Issue #59  --  September 16, 1999

<< U P F R O N T >>

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Attention AOL Users...
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If you are one of the 10% of Crier subscribers who uses AOL, please read this...

It recently came to my attention that AOL users sometimes received their Crier issue as an e-mail attachment, rather than in the body of the e-mail. One reader in particular was concerned, since viruses are sometimes spread by opening attachments which purport to be documents but in reality contain executable virus files which cause havoc on the recipient's computer (see below for more on viruses).

Since we always send The Crier as a freestanding e-mail--never as an attachment--I checked with AOL. They confirmed that, "to save bandwidth," AOL converts large e-mail messages into attachments. This automatic conversion is, according to the AOL rep, triggered by files that are 2 megabytes or larger. That's a VERY large file.

In fact, The Crier is typically 20k - 30k in size--larger than the typical e-mail message, but an entire order of magnitude smaller than AOL's limit. Nevertheless, many readers report that they receive The Crier as an attachment anyway.

I cannot explain the discrepancy between AOL's official policy and their practice. I can only apologize to those of you who find it an inconvenience to receive your newsletter as an attachment.

Now a question...

Another peculiarity of the AOL e-mail software is that it doesn't display Internet addresses as "hot links" unless those links are specially tagged. For example, in most e-mail clients, the following Internet address can simply be clicked on, as is, to take you to the destination website:

http://frequentflier.com

In AOL, the above address cannot be clicked... it's not "hot." To make it hot would require the following additional tags:

FrequentFlier.com

We don't use the more elaborate code because it would be a disservice to the 90% of our readers who do not use AOL. Which leads to the question...

Would AOL users like to have a special links section at the bottom of every newsletter, with all links referenced in that issue formatted for use in the AOL e-mail program?

It's extra work for us, to be sure. But if enough readers express a strong interest, we'll do it.

Use this AOL-ready form to express your opinion. And thanks for the feedback!

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Virus Concerns?
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If you are concerned about viruses, be assured that we run a virus scan every week, immediately prior to distributing the newsletter. And we update our anti-virus software (the well-regarded Norton AntiVirus) regularly. So the odds of our transmitting a virus to you, our readers, are slim to none... and a lot closer to none than to slim.

<< M I L E S >>

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Alaska Mileage Auction
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Members of Alaska Airlines' frequent flyer program Mileage Plan can now bid their accrued miles in a new online auction on Alaska Airlines' web site.

Beginning this week, bids for the first item on auction will be accepted for a Los Cabos vacation for two that includes First Class round-trip airfare, three nights accommodations at the Finisterra in Cabo San Lucas, ground transportation and a five-minute international phone card.

Bids can be placed at the Alaska Airlines web site by members of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan. The minimum and highest bid will be posted at all times on the site. Last bid must be posted by 5 p.m. October 8, 1999. Must be 18 or older to participate.

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Alaska Airlines

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Miles According to Money Magazine
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The September issue of Money magazine has an extensive article on frequent flyer programs: "Managing a Frequent Flier Portfolio" by Sarah Rose.

The article makes good points about a number of important topics, including the importance of tracking your miles and ways of maximizing the value of your miles when redeeming them for awards.

What's also interesting is how dated the article has become in the short time between its completion and its publication. Specifically, one of the recurring themes is expiring miles. Beware of looming expiration dates; use those miles before they expire; etc. All of which was rendered moot (at least for U.S. program members) by the policy-change announcements in August by American, United, Delta and Midwest Express. No reflection on the writer... it just goes to show how quickly things can change.

Unfortunately, you'll have to pick up a copy at your newsstand or library... while Money has a website, there's no sign of the article in question.

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Northwest Ties Up with Cyprus Airways
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Northwest has signed a partner agreement with Cyprus Airways, including code-sharing and frequent flyer cooperation.

The agreement will feature convenient connections at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport from Northwest's U.S.-origin flights to Cyprus Airways' service to Larnaca and Paphos, Cyprus. A Northwest flight code will also appear on Cyprus Airways' connecting service.

In addition, members of Northwest's WorldPerks frequent flyer program can earn and redeem free travel awards on all codeshare flights operated by Cyprus Airways. Similarly, the two carriers plan to expand their frequent flyer cooperation in the future so that members of Cyprus Airways' SunMiles program can earn and redeem travel awards on all Northwest flights.

