Issue #116  --  Oct. 19, 2000

<< 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...

Dr. Jazz is nonplussed at Northwest's new policy denying miles for cyberfares, and suggests that others join him in writing letters of complaint (a suggestion we support). Steve wonders whether it's worth an extra trip to reach Delta gold status. Jill wants frequent flyer miles for a free flight. Diane has comments on the Royal Bank Avion Visa card. And Ronald has been beating the mileage bushes as usual.

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

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The FrequentFlier Forum

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More on AOL AAdvantage Rewards
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As promised in last week's Crier, there's now an extended review of the new AOL AAdvantage Rewards program in the "Features" section of FrequentFlier.com. If you have any comments, please take a few minutes to post them on the Forum. As mentioned in last week's Crier, we find the new program confusing and underdeveloped; but we'd be interested in feedback from our readers, as a reality check on our assessment.

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FrequentFlier Features

<< M I L E S >>

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Hilton Doubles Double Dip
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Members of Hilton's HHonors program will earn double airline miles and double HHonors points for two or more eligible stays beginning next month.

The first Double Dip stay between November 15, 2000, and February 28, 2001, qualifies members to earn double points and double miles on every subsequent Double Dip stay throughout the promotion period. (Double Dip stays for eligible rates at Hilton, Conrad International, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels earn both HHonors points and miles in any of more than 30 airline programs.)

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Hilton HHonors

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OnePass Members Can Buy-a-Bonus
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Continental's new "The Extra Mile" program allows OnePass members to earn a 50% mileage bonus with every paid flight from November 1, 2000, through December 31, 2001.

The enrollment fee for The Extra Mile is $99. Once enrolled, you have more than a full year to earn a 50% mileage bonus for every flight, over and above any Elite or promotional bonuses that you may qualify for as a OnePass member.

There's a cap on bonus miles: you can earn a maximum of 10,000 OnePass bonus miles during the promotional period. The math is straightforward--if you earn the full 10,000 bonus miles, they will have cost just under $0.01 each. Not bad. But if you earn fewer than the maximum, the per-mile price rises, and the deal becomes less compelling.

To participate, you must enroll by November 30, 2000, as follows--

 1) Online -- Enroll online and receive 1,000 OnePass bonus miles.
 2) By phone -- Call The Extra Mile at 1-800-554-5522 and have your OnePass account and credit card information available.
 3) By mail -- Send your name, address and OnePass account number, along with your check (payable to Continental Airlines) or credit card number and expiration date to: Continental Airlines, The Extra Mile, P.O. Box 4757, Houston, TX 77210.

Mileage bonus is based on actual miles flown on flights operated by Continental Airlines, Continental Express and Continental Micronesia. All qualifying miles earned November 1 - 30, 2000, will also qualify for The Extra Mile. Mileage bonuses do not qualify toward Elite status.

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OnePass

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Alliance News & Rumors
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>> Wither Oneworld?
An Australian newspaper has reported that American is on the verge of quitting Oneworld. And, the report continues, Cathay Pacific's continued participation is also in question. An article in a British paper repeats the American rumor and goes on to suggest that Qantas may be questionable as well.

A subsequent article in Canadian Travel Press has American "strongly and firmly committed to Oneworld." If true, the loss of American would go a long way toward undermining Oneworld's global coverage, and its viability.

>> SkyTeam Looks to Eastern Europe
SkyTeam (the Delta, Air France, Korean group) announced this week that CSA Czech Airlines will join the group beginning in April, 2001.

And rumor has it that Air France is deep into discussions with Aeroflot, designed to bring the Russian carrier into the SkyTeam fold as well.

>> Is US Airways Star-Bound?
One of our consistently well-informed readers has given us reason to believe that US Airways will become the second U.S. airline in the Star Alliance, after United. Obviously, US Airways would effectively become a Star member if United is successful in acquiring them. What is more interesting is the apparent likelihood that US Airways will become a Star carrier in its own right, even if the merger with United fails.

[We mention alliance developments in the "Miles" section because of the impact they potentially have on earning miles generally, and particularly on attaining elite status. If you haven't already, see the 3-part alliance series on FrequentFlier.com.]

