Issue #88  --  April 6, 2000

<< M I L E S >>

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Delta Doubles
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Over the coming spring and summer months, Delta and its subsidiaries, Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) and COMAIR have 10 double bonus miles offers for SkyMiles members, as follows:

> Double miles offers on Delta--

  New Delta nonstop seasonal service between Atlanta and Anchorage, Alaska
  Qualification dates 6/1/00-7/31/00

  New Delta nonstop service between Cincinnati and San Jose, Calif.
  Qualification dates 4/2/00-5/31/00

> Double miles offers on Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA)--

  New ASA nonstop service between New York (La Guardia) and Columbia, S.C.
  Qualification dates 3/16/00-5/15/00

  New ASA nonstop service between New York (La Guardia) and Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, N.C.
  Qualification dates 3/16/00-5/15/00

  New ASA nonstop service between New York (La Guardia) and Jacksonville, Fla.
  Qualification dates 3/16/00-5/15/00

  New ASA nonstop service between New York (La Guardia) and Richmond, Va.
  Qualification dates 3/16/00-5/15/00

  New ASA nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Columbia, S.C.
  Qualification dates 5/1/00-6/30/00

  New ASA nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Lubbock, Texas
  Qualification dates 5/1/00-6/30/00

> Double miles offers on COMAIR--

  New COMAIR nonstop service between New York (La Guardia) and Charleston, S.C.
  Qualification dates 3/16/00-5/15/00

  New COMAIR nonstop service between New York (La Guardia) and Savannah, Ga.
  Qualification dates 4/2/00-5/31/00

>> More <<
Delta

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Green Stamps Get Digital
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If you're old enough to be self-conscious about your age, you surely remember S&H Green Stamps, arguably the first major loyalty program.

Green Stamps are back--this time in digital form, as Greenpoints.

Earn 10 Greenpoints for every dollar spent at 94 online retailers, as well as real-world merchants. Then redeem them for merchandise, gift certificates, and yes, frequent flyer miles. In the latter category, you'll find only 2 participants. But they're two of the biggest programs: American AAdvantage, and Delta SkyMiles.

You can redeem 2,500 Greenpoints for 500-mile AAdvantage or Skymiles certificates. From a value standpoint, this isn't a particularly compelling proposition. At that rate, you would have to spend $12,500 to earn a free ticket at 25,000 miles. Still, if the program meets your needs in other ways, the extra miles could be helpful in topping off an AAdvantage or SkyMiles account.

Greenpoints is offering a 3,000-point sign-up bonus. And for a limited time, the earning rate is 20 points per dollar spent.

There's a Greenpoints affinity card in the offing, to be issued by Fleet Credit Card Services, which will provide yet another opportunity to earn Greenpoints.

>> More <<
Greenpoints

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Oneworld Announces New Members
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Aer Lingus and LanChile will become fully fledged members of oneworld in the next few months, offering its full range of customer services and benefits, including reciprocal frequent flyer program link-ups.

A firm date will be announced once final computer tests have been completed in the next couple of weeks.

>> More <<
Oneworld

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More Miles for Singapore Air Flights
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SkyMiles members now earn 100% of actual flown miles for all economy-class flights on Singapore Airlines.

That's a substantial improvement over the 70% rate previously in effect for the discount economy fares which most travelers purchase. (The change is likely a result of Singapore's offering 100% for all economy fares in United's Mileage Plus program. Partner contracts typically require that they not offer better earning rates in competitive programs.)

>> More <<
o Delta
o Singapore Airlines

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New ClickRewards Partner
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ClickRewards members can now earn 200 ClickMiles with their first purchase of $20 or more at online retailer WorldSpy. Thereafter, members earn 1 ClickMile for every dollar spent at WorldSpy, with no earning limit.

WorldSpy is an online shopping portal with more than 10 shopping departments, including electronics, computers, sports & fitness and home furnishings.

>> More <<
ClickRewards

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Dreaming of Amex
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Am I dreaming?

I'm cruising at high speed (don't ask) along one of Los Angeles's freeways... summer-like weather in April... targa top in the trunk... radio cranked high. I'm returning to the office from a potentially life-altering business meeting, mentally reviewing the back-and-forth with a potential big-name, deep-pockets investor. And suddenly I realize that I'm hearing the last part of a radio ad for a double-points-for-gas-purchases offer. "Must be an Amex Membership Rewards promotion," I think to myself. I shoot an e-mail to an Amex P.R. rep. No reply. I call Amex Membership Rewards service center. They can't find a record of any such offer.

So again, am I dreaming? Has anyone else heard an offer for double points (or miles) for gas-station purchases?

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Bonus Miles for Hawaii Packages
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American Airlines Vacations is offering 10,000 AAdvantage bonus miles per booking on packages featuring a number of leading hotels on Oahu and Maui among other islands. Accommodations include a choice of condos, suites, or hotels.

The special Hawaii bonus miles are available on packages booked and purchased between now and May 31, 2000, with travel between April 7 and December 15, 2000.

Customers can choose from these participating hotels: Aston Hotels and Resorts, Embassy Vacation Resort Ka'anapali, Grand Wailea Resort and Spa, Hawaiian Hotels And Resorts, Hilton Resorts Hawaii, Hyatt Resorts Hawaii, Ilikai Hotel, Ka'anapali Beach Resort, Kea Lani Hotel Suites and Villas, Marriott/Renaissance Resorts, Outrigger Hotels And Resorts, Sheraton/Luxury Collection, the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, and the Westin Prince Resorts Hawaii.