Cyprus also operates code-share service with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines between Larnaca, Paphos and Amsterdam, and with Alitalia between Larnaca and Rome and Milan. KLM and Alitalia are both partners of Northwest.

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Northwest << T R A V E L O N L I N E >>

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BA Invests in Rosenbluth, Biztravel
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British Airways has taken a minority stake in Rosenbluth Interactive, itself the majority stockholder in Biztravel.com.

The move makes BA the first European carrier to take a position in a major online travel agency.

According to BA, their investment in Rosenbluth Interactive "underscores the airline's determination to be at the forefront of today's emerging electronic business. As much as 50 percent of the airline's business, direct and indirect, is expected to be produced electronically by the year 2003."

Currently around one percent of British Airways business comes via the Internet, with sales growing at around 10 percent month on month.

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British Airways

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SuperShuttle Takes Bookings Online
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SuperShuttle, the airport transportation company known for its ubiquitous blue vans with yellow lettering, now allows its customers to book transfers to/from 18 major airports online at the Super Shuttle website.

To make a booking, you can either log on for a specific reservation or utilize the frequent rider category to input information on your local pick-up and most frequently traveled destinations. Once you enter all the necessary information, you'll immediately receive a quoted fare, pickup time as well as a confirmation number. You can also opt to receive an email confirming your reservation. The system also allows you to select from over 15,000 destinations in a city such as hotels, popular landmarks or office buildings and gives back to the customer an exact address of his or her destination.

On-line reservations do require a credit card number for confirmation, but no charges are rendered until the customer has completed the ride. Customers can still pay for their rides with cash or credit card at the time of the ride, even if they have previously confirmed their reservation with a credit card on-line.

www.supershuttle.com currently provides links to hoteldiscounts.com and weather.com while www.supershuttle.com can also be accessed through web sites such as www.bestfares.com, travelocity.com, and others.

SuperShuttle serves airports in Atlantic City, NJ; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Burbank, CA; Dallas Fort Worth, TX (DFW/ Love Field); Denver, CO; Jacksonville, FL; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York NY (JFK, Newark and LaGuardia); Ontario, CA; Orange County, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ; Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC (Dulles, Ronald Reagan).

I've been a big SuperShuttle fan for years. In the generally flaky, low-barrier-to-entry business of airport van shuttle services, SuperShuttle is a paragon of professionalism and reliability. As an example, I well remember one occasion when I was taken to the airport by taxi. Turns out SuperShuttle was running short on drivers during the period I had a home-to-airport reservation, and SuperShuttle sent a taxi to fill in. And they absorbed the considerable difference between the taxi fare and the van fare. That probably had as much "loyalty effect" as any frequent traveler program I belong to.

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Super Shuttle online

<< I N D U S T R Y N E W S >>

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Airlines File "Customers First" Plan
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This week, airlines that belong to the Air Transport Association (ATA) provided new customer service plans to the Department of Transportation (DOT). The airlines pledged to begin a new program called Customers First in June of this year and the creation of individual airline plans is the first step in implementing the program.

Under an agreement reached with key members of Congress and with guidance from the Administration, airlines are undertaking a twelve-point program to improve customer service. The agreement includes two key dates: September 15, 1999, when plans were required to be filed with the DOT; and December 15, 1999, when the plans must be fully implemented. The lead time between the filing and implementation dates provides the opportunity for airline staff to receive training and address logistical details.

The plan, according to ATA, will improve the availability of fare and delay information to airline passengers; increases liability for lost luggage; addresses emergency situations involving long delays; and provides standards for responsiveness to customer complaints.

Individual airline plans address the following points, as well as others:

    * Inform passengers of the lowest fare available. Each ATA airline will quote the lowest available fare for which the customer is eligible on the airline's telephone reservation system for the flight and class of service requested.

    * Delay notification. Airlines will notify customers of known delays, cancellations and diversions. Each airline will establish and implement policies and procedures for notifying customers at the airport and on board affected aircraft of information regarding delays, diversions and cancellations in a timely manner.

    * Complaints. Each airline will assign a customer service representative, responsible for handling passenger complaints and ensuring that all written complaints are responded to within 60 days.

