Issue #5 -- July 24, 1998
**********************************
American Giveth (But Buyer Beware)
**********************************
American Airlines is expanding its reduced mileage award options,
allowing members to claim awards for as little as 10,000 miles
plus a cash co-payment.
>> The Facts <<
"Plan AAhead" awards for coach travel on American Airlines or
American Eagle anywhere in the continental United States or
Canada normally require 25,000 miles. The new reduced mileage
award enables members to claim this award for 10,000 miles and a
$300 co-payment.
American is also offering a new reduced mileage award to Hawaii
for 20,000 miles plus a $400 co-payment, and a Caribbean award
for 20,000 miles plus a $225 co-payment. Hawaii awards normally
require 35,000 miles and Caribbean awards require 30,000 miles.
American introduced the AAdvantage reduced mileage award concept
last year and the three new offerings bring the total of these
special awards to sixteen. Awards are available to Mexico,
Canada, Central America, South America, Europe and Japan as well
as within the United States and to Hawaii and the Caribbean.
All special mileage awards must be claimed by Dec. 31, 1998, and
tickets are valid for one year from date of issue. Travel must
originate in the United States.
Members may claim an award or receive additional information by
calling AAdvantage reservations at 1-800-882-8880.
>> The Judgment <<
Firstly, we applaud American for adding flexibility to the
program. But it's the sound of one hand clapping. Because while
flexibility is always to be welcomed, the value represented by
these miles-plus-cash awards is questionable. And the very
existence of these awards may suggest to unwary consumers that
they represent a better value than a cash-only transaction.
Which is just not the case.
Consider the real value of these miles-plus-cash awards. For a
25,000 mile award obtained for 10,000 miles plus $300, the
purchased miles are worth 2 cents each (=$300/15,000). So the
total value of the miles-plus-cash would be $500 (10,000 miles @
2 cents + $300). Flexibility, yes. A bargain? No. In the case
of many trips you might make, you would do better to purchase an
advance purchase revenue ticket (often for less than $300, and
certainly less than $500), and leave the 10,000 miles in your
account.
So before opting for one of the new hybrid awards, be sure to
compare the cost of a purchased ticket with the value of the
miles-plus-cash option. With the average price of a roundtrip
ticket in the range of $250, you'll often be better served by
purchasing a ticket outright.
American's news release can be found in the "News Release"
section under "Corporate" at http://www.AA.com/
*****************************
Ten Reasons (Plus One) to Fly
*****************************
Here's Southwest Airlines' Top Ten reasons you should fly rather
than drive the next time you travel:
10) Visiting the World's Largest Artichoke and the Jackelope
Museum really isn't all that interesting.
9) It really sucks when a Big Gulp hits your bladder with 50
miles to the next rest stop.
8) The bugs that hit your windshield driving through Kansas are
big enough to wear a Walkman.
7) By the time you get to college age, trying to get a trucker
to blow his horn has lost its appeal.
6) Cars don't come with a pocket in front of your seat for
holding barf bags.
5) You don't get a speeding ticket in an airplane for going 500
m.p.h.
4) You don't have to ask for the key to the restroom.
3) You can't walk up and down the aisle in a Honda.
2) You could arrive at your destination before you reach the
100th bottle of beer on the wall.
1) Someone ELSE does the driving!
[Reprinted by permission of Southwest Airlines.]
They've forgotten one very important reason: you DO earn miles
for flying, and you DON'T for driving.
>> More <<
The Southwest site is at: http://www.iflyswa.com/luvhome.html
**************
Win a Million!
**************
Miles, that is.
TheTrip.com and SkyMall this week announced the launch of a three
month promotion awarding one million ClickPoints from Click
Rewards to one picked-at-random user. To enter, fill out a
profile at http://www.thetrip.com/skymall, between July 15 -
Sept. 30.
One winner will be selected from all profiles submitted, and the
one million ClickPoints can be redeemed for either one million
frequent flier miles on participating airlines or other rewards
offered by ClickRewards.
Let's see. One million miles would be 40 free domestic
roundtrips. Or... (dream, dream, dream). Naturally, I signed up
immediately.
>> More <<
o ClickRewards: http://www.clickrewards.com/join.html
o TheTrip.com: http://www.thetrip.com/
o SkyMall: http://www.thetrip.com/skymall
************
E-Ticket Tip
************
Electronic tickets are great. As a certifiable "early adopter,"
I've requested e-tickets ever since the airlines began offering
them as an option. And, due to their wide acceptance by
consumers and the airlines' predilection for all things cheaper,
paper tickets will likely go the way of Tyrannosaurus Rex.
There is, however, one caveat which needs to be borne in mind
when using e-tickets, especially when flying on thinly served
routes, or during heavy-traffic days. Consider the following
scenario.
You're flying on an e-ticket, checked in and waiting to
board. The check-in agent is speaking into the microphone, her
voice carried over the Public Address system: "Due to mechanical
problems, Flight 100 will not operate today. Please approach the
podium and we will do our best to help you with alternate travel
arrangements." Flight 100, it so happens, is the last (or only)
flight of the day operated by the airline you're ticketed on.
Or, all other flights for the rest of the day to your intended
destination are overbooked.
