Issue #96 -- June 2, 2000
** CONTENTS **
We're Turning 100! ~ United's Olympics Team Mile Donation ~ Delta Doubles SkyMiles for New Transcon Flights ~ 10,000 AAdvantage Miles Vacations ~ Earn FlightFund Miles for MCI Phone Service ~ Delta Debuts New Japan-Latin America Awards ~ New Oneworld Partners: Aer Lingus, Lan Chile ~ New Program from Middle East Carriers ~ Deal Alert from SmarterLiving.com ~ What to Bring and How to Bring It ~ More Legroom on 400 Aircraft ~ Survey Reveals Booking Trends ~ Another New Frequent Flyer Program ~ MCI Woes (continued) ~ MilesOne Visa ~ Swissair Rave ~ True (Funny) Travel Stories
<< U P F R O N T >>
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We're Turning 100!
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This is the 96th issue of The FrequentFlier Crier, which puts us well within reach of our 100th issue.
We consider that a significant milestone, and to mark the occasion we wanted to do something to thank our readers for their support. Since we can't give "thank you" gifts to each and every subscriber, we will hold a sweepstakes--"The 100 Criers Giveaway"--and randomly select subscribers to receive prizes donated by some fine (and generous!) companies.
Every subscriber in our database on the day we publish Issue #100, June 29, will be automatically entered in the drawing. (So, if you're reading someone else's copy, be sure to subscribe under your own e-mail address!)
Here's the current list of prizes:
o 50,000 Delta SkyMiles
o 50,000 greenpoints from S&H greenpoints
o Free 1-week GSM phone rental from Planetfone
o "Diving in Malaysia" books from Malaysia Airlines
o Cool hats and T-shirts from JohnnyJet.com
Check back next week... we'll have an updated list of prizes and more information on the drawing.
<< M I L E S >>
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United Supports Olympics Teams with Mile Donation
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United will donate 1% of Mileage Plus miles flown by registered members (up to a maximum of 25,000,000) before October 2, 2000, to the United States Olympic Committee Ticket Fund. For registered Premier members, United will donate 2% of flown miles.
In addition to supporting the Olympics teams, United is offering discounts and bonus miles.
>> Discount Certificate
Mileage Plus members who register and fly round trip before August 31, 2000 will receive one $25 discount travel certificate. This certificate offer is valid for members who register by calling 1-800-447-6772 and entering offer code 32 or by visiting united.com/moments . Mileage Plus members will each receive one certificate per person when they fly in any class of service during the promotional period, maximum of one per member.
>> Double Miles for Premier Members
Premier Mileage Plus members who register for the program and fly roundtrip on a United Airlines flight between July 1 and August 31, 2000 will receive double Mileage Plus miles for travel in select classes during the promotional period. Premier members must register by August 31, 2000 by calling 1-800-447-6772 and entering offer code 49 or by visiting united.com/moments.
>> More <<
United
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Delta Doubles SkyMiles for New Transcon Flights
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Delta will offer SkyMiles members double miles on the carrier's new nonstop flights between Boston and Los Angeles from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2000.
Members purchasing a BusinessElite U.S. ticket on these flights will receive the normal 25 percent class of service bonus which, as an added feature of this promotion, will apply towards 2001 Medallion qualification.
Beginning July 1, Delta will offer two new daily nonstop flights on Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. The BusinessElite U.S. section of this aircraft features sleeper-style seats designed exclusively for Delta, with 60 inches of pitch, a full 160 degrees of recline and 2x2x2 seating. BusinessElite U.S. customers also will receive complimentary access to Delta's Crown Room Clubs in Boston's Logan Airport and Los Angeles International Airport on their day of travel.
>> More <<
Delta
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10,000 AAdvantage Miles for Vacations
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American Airlines Vacations is offering 10,000 AAdvantage bonus miles per booking on packages at the following destinations: Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta. A minimum stay is required in the Caribbean to qualify for the bonus miles.