    * Increase baggage liability limit. ATA airlines have already petitioned the DOT to increase the current baggage liability limit of $1,250 per bag to $2,500.

    * Meet customers' essential needs. During long on-aircraft delays, ATA airlines will make every reasonable effort to provide food, water, restroom facilities and access to medical treatment for on-board passengers who are on the ground for an extended period without access to the terminal.

    * Disclosure. Each airline will make available the following to their customers: cancellation policies resulting from failure to use each flight coupon; rules, restrictions and an annual report on frequent flyer programs; and upon request, information regarding airline seat size and pitch.

As has been pointed out by several members of Congress, there's very little in Customers First that isn't already required of the airlines. So the fact that the airlines are positioning the initiative as a significant step forward has a distinctly disingenuous feel to it. In fact, Customers First is a preemptive measure, taken by the airlines to dissuade Congress from enacting more substantive (and from a business standpoint, more onerous) legislation.

Look for the Customers First statement on many airline websites soon.

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Delta Global Alliance Taking Shape
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Whither Delta, alliance-wise?

That's a question that has been top-of-mind for many industry observers as the other U.S. majors have been working overtime to develop alliance networks spanning the globe. Northwest has its relationship with KLM, and more recently Alitalia. United and Lufthansa are the "anchor" members of the Star Alliance. And American and British Airways are the core members of Oneworld.

Whatever the consumer or commercial benefits of global alliances, it's undeniably a trend. And Delta recently has been conspicuously un-trendy. That's somewhat ironic, since Delta was an early adopter of alliance marketing. But as the rush to alliance gained momentum with other airlines, it faltered at Delta. Looking ahead, we now know, following an announcement this week, that Delta is looking to ally with Air France and with AeroMexico initially, followed by the addition of other airline partners in the months to come.

AeroMexico, Mexico's largest airline, on Tuesday announced that it will join Delta Air Lines and Air France as a founding partner in forming a new global airline alliance. The three founding companies currently are talking with interested airlines from around the world.

As with other major alliances, the new Delta grouping will provide an extensive network of codeshare routes that will allow customers to travel or ship cargo from anywhere in the world to everywhere. The alliance will provide worldwide customers with a variety of services, including single check-in ability, frequent flyer recognition and airport lounge access across the network for their entire journey.

Currently, AeroMexico and Delta codeshare on more than 230 daily flights between 12 cities in Mexico and 23 destinations in the U.S., while AeroMexico and Air France codeshare daily between Paris and Mexico City. Passengers traveling on codeshare flights operated by any of the three carriers are eligible to earn frequent flyer miles through either Delta's SkyMiles, Air France's Frequence Plus or AeroMexico's Club Premier programs.

Together, the three carriers serve 454 destinations in 120 countries and operate more than 4,280 flights a day.

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Delta online

<< R E A D E R R A N T S & R A V E S >>

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AAdvantage/MCI Promotion
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Hi Tim ~

Would like to know how many actual complaints you have heard from the American Airlines and MCI promotion, where if you signed up for MCI they would reward you with 25,000 bonus miles over the next four months. Am curious how MCI handled the mileage when there are multiple phone lines in a household. I was advised on NUMEROUS occasions that there would be 25,000 on EACH phone line... wellllll....... not the case. Wasn't just one service rep from MCI who told me that it didn't matter how many accounts as long as they were signed up for the MCI service, that line would also be rewarded the bonus points.

I was advised by American to contact the FCC on the matter of mis representation of the program and will do so shortly. Would be nice to document just how many complaints you have actually received. I know American has had quite a few.

Thanks for your time and thanks for the great news letter. I enjoy reading it!! I pass it along to others also.

Have a Great Day!

 - Cheri

[Cheri--We've heard numerous complaints about failure to deliver on some of the promises made by the long distance carriers in their zeal to promote switching. But this is the first we've heard specifically about the problem you're reporting.

Anyone else...?]

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International Content
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Hey Tim,

Just thought I'd comment that its great to see a big International (i.e. Non U.S.) component this week. Makes me feel relevant!

Keep up the good work.

 - Owen

[Owen--I do hope your feelings of relevance can be separated from our editorial capabilities. While we are trying to expand coverage of non-U.S. topics, we're resource-constrained. And I wouldn't want our limitations to negatively affect your self-image. Repeat after me: "I'm very, very relevant... no matter what those whackos at FrequentFlier.com do, or fail to do."]