In short, to get where you're going, you will have to use your
ticket on a different airline.
Those with paper tickets (at least those traveling on
unrestricted fares) will be sprinting for the check-in counter of
another airline with flights to your destination. They know it
will be first-come-first-served on the alternate airline, and as
"go-shows" their chances of getting one of the remaining seats
depend on their getting on the waitlist ahead of the horde of
other stranded passengers.
You, on the other hand, will be standing in a long line of
confused, irate passengers in front of the original carrier's
check-in counter. Because, before you can endorse your ticket
over to another airline, you will have to have your e-ticket
converted to a paper ticket. And that means waiting in line.
The rub here is that while the airlines are capable of very
sophisticated cooperation in the areas of reservations, fares,
baggage, etc., they haven't yet developed a system for accepting
each other's e-tickets. It's a solvable problem. But until a
solution is in place, it's a problem to be aware of.
*********************************************
Delta Launches New Route with Double SkyMiles
*********************************************
Delta Air Lines will offer introductory fares and a double
SkyMiles bonus as the airline introduces nonstop service from
Portland to Boston. The introductory fare is $298 roundtrip.
This is a good deal. The fare is attractively low. And, the
combination of low fare and double miles means that you're
"buying" SkyMiles for about 2.9 cents apiece. That's three to
five times less than the usual cost to earn miles.
To take advantage of the introductory fare, travelers must
purchase tickets at least 14 days in advance. The fares are valid
for travel between August 5 and September 15, 1998.
>> More <<
Delta's news release:
http://www.delta-air.com/gateway/about/press/index.html
*******************************************************
Cathay Will Serve Hong Kong with San Francisco Nonstops
*******************************************************
Cathay Pacific Airways has received approval from the U.S.
government to begin daily nonstop service between San Francisco
and the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok.
Flights begin December 1, 1998.
Cathay Pacific will operate the daily flight using Airbus A340-
300 aircraft.
>> More <<
Cathay's site: http://www.cathay-usa.com/
**************************************************
Philippine Airlines Struggles to Get Back on Track
**************************************************
Still reeling from the impact of a national pilot's strike,
Philippine Air has announced plans to expand its flight schedules
to seven international and 16 domestic destinations from July 24.
Close to 200 pilots, including returning strikers and newly hired
staff, are now on active duty. The airline reports that daily
flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco will resume operations
on July 25 and July 29 respectively. Daily flights to Taipei
will begin operating again on August 3 and the airline will
resume flying between Tokyo and Cebu three times a week on July
30. A third daily flight to Hong Kong will begin operating on
August 1 and a third weekly service will fly to Fukuoka, Japan
from October 1. Before the pilot's strike began on June 5, the
beleaguered national flag carrier operated a fleet of 54 aircraft
flying to 28 international and 36 domestic destinations.
>> More <<
PAL's website is at: http://www.philippineair.com
***************
Ride the Rocket
***************
British Airways is inviting America to "Ride the Rocket" this
summer and fall with a traveling exhibit dedicated to the
Concorde, the only supersonic passenger aircraft.
Visitors to the exhibit may enter a drawing, part of a $1 million
ticket giveaway, to win a trip for two on the Concorde, plus
three nights at the luxury Millennium Hotel in London, for travel
this November. One winner will be chosen in each of 22 cities
across the U.S. In addition, the 50 best-dressed "Space
travelers" (according to the British Airways panel of judges) in
each city will win a pair of roundtrip tickets to London.
Ride the Rocket... Concorde '98 is a touring collection of
Concorde memorabilia, kicking off a nationwide tour in New York
City's Bryant Park on July 23rd. The roadshow will visit all 22
U.S. cities currently served by British Airways this summer and
fall.
Following is a list of cities and dates for the exhibit. The
Space Traveler contest takes place at 11:30 a.m. in most
locations (call British Airways for specifics at 1-800-AIRWAYS):
New York City July 23-24
Los Angeles September 1
Washington, DC July 26
San Francisco September 5-7
Baltimore, Md. July 29
Seattle September 12
Philadelphia August 1
Houston September 19
Jersey City, NJ August 4
Dallas September 23
Pittsburgh August 7-9
Orlando September 28
Detroit August 13
Tampa September 30
Chicago August 19
Miami October 3
Denver August 23
Atlanta October 8
Phoenix August 26
Charlotte October 13
San Diego August 29-30
Boston October 17
>> More <<
If you're interested, you may wish to confirm dates and times at:
http://www.british-airways.com/ridetherocket
*************************************
PBS Goes to the Airport -- Part Three
*************************************
The third and last episode of the 3-part British-made documentary
"Airport" aired on Thursday. As were the first two installments,
this was compelling TV, especially for those who have paid their
frequent flyer dues by spending interminable hours in airports.
In case you missed the series, here's the producer's summary:
"This program offers a never-before seen look at London's
Heathrow, the world's busiest international airport, capturing
the quirky and serious aspects of airport life, from Joan
Collins' dash for the Concorde to customs officers' interrogation
of suspected drug smugglers." It was that, and more.
If you missed any of the episodes, keep an eye out for rerun
schedules on your local Public Broadcasting Service channel.
|