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Save Miles on Cathay Pacific Awards
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AAdvantage members can save up to 25,000 miles when redeeming for Cathay Pacific award tickets by February 28, 2001, for travel between October 1 and December 5, 2000, or between February 16 and May 31, 2001.

Reduced award levels include: 40,000 miles for roundtrip to Hong Kong; 45,000 miles for roundtrip to Asia or Japan; and 55,000 miles for roundtrip to Australia, Africa, India, the Middle East or New Zealand. Seating limitations may apply. Call AAdvantage Reservations to book a special award at 1-800-882-8880.

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American

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Earn Bonus WorldPerks Miles for Northwest Charges
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WorldPerks Visa cardholders can receive 4,000 bonus miles by charging $1,000 or more in Northwest Airlines purchases between October 1 and December 15, 2000.

Eligible purchases include Northwest Airlines tickets, gift certificates, WorldClubs memberships and WORLDgear purchases purchased through Northwest Reservations at 1-800-225-2525, nwa.com and City and Airport Ticket offices. All eligible purchases must be purchased directly from Northwest Airlines.

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Register for the offer at http://www.nwa.com/cgi-bin/promo/1000spend.cgi

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Read E-Mail, Get WorldPerks Miles
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Also at Northwest, sign up to receive email updates between October 1 and December 31, 2000, and receive 500 WorldPerks bonus miles. If you keep your email address updated through March 31, 2001, you will receive an additional 500 WorldPerks Bonus Miles, for a total of 1,000 Bonus Miles.

You must provide WorldPerks number and valid e-mail address at www.nwa.com/wpemail and agree to receive promotional e-mails from Northwest Airlines to qualify for the 1,000-mile bonus.

<< 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...

>> Final Week for $198 R/T Coast-to-Coast Fares

Southwest Airlines has extended its coast-to-coast sale, with round-trip fares starting at $198. Travel is valid from now until January 19, 2001. Purchase tickets by Thursday, October 26. Most major airlines have matched this sale.

For more details, go here.

>> Lufthansa's Sale on Transatlantic and Intra-Europe Travel

Lufthansa is offering discount fares from the U.S to cities throughout Europe. Purchase tickets by Tuesday, October 31. Travel is valid November 1 through December 14, and December 25 through March 15, 2001.

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."

>> Getting Bumped

To get your requested seat and avoid being bumped, you must obey the ticketing and check-in requirements spelled out in the contract of carriage of each airline in order to exercise your rights. While these vary from airline to airline, for most this means you must check in at the gate with positive ID at least 10-20 minutes before departure. You should get there at least 20 minutes before departure if you are not holding a boarding pass if you have only a phoned-in reservation or an electronic ticket. The 20-minuite requirement is strict, and you must obey it if you want to assert your rights if you are bumped. (You are basically breaking your agreement with the airline if you can't get there on time. In that case, they can give your seat to someone else, and you'll get no compensation.)

Chris McGinnis

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

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

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Northwest Service Charges (continued from last week)
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I once had a similar dispute with NWA. I was at their ticket office, and kept it "friendly" with the agent who was working on my problem. When I mentioned that I would probably just dispute the charges via the credit card company, the agent said then I would be put on their "credit card blacklist" and I could never charge a ticket from NWA again. I would have to pay cash.

 - Stephen

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

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AirMerger.com
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The proposed UA-US merger would, if approved, likely have an impact on U.S. commercial aviation comparable to that of deregulation itself. We've all read the official position statements issued by the airlines, and read reports of the skeptical reactions of many in Congress and at the Departments of Justice and Transportation.

I was just made aware (by a UA flight attendant) of a website which tracks the progress of the merger as it is considered by various stakeholders and regulatory groups. Here's how AirMerger.com describes itself: "The mission of AirMerger.com is to provide corporate travel managers, consumers and industry participants with United Airlines - US Airways merger-related information, and an interactive response mechanism for providing alternative perspectives to merger participants as well as to government and media officials."

The site is the handiwork of the Business Travel Coalition, which makes no secret of its opposition to the merger. The perspective they provide on this very important (and yes, entertaining) process is an important one.

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AirMerger.com

Until next week...