The Mexico and Caribbean bonus miles are available on vacations booked now through July 31 for travel to Mexico between Aug. 1 and Nov. 30, and for travel to the Caribbean between Aug. 1 and Nov. 15.
Customers can choose from a wide variety of participating hotels and resorts in the Caribbean including Blue Waters in Antigua, Aruba Sonesta Resort & Suites in Aruba, Almond Beach Resorts in Barbados, Hyatt Regency Resort in Grand Cayman and Wyndham Resorts in Puerto Rico. Participating properties in Mexico include Sol Melia in Cancun, Fiesta Americana in Acapulco, Westin Resorts in Puerto Vallarta and Presidente Intercontinental in Mexico City and Guadalajara.
>> More <<
American Airlines Vacations
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Earn FlightFund Miles for MCI Phone Service
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Effective immediately, new and existing MCI WorldCom residential customers, as well as small business customers, can earn America West FlightFund miles for communications services offered by WorldCom.
FlightFund program members earn 5 miles for every dollar spent on MCI WorldCom's residential services (excluding taxes, credits and surcharges). In addition, WorldCom offers a special sign-up bonus of 2,000 miles for new customers who enroll in the MCI WorldCom/FlightFund program.
>> More <<
Enroll online at http://www.mci.com/awa or by calling 1-877-MCI-FUND (1-877-624-3863) (U.S.) or 712-943-6839 (overseas collect).
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Delta Debuts New Japan-Latin America Awards
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Delta has introduced new SkyMiles awards for business and economy class flights between 8 Latin American cities and Japan.
SkyMiles members may now redeem a single award versus the two awards that were previously required for travel between Latin America and Japan via the United States. All of the new awards can be redeemed for equal or less mileage than before.
Area of Travel - Between Central America and Japan
- Economy Class
Code D123 - Required Miles for Round trip travel 60,000. Previously required miles were 95,000.
- Business Class
Code D223 - Required Miles for Round trip travel 90,000. Previously required miles were 140,000.
Area of Travel - Between Venezuela and Peru and Japan
- Economy Class
Code Dl28 - Required Miles for Round trip travel 70,000. Previously required miles were 95,000
- Business Class
Code D228 -Required Miles for Round trip travel 110,000. Previously required miles were 150,000
Area of Travel - Between Brazil and Japan
- Economy Class
Code Dl29 - Required Miles for Round trip travel 110,000. Previously required miles were 120,000
- Business Class
Code D229 -Required Miles for Round trip travel 165,000. Previously required miles were 165,000
>> More <<
Delta
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New Oneworld Partners: Aer Lingus, Lan Chile
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This week, Aer Lingus and Lan Chile became the seventh and eighth carriers to join the Oneworld global airline alliance, joining American, British Airways, Qantas, Iberia, Finnair and Cathay Pacific.
>> More <<
o Aer Lingus
o Lan Chile
o Oneworld
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New Program from Middle East Carriers
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Dateline Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Emirates and SriLankan Airlines have jointly launched the newest airline frequent flyer program, Skywards.
Skywards miles can be earned with selected international airlines (Continental Airlines, United, British Airways and South African Airways), plus Budget Rent A Car, the Skywards Citibank co-branded credit card and hotel chains including Hilton International, Le Meridien, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, Radisson/SAS Hotels, Sofitel, Starwood, Taj Group of Hotels and The Jumeirah Beach Hotel Group, Dubai.
Skywards comprises three tier levels: Skywards, Skywards Silver and Skywards Gold. Miles flown on either Emirates or SriLankan count towards elite levels.
>> More <<
Skywards program
<< 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...
>> 10% Discount on Travel to/from Las Vegas
America West is offering 10 percent off any fare published online between Las Vegas
and select cities. Travel is valid through September 30.
This discount is available for online purchases only. Tickets must be purchased by
Wednesday, June 14.
For more details, go here.
