Issue #110  --  Sep. 7, 2000

<< U P F R O N T >>

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Labo(u)r Day, the Sequel
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Apologies to the 2 Jim's and any other Canadians who took offense (rightly) at our failure to include them in our "have a great Labor Day weekend" greeting in last week's issue.

It turns out that Canada does indeed celebrate Labor Day. Although (perversely), they insist on misspelling their version as 'Labour Day.' We'll leave that little matter to the spelling police and wish our north-of-the-border comrades (and anyone else who observed a work-related holiday recently): Happy Labor Day!

Better late than never.

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Miles-for-Charity
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We've renamed the "Rants & Raves" section for this issue as "Rants & Raves & Requests" to make editorial room for a request for mileage donations from a charity-focused website. WebAssistNetwork.com is a clearinghouse for donations (including frequent flyer program award tickets), bringing together needy individuals and organizations with other individuals and organizations which are in a position to help meet those needs.

<< O N S I T E >>

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

William considers the economics of a trip comprising both revenue and award tickets. Jim is looking for a program which allows miles to be combined in a "corporate account." Natalie is wondering whether bonus miles for a paid flight can offset the miles required for the same flight taken on an award ticket. And Ronald, as always, has a number of suggestions for mile mongers.

Do you have questions? Do you have answers? Post them to the Forum!

>> More <<
The FrequentFlier Forum

<< M I L E S >>

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Earn Double United Miles for Hawaii Flights
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As though going to Hawaii weren't rewarding enough, United is offering double Mileage Plus miles for Hawaii flights September 1 through October 5, 2000.

Purchase and fly roundtrip between any city in the continental U.S. and any destination in Hawaii and earn double miles in United first (F or A class), business (C or D class) or economy (Y, B, M, H or Q class).

Not combinable with other offers. Bonus may be earned up to 2 times during the offer period. Valid only for U.S. residents with tickets purchased in the U.S.

You must register for this offer before departure and before October 5, 2000, either online or by calling 1-800-447-6772 and citing offer code 64.

>> More <<
United

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Delta Bonuses New Mexico Service
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To promote the launch of daily nonstop service between Atlanta and Leon, Mexico on October 1, 2000, Delta will offer bonus miles to SkyMiles members.

SkyMiles members flying on a paid Delta ticket between Oct. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2000, will earn double miles in paid economy class and triple miles in paid business class (economy class offer excludes S, T and U classes. business class offer excludes I class). To qualify for these mileage bonus offers, SkyMiles members must enroll before travel by calling 1-888-558-3358 and enter their membership number and code 4444 when prompted.

>> More <<
Delta

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Marriott, Alaska Air Link Programs
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Effective immediately, Marriott Rewards members designating Alaska Airlines as their airline program of choice will earn:

> Three Mileage Plan miles per dollar spent at:
* Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites
* Renaissance Hotels, Resorts and Suites
* Marriott Conference Centers
* Marriott Vacation Club International

> One Mileage Plan mile per dollar spent on room rate only at:
* Courtyard by Marriott
* Fairfield Inn by Marriott
* SpringHill Suites by Marriott
* Residence Inn by Marriott
* TownePlace Suites by Marriott

>> More <<
o Alaska Airlines
o Marriott

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Holiday Inn Offers "Score Big" Bonus Points
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Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts kicks off the fall season with up to 20,000 Priority Club Worldwide bonus points in addition to the 10 points per dollar members already earn. Priority Club Worldwide members earn 2,000 extra points for every two qualifying stays at any Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Select, Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort hotel in the United States. The "Score Big" bonus points program runs from September 11, 2000, through January 31, 2001.

Also, from October through the end of the promotion, when guests check in with their VISA card, they get a 10% bonus for a total of 2,200 extra points for every 2 qualifying stays.

To score bonus points with Priority Club Worldwide, call 1-888-560-5660, enter member number, then code: 2200.

>> More <<
Priority Club

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Double WorldPerks Miles for Memphis Flights
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Fly on any Northwest flight that begins, ends or connects in Memphis between September 1 and November 15, 2000, and earn Double WorldPerks Miles.

You must register for the promotion at least 7 days prior to travel and no later than October 31, 2000. Visit http://www.nwa.com/offers/memdbl or call 800-508-2000 and enter registration number 3584.

Offer valid for WorldPerks members residing in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. All travel must be on Northwest coded flights operated by Northwest, KLM or Northwest Airlink.

<< 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...

>> Fall and Early Winter Fare War!

Delta, US Airways, and AirTran have all released sales on travel from now through January 31, 2001. Purchase tickets no later than Monday, September 18.

For more details, go here.

>> Air Canada's Worldwide Travel Sale

Travel between Canada and select domestic and international destinations is on sale from Air Canada and Canadian Airlines. Travel within North America must be completed by December 14, with inter-Canadian travel beginning October 2. The last departure date for international travel is December 14, with varying starting dates depending on the route. Tickets must be purchased by Thursday, September 14 (September 15 for travel to Italy).

