O N S I T E
Servers Behaving Badly
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If you visited FrequentFlier.com over the past week, you almost certainly encountered technical problems, in particular intermittent error messages unhelpfully advising that "This domain is missing from the Web server configuration" or the like.
The irony -- which in no way mitigates the frustration, yours or mine -- is that the glitch's persistence is the flipside of our efforts to minimize any such problems altogether.
Some months ago, we upgraded to the most technologically advanced server package offered by our hosting company. Rather than a single computer serving web pages for a given website, FrequentFlier.com is now served by a network of linked computers, a so-called halo configuration.
The upside is that the site generally performs better -- faster page loading, fewer dropped images, less chance of being knocked offline by a single server's outage, etc.
The downside, as we're experiencing first hand, is that when there's a bug on 1 server in the network, it is much more difficult to diagnose and squash.
In retrospect, the decision to adopt bleeding edge web-hosting technology may have been a mistake.
In any case, thanks for your patience while we get the problem (which does NOT affect the newsletter) resolved.
M I L E S & P O I N T S
Alaska's New Partners: GCI, Mileage Plan Cruises
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Mileage Plan members in Alaska can now earn miles with GCI, that state's leading provider of long distance, local phone service, Internet, cable TV and cellular communications.
Members earn 1 mile per $1 spent on eligible services -- up to 10,000 bonus miles for new accounts, and up to 500 bonus miles every 6 months.
Full details are at https://alaskaair.gci.com.
Mileage Plan members also may now earn up to 10,000 miles with Mileage Plan Cruises from Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Seabourn and Windstar.
Cruises booked by Dec. 31 earn double miles -- up to 20,000.
See http://www.mileageplancruises.com for details.
American Launches Miles-for-Small-Biz Site
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The AAdvantage mileage juggernaut took another step in the direction of mileage-world domination with the launch of a new website where small businesses and non-profits may purchase AAdvantage miles for use as sales incentives, etc.
Minimum purchase is 250,000 miles. Miles are priced at 2.2 cents each, plus a 7.5% federal excise tax, plus a "processing fee" of 1-tenth of a cent per mile. So the total cost of a minimum order would be $6,162.50, or just under 2.5 cents per mile.
Once purchased, the miles may be given to recipients via paper vouchers, or electronically credited to their accounts.
For businesses or other organizations which are on the fence about using miles as a marketing tool, there's yet another AAdvantage website, http://www.AAdvantage.com, that makes the case for miles, citing the success of such Fortune 500 heavyweights as Citibank and Kellogg's. This B-to-B site offers consumers a peek behind the curtain at 1 of the key mechanisms currently driving airline programs.
> More...
Buy Samsonite to Earn AAdvantage Bonus
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AAdvantage members will earn 500 bonus miles when spending $100 or more on select Samsonite luggage online.
Begin shopping at this link.
America West Adds Choice Hotels to Partner Lineup
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Effective Sept. 18, members of America West's FlightFund will earn miles for stays at more than 3,500 Choice Hotels properties in the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Members will earn 250 miles per eligible stay at Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion and MainStay Suites, or 150 miles per stay at Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn.
> More...
Shop OfficeMax to Earn America West Miles
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Also new from America West, FlightFund members may now earn 3 miles for every $1 spent at OfficeMax.com for more than 40,000 products.
Begin shopping at the below link.
> More...
Double OnePass Miles for VS Flights
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OnePass members will earn double miles for Upper Class flights on VS (Richard Branson's U.K.-based airline) between Sept. 15 and Dec. 15.
All VS flights are eligible, with the notable exception of New York-London.
At press time, this offer was not posted on the Continental or VS websites.
T-Mobile Offers SkyMiles for Wi-Fi
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Delta SkyMiles members will earn 3,000 bonus miles when they subscribe to the T-Mobile HotSpot Unlimited National Annual plan for $29.99 a month, or up to 3,400 miles over 12 months for subscribing to the T-Mobile HotSpot Unlimited National Month-to-Month plan for $39.99.
Unlimited National Annual plan subscribers will earn 3,000 SkyMiles after their credit card has been charged for 1 monthly bill cycle. Unlimited National Month-to-Month plan subscribers will earn 5 SkyMiles for every $1 spent on the monthly recurring charge, up to 200 miles per month for the first 12 months following activation of their subscription, plus 500 bonus miles after the first 1 6-month anniversaries of their subscription.
Both plans offer T-Mobile HotSpot wireless Internet connections in more than 2,700 locations across the country, now including many of Delta's airport Crown Room Clubs.
> More - http://t-mobile.com/hotspot/delta or call 1-800-981-8563
Priority Club Discounts InterCon Award Stays
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Priority Club has extended its half-off offer for award stays at InterContinental hotels.