>> Sale Fares to Birmingham, England Start at $504 R/T
American Airlines put the British Isles on sale, with round-trip fares to Birmingham starting at $504. Travel is valid for departure between May 31 and July 8. Returns must occur by midnight CT on July 15. Fares are available online only, and must be purchased by Sunday, June 4.
For more details, go here.
<< B U S I N E S S T R A V E L T I P S >>
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What to Bring and How to Bring It
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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."
>> Coping with Carry-Ons (part 2)
o If you must carry on a larger-than-average bag, get on the plane as early as possible. Overhead bins fill up fast--particularly during the cold winter months and the holidays.
o If you bring more than two carry-ons (the "official" limit on many carriers), put one bag inside another. Gate agents usually scrutinize the number of bags rather than bag dimensions. Typical airline dimensions allow one bag no larger than 9 x 14 x 22 inches (can fit under seats) and another bag 10 x 14 x 36 inches (can fit in overhead bin) or a garment bag 4 x 23 x 45 inches (can fit in closet). NOTE: A briefcase is considered a piece of carry-on luggage, while a woman's purse may not be.
o At the end of 1997, some airlines adopted a "1 plus" rule regarding carry-on bags, meaning that you are allowed one carry-on, plus a briefcase, purse, or laptop. Airlines are battling to reach a general consensus as to the number of carry-on bags each passenger is permitted. However, until an across-the-board decree is dispatched by the Federal Aviation Administration, the issue will remain frustratingly vague and unresolved.
o Pack your bags with the possibility of having to check them in mind. With airlines and flight attendants scrutinizing carry-ons more than ever, you may be forced to gate-check your bag. In that case, be sure that your valuables and any electronic gear are in the bag you carry on the plane. The best part about gate checking is that bags are usually waiting by the plane door as you exit--not at the delay-prone baggage carousel. However, this is not always the case: always ask if your gate-checked bag will be waiting for you as you exit the plane or in the baggage claim area.
Chris McGinnis
Travel Skills Group
http://www.travelskills.com
<< I N D U S T R Y U P D A T E >>
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More Legroom on 400 Aircraft, and Counting
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American Airlines has completed conversion of the 400th aircraft outfitted with more legroom throughout the coach cabin. Nearly 70 percent of American's domestic fleet now features the "More Room" seating arrangement.
The 400th aircraft, a Boeing 757 with 12 coach seats removed to produce the roomier cabin, rolled off a special maintenance line at American's Fort Worth-Alliance maintenance base this week.
American is removing an average of two rows of seats from every coach cabin, and is then using that space to spread out the rest of the rows.
Since beginning the "More Room In Coach" program in early February, American's maintenance crews have removed a total of nearly 4,400 coach seats from 227 MD80s, 59 Boeing 727s, 84 Boeing 757s, 25 Fokker 100s and 5 MD90s.
American's entire two-class domestic fleet of nearly 600 jets will be completed by October, at which point the airline will begin to reconfigure the coach cabins on all of its nearly 100 three-class international aircraft. The carrier will finish that work early next year.
>> More <<
American
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Survey Reveals Booking Trends
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The airline and hotel industries want to know: What shifts can be identified in the control of the booking process for business and leisure travelers? With what segments of the distribution system is it important to forge strong relationships? A new monthly survey, Plog's On-TRAK Poll of 1,000 respondents nationwide offers some answers.
Business travelers rely heavily on travel agents (33%) and their companies' corporate travel departments (30%) for arranging their air trips, according to the poll conducted in late April/early May by Plog Research Inc., a marketing research and consulting firm with offices in New Jersey, Southern California, and Asia.
At a much lower level, an additional 15% percent say that arrangements are made by an individual, perhaps themselves, booking travel online; a similar percentage (13%) call the airline/hotel directly.