All the packages offer a flower lei greeting, a morning breakfast briefing, individual hotel bonus features, special rates on rental of an Alamo minivan or convertible, and a flexible length of stay (minimum five-night stay required for AAdvantage bonus miles).

<< 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...

>> Up to 35% Off Fares to Bermuda

TWA is offering a discount of up to 35% off regularly priced fares to Bermuda through May 1. Departure travel is valid between May 8 and May 29.

Sample, round-trip fares to Bermuda include $398 from St. Louis, $428 from Chicago (O'Hare), $463 from Dallas, $550 from Denver and Phoenix, and $566 from Los Angeles and San Francisco.

For more details, go here.

>> $98-$198 R/T Fares to/from Detroit, Memphis, and Minneapolis

Delta Air Lines is offering $98-$198 round-trip fares between Detroit, Memphis, and Minneapolis and all cities that Delta serves in the 48 contiguous states. Travel is valid through June 10.

For more details, go here.

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

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Legend Gets Wings
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Legend Airlines began its service this week from Dallas Love Field to Washington Dulles, Los Angeles International (LAX) and Las Vegas.

Wednesday, April 5, was the inaugural flight to Washington Dulles; and Thursday, April 6, marked the launch of flights to Los Angeles and Vegas. Regularly scheduled operations to all three markets commence on Friday.

The Dallas-based airline received its operating certificate (Part 121) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 2 after passing conformity inspections and completing the required proving flights.

As previously reported, if you sign up for Legend's Travel Award Program and fly one roundtrip before May 31, 2000, you'll become a member of the Legend Founders' Society and earn double base Legend miles for life.

>> More <<
Legend

<< 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."

>> Some Final Pretrip Tips (Part 2 of 2)

o Write all your frequent traveler program numbers and frequently called 800 numbers on a pocket-sized piece of paper for easy access.

o Always have your travel agent or reservationist provide you with a seat assignment and your boarding pass before you get to the airport. NOTE: In early 1998, some airlines stopped issuing advance boarding passes. Now that you must show photo ID at the gate agent anyway, an advance boarding pass is little more than a security blanket. But you should still request your seat assignment ahead of time.

o A nonstop flight means just that--no stops. A direct flight means that the plane will stop at least once before reaching its final destination. Know the difference.

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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A European Perspective
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I would like to tell you that I have been enjoying my Crier every week for over a year.

I just wish there would be a bit more stuff for European readers. I suppose it is not that easy to find a counterpart over here who would agree to spend as much time as you do on the Crier!

Anyway, if it can be of any help, I received the Air France FF Newsletter yesterday, and I was delighted to see that they are aligning their Miles expiration policy with Delta's!!! So, one need only to fly once during a period of three years on Air France, Delta or AeroMexico to keep one's miles rocking! Besides, French residents can use their Air France/Amex cards once every three years instead of flying to have the same result. They also announced a special FF club for people aged 2 to 18, "Fréquence Jeune".

I wish KLM's Flying Dutchman would be half as good as Fréquence Plus: KLM has the slowest, most unfriendly, unreachable, inefficient and appalling customer service I have ever experienced in my life.

Cheers and keep up the good work!
 - Philip, Amsterdam, NL

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

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Delta Will Roll Out Small Business Site
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Delta will launch a travel website dedicated to serving the needs of the small business traveler, providing online access to air, car, and hotel bookings.

The new site, called MYOB Travel (Mind Your Own Business Travel), targets businesses which have between five and 50 travelers, one of the fastest growing segments in the U.S. economy with billions of dollars in travel expenditures annually. The site is expected to be launched this summer.

In addition to standard online booking functions, MYOB Travel will allow small business customers to:

    * book travel for other travelers
    * modify impending travel itineraries online
    * create and store profiles for all travelers, streamlining the booking process
    * create user-defined reports summarizing company travel
    * have access to 24-hour, 7-day-a-week toll-free customer service support

Additionally, small businesses will receive benefits at the company level, while individuals will continue to earn frequent flyer mileage.

Delta also now offers an online corporate purchasing function for large corporations, one of the first for major airlines, and an online travel agency service center that provides comprehensive, real-time Delta product and ticketing information in a single online universe vs. the traditional handbook format.

>> More <<
Delta

<< 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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Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had a 1-hour layover in Dallas. I asked him why he wanted to rent a car and he said, "I heard Dallas was big airport, and I need a car to drive between the gates to save time."

                             * * *

A nice lady called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20 a.m. and got into Chicago at 8:33 a.m. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!

[FrequentFlier Funnies are true stories told by pilots, reservations agents and other travel industry professionals, from William Joric's "Air Sick Humor." The book can be purchased at the FrequentFlier Bookstore at http://frequentflier.com/ffp-books.htm]

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

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Airport Transfers
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The best way downtown from more than 100 airports...

That's the promise (and, I guess, the name) of a small site operated under the Concierge.com umbrella, part of the Conde Nast network. And the site delivers.

Choose from drop-down lists of both U.S. and foreign airports and you'll be rewarded with a satisfyingly comprehensive but blessedly brief summary of your options for getting from airport to downtown.

>> More <<
Airport information

Until next week...