Bankruptcy Watch

In the latest in what is beginning to seem like an endless series of legal moves and countermoves, Northwest's flight attendants' union has filed an appeal seeking the reversal of an injunction prohibiting them from striking the bankrupt carrier.

That no-strike injunction was granted in response to a ruling by the judge overseeing Northwest's bankruptcy that the flight attendants were free to strike if contract negotiations proved unsuccessful.

Victims of the uncertainty caused by the legal maneuvering? The traveling public, and in particular Northwest ticketholders who can only wait and wonder whether their upcoming flights will be delayed or cancelled.

Until Northwest and its unions can settle their differences, either on their own volition or under the aegis of a court-appointed arbitrator, consumers should signal their frustration by choosing to fly with other airlines.

FrequentFlier Forum Topics

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

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, DJHerm shares a tip for earning a quick 250 Delta miles. The executive summary: Go to www.delta.com/insideropinion and vote for your favorite inflight activity.

Also in the "Airline Programs" Forum, Kohoutek reports on his mileage-earning experience with opinionplace.com: "Collected 75 miles for a survey on hotels on August 22. Collected 175 miles for a longer (and annoying) survey on new TV shows on September 7. And, just today, September 14, 75 miles for a survey on jewelry. Kohoutek is soooo excited!!!!"

And much more. Questions, answers? Post them to the Forum!

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Earn American Miles for Air Tahiti Nui Flights

Members of American's AAdvantage program can now earn miles when flying Air Tahiti Nui. Air Tahiti Nui operates daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Tahiti and three weekly nonstops from New York to Tahiti, with continuing service to Sydney, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand.

AAdvantage members have been able to redeem miles for award flights on Air Tahiti Nui since 2000.

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Last Chance to Use AA Miles for SWISS Flights

October 31, 2006, is the last day to redeem AAdvantage miles for award travel on SWISS, which must be completed by October 31, 2007.

July 31 was the last day to earn miles on SWISS transatlantic flights, but miles will be awarded for other SWISS flights through October 31, 2006.

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Double Points, Miles for Best Western Stays

Between October 10 and December 15, members of Best Western's Gold Crown Club program will earn double points or double miles with every qualifying Best Western stay.

Registration is required.

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Double Continental Miles for Shangri-La Stays

Through November 30, OnePass members will earn double miles for stays at Shangri-La hotels in a Horizon Club or Traders Club room at Select Rates.

Eligible rates include complimentary breakfast, evening cocktails and access to the Club Lounge.

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Bonus Dining Miles at Continental

OnePass members who have not already done so can earn 1,000 bonus miles for setting up an online Login ID at OnePass Dining between September 15 and December 31.

Offer is only valid for OnePass members who have not established an online Login ID at onepass.rewardsnetwork.com prior to October 1, 2006.

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Up to 35,000 Delta Miles for Student Loans

Through December 31, SkyMiles members will earn one mile per $1 borrowed for education loans through Collegiate Funding Services (CFS). CFS is now part of Chase Education Finance, the student lending business of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Both undergraduate and graduate students with proof of enrollment may borrow up to $35,000 annually through CFS' Private Education Loan.

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Thrifty Offers More Northwest Miles

Through October 31, WorldPerks members can earn bonus miles for multiple Thrifty rentals of compact or larger vehicles, as follows: 500 bonus miles for the 2nd rental, 1,000 for the 4th, 1,500 for the 6th, and 2,000 bonus miles for the 8th rental.

Registration is required.

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Bonus Miles for US Air Lounge Membership

Through October 31, Dividend Miles members will earn 5,000 bonus miles for purchasing a one-year airport lounge membership.

US Airways has 21 lounges in 16 airports. Memberships cost $375 for non-elite Dividend Miles members, $300 for elite members. Cite promotion code CLUB5K to earn the bonus.

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Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Air Tahiti Nui's South Pacific Fares Are Lowest Available

Air Tahiti Nui recently released sale fares for travel between New York (JFK) and Auckland or Sydney. Auckland fares start at $788 roundtrip, while Sydney fares begin at $888 roundtrip, not including taxes and fees. Both fares allow a free stopover in Papeete, Tahiti, (which will result in slightly higher taxes).

Departures are valid from September 18 through December 8. Departures to Auckland are valid Mondays and Wednesdays, and departures to Sydney are valid Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Book tickets by September 26. Fares require a five-day minimum stay, and the maximum stay is 30 days.

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2) Ireland Fares on Aer Lingus from $358

November and December flights to Ireland are on sale from Aer Lingus. Dublin and Shannon fares start at $358 roundtrip.

Travel is valid from December 1 through 16, from December 26 through 31, 2006, and from January 1 through February 28, 2007.

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Win a Wine Tasting Trip to the Loire Valley

Enter Maison de la France's "Loire Valley 2006" sweepstakes before October 15 for a chance to a trip for two to the Loire Valley, including air, hotel and a wine tour.

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[Visit http://frequentflier.com/sweeps.htm for more travel sweepstakes.]

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

The first two notes concern our coverage of United's new policy reserving most Economy Plus seats for Mileage Plus elite members, as reported in last week's Crier.

"As an elite frequent flier on United (and previously on US Airways) who has achieved this status by number of segments flown, rather than total miles accrued, I can only applaud this move by United. Don't you think, though, that from the airlines' point of view it might make more sense to reward those customer who spent the most money, rather than those like me who try to achieve the maximum elite status on the least money spent?" [David F.]

[FrequentFlier.com replies - No doubt this was a difficult decision for United. Given that they opted to reserve Economy Plus seating for Mileage Plus elites, it's probably safe to infer that their own analysis showed that elites generated more revenue overall than non-elites who purchased full-Y fares.]

"A thought on the United Economy Plus seats. You wrote [in last week's Crier]:

More generally, United is to be commended for putting the interests of its most loyal customers ahead of the interests of those simply paying the highest ticket prices.

"That depends, of course, on perspective. If that's the case, why not offer first-class seats to people with the most miles, even if they're flying on a $100 deep discount fare? (Some, no doubt, would say this is an excellent idea.)

"I'm not suggesting that frequent flyers should be overlooked for the premium seating options. However, a walk-up customer may be contributing more to the airline's bottom line on that flight than five or six discount-seat passengers, regardless of mileage status. I think allowing those people access to a higher-quality seat is not unreasonable in that light. The answer, of course, is to expand the economy plus seating area on higher-demand routes such that there are reasonably enough seats to supply the demand for all who (should) qualify for them. I don't expect United to do that, however." [Kevin M. - Baton Rouge, LA]

"You mentioned in the response [to Mark T.'s question last week] that American did not honor TWA lifetime memberships for their lounges as part of their acquisition of the airline.

"It's my understanding that American did not acquire TWA, but only bought their assets and a certain amount of debt. This is no different than when McDonald's acquired the assets of Boston Chicken (Market) and Polaroid having their assets acquired without a takeover of the company. The shareholders of Boston Market, for example, did not receive anything since the company was not bought out. Thus, no need to honor a thing.

"BTW, I enjoy every edition of the Flier that I receive." [Al]

Until next week...