U P F R O N T

Wednesday It Is
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Thanks to all who took the time to comment on the change from Thursday to Wednesday publication of the Crier.

We received a slew of e-mails regarding the change, which broke down as follows:

                       Good    Bad
                       Move    Move    Whatever   Total

                       68%     12%       20%      100%

Given that people are generally much more likely to express their displeasure than their approval, the 68% approval rate is huge, and suggests we're on the right track.

TV Watch: "Chasing the Sun"
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Look for the new PBS series, "Chasing the Sun," beginning July 2 on most PBS stations in the U.S.

Subtitled "The history of commercial aviation seen through the eyes of its innovators," the series comprises 4 episodes and, according to its companion website, covers the business of aviation as well as the technology. The website, incidentally, is worth a visit in its own right. It includes a an aviation timeline (which fails to mention the birth of frequent flyer programs), interesting resources, and even a lesson plan.

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O N S I T E

Win a Million Miles
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It seems that hardly a week goes by without a new million-mile giveaway being trotted out by a travel supplier or other company eager to capture attention and stimulate response.

As a service to our readers (who know that a mile won is every bit as good as a mile earned), we've put up a new page on FrequentFlier.com where we'll try to keep a comprehensive, up-to-date list of drawings and sweepstakes which feature miles or tickets as prizes.

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TWA -- The Endgame (continued)
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The TWA article ruffled the feathers of several TWA boosters who took issue with our contention that AAdvantage is, overall, a superior program to Aviators. We printed Keith's rejoinder in last week's Crier, and have since put up a separate webpage to capture others' pro-TWA comments.

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M I L E S & P O I N T S

Northwest Expands Online Awards Booking
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Northwest has taken the next logical step in building out WorldPerks' online functionality: effective immediately, WorldPerks members can make online award reservations for flights on Continental and KLM, as well on Northwest.

As an historical note, Northwest was the first airline to allow frequent flyer awards to be booked online (beginning in 1998), and is now the first to allow online booking of partner-airline award flights. According to Northwest, nearly 500,000 members have made their award bookings online to date.

End Is Near for AA-US Tie-Up
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Bear in mind that Aug. 23 is the end of the American-US Airways frequent flyer relationship.

Until then, you can continue earning both 500 AAdvantage miles AND 500 Dividend Miles for US Airways Shuttle flights between Boston and New York LaGuardia or Washington Reagan, or between New York LaGuardia and Washington Reagan. And you can continue combining miles from AAdvantage and Dividend Miles when requesting awards on either airline.

Nice perks... use 'em before you lose 'em.

Mileage Plus Dining Dishes Up New Website
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United's miles-for-dining program now has the website all such programs SHOULD have.

The newly redesigned site allows you to search for participating restaurants by metro area, neighborhood, restaurant name or cuisine. The site also includes directions, maps, menus for many of the participating restaurants and special dining offers only available online.

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(United's miles-for-dining program is operated by iDine, which runs branded versions of the same program for American, Delta, and Northwest. If you'd rather get cash back, iDine has a discount program as well. See iDine's site at http://www.idine.com/ for more.)

AWA Extends Bonus for Online Bookings
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America West has extended its online booking bonus, originally scheduled to expire on June 30, through the end of the year.

The bonus: 3,000 FlightFund miles for America West roundtrips booked and flown before Dec. 31, 2001.

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Air Canada Doubles Miles on Select Routes
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Air Canada is offering double Aeroplan miles on any published fare for the first roundtrip on the following new routes:

- Between Toronto and Cincinnati; Kalamazoo; Greensboro; Greenville; Charleston; Norfolk; or Jacksonville
- Between Montreal and Las Vegas
- Between Calgary and Victoria
- Between Vancouver and Miami

Also on offer: triple miles on any published fare between Calgary and Abbotsford.

Check AC's website for promotion periods, which vary by route.

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Le Meridien Passport: 2,000 Miles + Discount
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Participating Le Meridien hotels are offering AAdvantage members 2,000 miles per stay, as well as rate discounts up to 50%, between July 1 and Aug. 31, 2001. Minimum 2-day stay. Request booking code PASS.

Oops!
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In last week's issue, we reported that 1-800-FLOWERS' AAdvantage partnership would end on Dec. 31, 2001. NOT!

According to a 1-800-FLOWERS rep: "Not only does our deal not end this fiscal year, but it will extend for years to come."

S T E A L S & D E A L S

Deal Alert from SmarterLiving.com
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This week's hot deals from SmarterLiving.com...

Fare War on Domestic and International Travel
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Most U.S. airlines are offering sale fares on domestic and international travel, with up to 20% savings for online purchase. Book tickets by Sunday, July 8.

> More...

Sale Fares to/from Cities in Florida From $138 R/T
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US Airways has released sale fares for travel to/from cities throughout Florida. Fares are valid for travel through Sep. 27.

> More...

S W E E P S T A K E S & F R E E B I E S

MasterCard Offers Travel Prizes
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Through June 30, 2001, all MasterCard holders are eligible to win prizes, including a family vacation for 4 and a $4,000 prepaid MasterCard.

Cardholders are automatically entered whenever they use a MasterCard to charge an American Airlines product or service. Or they can register online without making a purchase.

Prizes include 4 8-day/7-night trips for 4 persons plus 7-nights hotel accommodations, car rental, and a $4,000 prepaid MasterCard card; and 8 sets of 2 certificates for round trip coach air tickets plus a $100 prepaid MasterCard card.

The drawing is open to U.S.-resident MasterCard holders whose accounts existed prior to June 1, 2001 and who are 18 years of age or older.

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S I T E 2 S E E

Gary Gets Miles
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Here's the intro to the frequent flyer mile section of Gary Steiger's personal website:

"I have sought free frequent flyer miles for about three years. I paid no money for my last four international round trip flights, and I have over 160000 miles still waiting to be used. Almost all of the miles I used to get the tickets were acquired by means that were free and using programs listed below."

Gary goes on to provide a robust list of mile-earning opportunities, many of which are truly hidden gems. Nice work, Gary... you da man!

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Until next week...