Through Sept. 21, InterCon Reward Nights may be had for 15,000 points versus the 30,000 normally required.
Call 1-888-211-9874 for more.
Up To 5,000 Bonus Starpoints for Starwood Stays
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Between Sept. 15 and Nov. 15, Starwood Preferred Guest members will earn 500 or 5,000 Starpoints for using a Starwood credit card from Amex to charge their Starwood stays.
Cumulative expenditures of $100 or more at Starwood properties earn 500 bonus Starpoints; spend $1,000 or more to earn 5,000 Starpoints.
> More...
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...
Low Fares to High-Flying American Cities from $68
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With autumn just a few weeks away, high airfare prices are disappearing as fast as summer temperatures. To help you plan your next trip, we've found great deals to top cities all over the country, including Boston, Dallas, New York, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.
> More...
Fall Fares to Hawaii as Low as $299
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Now's a good time to book a fall vacation to Hawaii, with sale fares from 3 airlines.
A great way to save is to fly from major West Coast cities to Honolulu on Hawaiian, starting at $299 roundtrip. If you're willing to fly from smaller airports, you can take advantage of Aloha's 10% online booking discount. The airline recently ended a fare sale, but doubled its discount for booking through its website.
United also has sale fares to Kona, Maui/Kahului, Kauai, and Honolulu; the fares are generally higher than the other airlines', but you can fly from cities all over the country.
Travel dates and advance purchase requirements vary by airline.
> More...
S W E E P S & F R E E B I E S
From CO: "50,000 Mile Giveaway"
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Sign up for a free OnePass auction account between Sept. 9 and Sept. 23 to automatically receive a chance to win 50,000 OnePass miles. Current auction members are automatically eligible to win.
Open to residents of the Continental U.S., 21 years of age and older.
> More...
From UA: "Get Away Give Away" Sweepstakes
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Every day during the month of Sept., sweeps winners will be awarded 1 United domestic roundtrip, 1 Marriott hotel stay, and 1 Hertz car rental.
To enter, visit http://www.united.com/giveaway, register and play. It's a "scratch-and-win" format, so you'll know immediately if you've won. Winners are limited to 1 prize each.
Sweepstakes is open to U.S. residents 18 years and older.
[Visit http://frequentflier.com/sweeps.htm for more travel sweepstakes.]
R E A D E R R A N T S & R A V E S
This Week's E-Mailbag
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"I just returned from a four day trip in Cal, Sierra Madre (Bass Lake area). I had reserved a car in Fresno with National, my usual preference, and my profile correctly reflects Delta as my preferred FF partner. Of course, the National counter wasn't open when we checked in at 5 AM Sunday, so it was the express return route. I got my bill and noticed a $1.50 FF Partner charge. Now before I blow too much steam off with Nat'l or Delta, would you know off hand if this is the norm of the future? I see a dissolution of partnerships on the part of one party, me, if this is the future to behold.
"I'd appreciate your read/experiences/tales from others on this if you could."
- John
[Editor's Note - National has joined Hertz in assessing a $0.50 per day "Frequent Flyer Service Charge" to, in their own words, "offset the administrative and program costs associated with participation in Frequent Flyer programs." This replaces the annoying but less onerous "Frequent Flyer Tax Recoupment Surcharge" of 6 - 7 cents per day, which was designed to offset only the 7.5% federal excise tax rental car companies pay when purchasing miles from the airlines. And in answer to your question: Yes, behold the future.]
"My story is not much different, I suppose, from thousands of others. But there's at least a small touch of humour in it.
"Toward the end of May of 2003 I phoned Air Canada's Aeroplan (prestige level) to enquire about award flight from Edmonton, Alberta to Hawaii (Air Canada flies to both Honolulu and Maui). I wanted two executive-first tickets for the third week of February 2004, but was flexible for two or three days on either end. And I was willing to go either to Honolulu or to Maui; and I was willing to go either executive-first or coach ("hospitality service"). The agent I reached was unable to find any seats of any of the types on any of the dates.
"When I complained about there not being any available award seats, the agent remarked, 'Well, you know that these are very popular destinations and the seats start to fill up seven or eight months in advance.' When I informed her that I was phoning _ten_ months in advance, she seemed befuddled. That had been her standard response to everyone who complained, and it now seemed that it was not strong enough. So she said, 'Certain particularly popular destinations, such as Hawaii in winter, do not have so many seats available for award redemption.' Naturally I asked how many were available on the flights we had just looked at. She said that she was not allowed to say."
"I wonder if there's any way to find out this sort of information?"
- Jeff
Until next week...
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