to exchange Starwood points for Delta miles in order to qualify for an award ticket. "Starwood said they could do a rush transfer but Delta doesn't accept them, and even if they did, it would take 3-5 days. Delta said they could cancel and rebook my flight, but I risk losing it right after they cancel, and I would have to do this probably 4 or 5 times in order to buy time until my miles arrive. Anyone had a similar issue and been able to deal with it? Is it a risk to cancel and rebook your flight immediately?"

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

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American Offers Bonus for Denver Flights

Through April 30, AAdvantage members will earn 1,000 bonus miles on nonstop roundtrip flights between Denver (DEN) and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) or Los Angeles (LAX). Bonus can be earned an unlimited number of times for flights booked in F, A, P, Y, B, G, H, K, L, M, S, V or W.

Registration is required.

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ATA Has New Awards Partner: Wine Club

Members of ATA's Travel Awards program can now earn 350 points for enrolling plus one point for every $1 spent on monthly wine subscriptions from the Vinesse Wine Club.

Choose from six monthly programs, offering red wines, whites, or a combination, at different price points, from different parts of the world.

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Best Western Doubles the Rewards

Through April 13, members of the Best Western Gold Crown Club International program will earn double points or airline miles for qualifying stays which include Sunday through Thursday nights.

Registration is required.

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Delta Launches New Online Award Booking Application

Delta this week rolled out its new online award booking engine.

Chief among the app's new features: a calendar view, which permits would-be bookers to see award seat availability for the month surrounding the desired travel dates.

We haven't had a chance to put the new application through its paces yet, but we plan to and will include a review in a future issue of the newsletter. It will be especially interesting to see how it compares to American's newly upgraded booking app, also featuring a calendar view, reviewed here.

According to Delta's news release, plans for future booking enhancements include side-by-side view of departing and return calendars; ability to shop for award tickets without logging into a SkyMiles account; and the ability to book award travel on partner airlines.

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Marriott Will Raise Prices for Unrestricted Award Stays

Effective June 1, Marriott Rewards members will have to redeem more points when booking unrestricted Stay Anytime rewards.

Currently, Stay Anytime awards are priced at 50% more than regular award stays. The same awards booked after June 1 will cost 100% more than restricted awards. Example: one free night at a Category 1 hotel, currently priced at 11,250 points for a Stay Anytime award, will cost 15,000 points after the change.

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Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Mexico Fares on Frontier from $158

Flights to Mexico are on sale in Frontier's new offer. Prices start at $158 roundtrip, and destinations include Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, and Cozumel.

Travel is valid Mondays through Thursdays through June 7. Book tickets by March 18.

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2) Hawaii winter and spring sale fares on Delta from $278

Delta is offering a new Hawaii sale for travel through late May. Prices start at $278 roundtrip, and departures are available from cities all around the U.S., including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

Travel is valid Sundays through Fridays through May 23. Book tickets at least seven days in advance, and by March 23. Fares require a three-night minimum stay.

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Win a Trip to Great Britain for 2

Through June 30, enter VisitBritain's "Luxury Sweepstakes" for a chance to win a trip for two to Britain, including business-class air and eight nights' hotel in London and other cities.

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

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

"What is your take on the TrueBlue program?

"I'm considering committing to them by getting the AmEx card, which seems to me like a generally good deal. JetBlue flies a lot of routes that are convenient for me (I also happen to like flying JetBlue, though in all fairness it hasn't stranded me on a tarmac yet), so their program makes sense, but I'm wary of entering the wild goose chase for award travel. Can you give me your two cents?" [Carl U. - Boston, MA]

[FrequentFlier.com replies - We're fans of the airline, but not of their program. Too few earning opportunities (JetBlue flights and charges on the co-branded Amex card) and award options (JetBlue). So for many people, it's hard to squeeze good value out of the program.

Having said that, if you anticipate flying JetBlue regularly, and plan to use the Amex card, then you're not really compromising anything and it could work just fine. Biggest question mark: will their limited route network work with your travel needs, both when earning and redeeming points. If yes, then go for it!]

"I hope we get to see an article on Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Award Calendar similar to AAs." [Bob B.]

[FrequentFlier.com replies - As mentioned in the "Miles & Points" section above, we'll be test-driving the new Delta award booking app in the near future and should have a review shortly thereafter.]

"Regarding your request for sites that show limited overhead storage [in last week's Crier], I know that Seatguru.com has it for at least some United aircraft. See this link for its description of the Airbus 320 flying as TED.

"If you mouse over rows 1-3, you'll see information about overhead storage being limited due to AV equipment and other issues." [Michael B.]

Until next week...