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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Surviving the Airport
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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."

>> Know Your Traveler's Rights
Most business travelers know something about their rights at the airport. But much of what you may know is through hearsay or the occasional war story heard from a fellow traveler stuck in a scary situation. The following tips should provide you with the facts about your rights when the need arises. You'll also find other general and safety tips that should help you survive any airport.

Since deregulation, government protection for air travelers is limited to three areas: limits of liability for lost and damaged luggage; rules for overbooking and bumping; and enforcement of the smoking ban on domestic flights. That's it. Outside of these three areas there is no other government protection. That means it's up to you to get what you deserve.

By law, the airlines must provide travelers with a copy of their contract of carriage upon request. If you are interested, contact the airlines' legal division and they will mail you one. Although a rare find, the contract should also (by law) be on hand at city ticket offices. You may not know it, but every time you buy an airline ticket, you are agreeing to the terms of these lengthy documents. A clever website, called "Rules of the Air," (http://www.rulesoftheair.com) maintains each airline's contract of carriage and explains the legalese in lay terms. If you ever run into a problem, this is a useful place to look for help.

The best way to look out for your rights? First, know what they are (by reading a contract of carriage). Second, if you feel your rights are being violated, ask. This is a major point: always ask! With deregulation the airlines are no longer required offer any compensation for inconvenience. They are customer-oriented businesses, however, and they will try to help--but usually only upon request.

Chris McGinnis
Travel Skills Group
http://www.travelskills.com

<< R A N T S & R A V E S & R E Q U E S T S >>

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Needed: Frequent Flyer Mile Donations
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WebAssistNetwork.com has been developed to help charities, charitable people, those with a desire to participate in helping in their own small way. If one looks around, there are many ways to help your fellow man. There are many people who would help if they knew of a particular need. We all know of people's generosity in natural disasters. However, those same people would probably help out if they knew of the need that was out there. For example, many truckers and pilots were involved in the transport of supplies during natural disasters. These disasters received much public attention. However, there are jobs people need on a daily basis. I know that these same people would participate if they only knew of the need.

There are many jobs I know these same people would do in they only knew of the need. Now they can simply click and see where they can get involved. Think of the trucker with empty space in their truck. they would be horrified to know there are orphanages that need formula, and the formula is rotting in a warehouse that is right on their way. Pilots love to fly. They would love to have an opportunity to have their skill help someone, if they only knew the need was there. Pilots have a term for this--the $100 dollar hamburger. Just think how good this flight would be to help transport some needed cargo. You can still have the hamburger-and a whole lot of satisfaction!

Frequent Flyer Miles can help bring orphans to the U.S. on medical visas, help those wanting to adopt to bring their children home, or assist getting volunteers to mission points.

Those in need--click to have your need posted where it can be seen. Think of the possibilities--a charitable organization or person in need can ask anonymously and get attention to their plight. If I only knew?!? Hopefully we can help the good intentions of word of mouth.

 - Michele - http://www.webassistnetwork.com

<< 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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Reported comments to reservations agents...

The elderly woman's complaint was being handled by a reservations supervisor, who was more than a little suspicious of the "wait 'till you hear this one" tone in the voice of the agent who'd called her in to help. Nevertheless, she asked the caller to start all over with the reason for her call.

"Well," said the passenger, in a voice that suggested sweet things baking in the kitchen and a kind, uncomplaining disposition, "this was my first time to fly... I was going to Peoria to see my granddaughter and her husband, you see, and I was extremely nervous. Everyone had been so kind and patient with me, helping to explain where I was supposed to go, and everything. I was just shocked when the ladies on the plane were so nasty."

"Do you mean the flight attendants were rude to you?" asked the supervisor. "Well, not just to me," replied the caller, "but to everyone on the plane. I'm not a prude, and try to be as open minded as the next person, but really, there are limits to what a decent person should say and do in public. This, this was just obscene!"

"Ma'am," said the supervisor, "why don't you just tell me exactly what happened?" "Well, it was just awful," said the caller. "This one girl walked up and down the aisle, looking right at everyone's private parts! I can tell you, it made a lot of the other passengers look nervous too. I've never been so embarrassed in my life. And what made it worse was that the other lady not only knew what was going on, but even went so far as to announce it over the loudspeaker. She said, "Flight Attendants please prepare for departure and crotch check!!"

[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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Living on a Jet Plane
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Ever feel like you're living on airplanes?

If so, and you like it, why not make an airplane your home?

Anyone who thinks that idea falls on the near side of lunacy should check out the below-referenced website. In fact, even those not inclined to reside in an aluminum tube should take a look, if only for a "now-I've-seen-everything" giggle.

>> More <<
Tube Life

Until next week...