The pattern differs for leisure travelers, the largest group of which books air trips by telephone, directly with the airline or hotel (37%). Use of travel agents falls to 28% among pleasure flyers, but a whopping 30% report making reservations online for their last trip. By contrast, only 15% of business flyer bookings are made online.
Among leisure flyers, men and women are equally likely to use any of the booking methods, but some variances appear pertaining to age groups. Those under 45 are somewhat more likely than others to book by electronic means (36%); those 45-54 (32%) and over 54 (31%) tend to consult travel agencies more often than younger travelers.
These results are derived from Plog Research's On-TRAK Poll, conducted online among respondents who have taken at least one air trip in the last 12 months. The margin of error is +/- 3.2% at the 95% confidence level).
<< R E A D E R R A N T S & R A V E S >>
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Yet Another New Frequent Flyer Program
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Thought your readers would be intersted to know that Qatar Airways has launched a new F.F.P.
Web site is http://www.qmiles.com
This has details of partnerships etc.
- Guy
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MCI Woes (continued)
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After reading stories about MCI in the crier, I just wanted to contribute my MCI woes. I have two phone lines. As you know, the long distance companies generally offer super low rates on interstate calls, but usually make people pay more "through the nose" for intrastate calls (i.e. local tolls).
Unfortunately, I use quite a few minutes of local tolls. I recently switched my second line's local tolls to MCI due to the fact that they were offering a seven cent rate for local tolls and US Airways Dividend Miles. First, I had to call the 800 number three times and wait 30 mintutes+ each time before they finally got the switch right. Second, even thought they sent me a written confirmation of the seven cent rate, I was never billed the seven cent rate. When I called (and waited on hold 30 minutes+ each time), I was told that "my rate was ten cents". Seems that they raised my rate to ten cents for both lines at the time I added the second line. Further, when I asked for a supervisor, I was told that a supervisor was not available and that the seven cent rate was no longer being offered. I called ten more times on different days (waiting 30 minutes+ each time) asking for a supervisor and being told that one was not available. All they could do for me was to "adjust" my calls for that month as a "courtesy", but they were supposidly "unable" to give the rate that was promised. I was also told (and my account duly notated) that my rate was ten cents. What a scam!
- Wayne
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MilesOne Visa
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Thanks for your response. I know that First USA, Chase, and Bank of America are adding the 2% transaction fee for use of their cards in Europe. We did check out the cards on your suggested website and have applied for the Capital One, Miles One Visa (not the Visa Platinum suggested, since it isn't the one that gives air miles). Capital One does not charge 2% for European use of its card. The Miles One Visa is $19.00 (both of us for that can be on the account), gives 1 mile per dollar spent, requires 18,000 for a free ticket on any airline with no restrictions, online banking ability to pay monthly charges from our local bank (helpful from France, for sure), expiration of miles after 5 years, and a 9.9% interest rate. You can look at all the cards on the www.capitalone.com website or call 1-800-548-4593 to apply over the phone. We hope this will be a good card and thank you for directing us to some choices.
- Dorothy
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Swissair Rave
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I'd like to add a good comment about Swissair. When we arrived at the Venice Airport for our Air France flight to Newark with change of planes in Paris, we discovered that Air France had called a last-minute strike for two days. Our flights had been cancelled. We were rescheduled on Swissair to JFK with a change of planes in Zurich. Although we had made arrangements to be picked up by a limo at Newark Airport, we weren't able to contact them about the changes since it was 2:30am New York time when we left Venice. We had no idea of how we were going to get home from JFK!
When we arrived at JFK, a very helpful Swissair staff member took us under his wing and made arrangements for our limo to pick us up at JFK. Best of all, he paid the difference in cost!
- E.P.
<< 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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After completing a reservation, the agent went through the recap of all the flight details: departure and arrival time, flight number, the fare and ended by letting the woman know that the equipment for the flight would be an Airbus. The confused caller asked, "I thought I called the airlines. Why are you reserving me a seat on a BUS?"
[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]
Until next week...