<< S I T E 2 S E E >>

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Southwest Gets a Real Website
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Some months ago, I suggested that Southwest's site was a pimple on the nose of the Internet, or words to that effect. Surprisingly (at least to me), many Crier readers disagreed; some were positively outraged at my apparent blindness. It was, looking back, the most vociferously disputed claim I've made in almost 60 issues.

Southwest has, finally, revamped their website. And it's a giant step in the right direction.

Gone are the hokey homepage and lame graphics; retained is the straightforward functionality that endeared the site to many.

If anything, the new site might be faulted for being characterless. Southwest is, after all, an airline with character to burn, and its website should (yes, within the bounds of good taste) reflect some of the good-natured idiosyncrasy of the company.

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Southwest's new website

<< B A C K O F T H E B U S >>

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Floyd, etc.
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I had the bad fortune to be in Miami Beach this week for a travel industry conference.

Thanks to hurricane Floyd, on Monday afternoon we were advised that the entire southwest coast of Florida was under a mandatory evacuation order from 6 p.m. that evening. You can imagine the ensuing chaos as thousands upon thousands of visitors and residents began fleeing westward to higher ground. All manner of travel suppliers were besieged by panicked travelers.

Sitting in a series of hotel rooms, pre- and post-hurricane, I had time to reflect on travel, loyalty... you know, the things we discuss constantly here in The Crier.

... A number of local Miami TV stations ran periodic mentions of toll-free numbers established to report price-gouging by greedy retailers looking to profit unethically from the situation. This had the dual effect of alerting consumers and warning would-be price gougers. Dade County has obviously been through a few of these scares before, and it was clear that they had learned from their experiences.

... Pre- (and post-) storm, I was staying at a modest art deco hotel in the historic district of south Miami Beach, the Governor. Because of the evacuation order, they were forced to in effect evict their guests. And because the eviction took place at the end of the day, the question arose: would the hotel charge for late checkout, since everyone would be checking out long after the posted checkout time? The answer at the Governor was no. Moreover, two days later when I returned to the Governor, all returning guests received vouchers for free champagne in the hotel bar. Would I go back to the Governor? Would I recommend the Governor to my friends and associates? (Rhetorical questions.)

... The escape-to hotel was a Quality Inn at Miami International Airport. It was the first hotel I called after receiving the evacuation order, and they had rooms available. Rate: $89. Attitude: take it or leave it. Realizing that inland hotels would fill quickly, I took it. This is a nondescript airport hotel. It's off-season for Miami. And my gut told me $89 was just the sort of gouging the local TV stations had warned against. But I didn't want to sleep in a shelter, or in my rental car. So I paid. As a reality check, after the hurricane warning had been lifted and I was back at the Governor, I again called the Quality Inn and requested a rate. This time they quoted $49, and insisted on elaborating on the hotel's amenities in numbing detail. So, was $89 gouging, or did it fall within the acceptable parameters of supply-demand pricing? (Rhetorical question.)

... Since we're waxing moralistic... Because of the large numbers of foreign visitors, many Miami Beach-area restaurants automatically add 15% to your restaurant bill to insure that waiters are fairly compensated by customers who may be unfamiliar with local tipping customs. Some would argue that "mandatory tip" is an oxymoron; that tipping should be voluntary, by definition. Leaving that aside, there's another issue that arises. For every foreigner whose tipping is enforced, there's a local who might well double-tip because he isn't accustomed to the auto-tip policy. I'm a prime example. Two of us had a very nice (and very pricey, at $132, including tip #1) dinner at Yuca in Miami Beach. The tip, we realized later, had been included in the bill. We added another tip (15%-20%), effectively tipping close to 40% (since the second tip was on the bill plus the first tip). I would suggest that the restaurant's policy should be to double-check with any customer who (like myself) leaves a significant tip over and above the bottom-line bill. To turn a blind eye to what was clearly my mistake is simply, and indefensibly, unethical.

... And lastly, since we're talking restaurants, another South Beach restaurant worth mentioning: Grillfish. Good, moderately priced seafood. Small but intelligent wine list. And they leave the tipping to you.

Until next week...