Issue #21 -- November 12, 1998
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US Airways Adds Program Partner
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Austrian Airlines becomes the newest partner in US Airways' Dividend Miles program on December 1, 1998. At the same time, Austrian Airlines will be joined by existing members Sabena and Swissair in offering program members the ability to both earn and redeem miles for travel originating anywhere in the world.
As an added bonus for travel on Austrian Airlines between December 1, 1998, and February 28, 1999, Dividend Miles members will receive a one-time bonus 5,000- mile credit for economy class travel and a bonus 10,000 mile credit for business class travel.
Under the agreement, when traveling on any of the three carriers, Dividend Miles members will receive a minimum 500-mile credit or the actual miles flown, whichever is greater.
Other partners in US Airways' Dividend Miles program include Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts; Hyatt Hotels and Resorts; Four Points Hotels; Hilton, Conrad International and Vista Hotels worldwide; Holiday Inn; Holiday Inn Express; The Luxury Collection by Sheraton; Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites; Radisson Hotels Worldwide; Renaissance Hotels and Resorts; Sheraton Hotels and Resorts; Westin Hotels and Resorts; Alitalia; All Nippon Airways; American Airlines; Northwest Airlines; Qantas Airways; Sabena; Swissair; LatinPass; Alamo; Hertz; National; MCI; NationsBank; and The Flower Club.
>> More <<
US Airways online
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American Airlines' Offers Daily FAAre
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The latest from American: "The Daily FAAre." These are web-only fares, available at American's website, offering discounted rates on American and American Eagle, ranging from $88 to $298 round trip based on the distance of the flight. Here's how it works:
Each weekday morning for eight days (November 11-20), American and American Eagle will post approximately 10 domestic and Canadian markets on AA. If customers see something they like, they must book the special online at AA.com that same day while that fare is still displayed. Travel dates are listed below. The next morning a different group of markets with discount fares will be displayed at AA.com. The Daily FAAre will return in future weeks and months, often unannounced, so customers must keep checking AA.com. Here are the fare rules of The Daily FAAre:
Three-day advance purchase -- must purchase online at AA.com
Current Daily FAAre travel dates -- Nov. 14 through Jan. 18
Holiday travel blackouts include Nov. 20-Dec. 1 and Dec. 17-Jan. 4
Saturday night stay required
Fares are non-refundable, non-changeable, and non-reusable
>> The Verdict <<
In a number of respects, this new fare has a lot to recommend it.
The eight-day purchase window is an improvement over the standard net-saver offerings, and over some of the recent limited-time offers (which were all-but-impossible to comply with: "To qualify, just make your reservation before you finish reading this sentence!").
Also unlike the current net saver model, you do not have to depart on Friday/Saturday and return the following Monday/Tuesday.
So while there are hoops and hurdles, they are less onerous than what we have come to expect from net-based discounts.
What American has done is create a new fare category, between the current net savers and advance purchase (APEX). Here's where the Daily FAAres fall, price- and restrictions-wise:
1. Price
Net Daily APEX Full
Saver FAAre Fares Unrestricted
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(less) Price (more)
2. Restrictions
Net Daily APEX Full
Saver FAAre Fares Unrestricted
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(more) Restrictions (less)
Let's hope this initial offering of Daily FAAres turns out to be a success, and that as a result of that success American makes them a permanent fixture among its fare products.
>> More <<
American Online
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Cathay Pacific Extends Discount Pass for 1999
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You've heard it here, ad nauseum: use the strength of the dollar to your advantage, and take that trip to Asia. Now!
Here's yet another example of deals available for travel to Asia.
Cathay Pacific is resurrecting its All Asia Pass for 1999, providing lots of travel to lots of destinations for not a lot of money.
The basic 1999 All Asia Pass provides economy class transportation, Mondays through Thursdays, from Los Angeles, New York (JFK) or San Francisco to Hong Kong and any or all of 15 Asian cities, within 21 days, for $999, including all U.S. taxes. Members of the airline's free CyberTraveler program get an extra 10 days of travel (31 days total) for the same price.
The basic All Asia Pass is valid for travel departing the United States between January 15, 1999 and May 7, 1999, inclusive and between August 22, 1999 and November 16, 1999, inclusive. U.S. departures between May 8, 1999 and August 21, 1999, inclusive, are an additional 200 -- a 50 percent discount from last year's All Asia Pass summer surcharge.
Cities included in the basic All Asia Pass are: Bangkok, Cebu, Denpasar (Bali), Fukuoka, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Nagoya, Osaka, Penang, Seoul, Singapore, Surabaya, Taipei, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Cathay offers a number of ways to expand and/or customize the All Asia Pass. Passengers can add a total of 18 additional cities in Australia, China, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam for $200 to $500 each.
$100 buys non-CyberTravelers an additional 10 days in Asia. It's an additional $150 to expand the travel period to 45 days, $200 for 60 days and US$300 for 90 days. Friday through Sunday trans-Pacific departures are $100 extra each way. Business Class upgrades on Monday through Thursday trans-Pacific departures are $999 each way. First Class upgrades on similar flights are $1,999 each way.
The 1999 All Asia Pass must be purchased through a travel agent. Information is available via Cathay Pacific's web site at http://www.cathay-usa.com where interested persons can register as CyberTravelers and receive an extra 10 days of Asian travel at no extra charge.
The 1999 All Asia Pass is only available to U.S. residents with U.S. mailing addresses. Seats may not be available on all flights. Advance reservations and purchase are required. Business and First Class travel on All Asia Pass upgrades are not eligible for frequent flier mileage accrual. Other restrictions apply.
Cathay offers daily service to Hong Kong from Los Angeles and New York (JFK). Beginning Dec. 1, 1998, daily nonstop service from San Francisco to Hong Kong begins aboard modern Airbus A340-300 aircraft equipped with personal TVs at every seat. Cathay Pacific, the Heart of Asia, serves more than 45 destinations on five continents.
In addition to representing good value, the optional city add-ons and upgrades make this highly configurable, allowing you to build trips according to individual itinerary and budget needs.
>> More <<
o Cathay Pacific online
o For a free brochure by mail, call 1-800-CATHAY7. To obtain a complete brochure by fax, please call 1-800-617-9470.
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Time Out for Travel
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Marriott has enlisted the assistance of management guru and best-selling author Stephen Covey ("The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People") to produce the "Time Out for Travel" guide to help travelers make the most of extended business trips.
According to Covey: "When away from the normal home and office world for more than just a few days, make the most of your unplanned 'escape' time -- it's a rare opportunity to regain perspective and be more effective."
Dr. Stephen R. Covey's Ten "Time Out for Travel" Tips
1. Make a list of books to read before 2000 and tackle at least one during the trip.
2. Write an "I Love You," "I'm Proud of You" or "Have a Great Day" postcard to a loved one.
3. Remember birthdays and anniversaries when traveling. Call or send a card.
4. Brainstorm for special occasions in the upcoming year: organize a surprise party or intimate anniversary retreat, suggest a family reunion or plan how to celebrate the millennium.
5. Do more than sightsee -- be a tourist. Take a carriage tour of old downtown or sample "signature" foods.
6. Grab a disposable camera and take pictures.
7. Collect local souvenirs from each trip to display on a desk -- a great conversation opener with colleagues or customers upon return.
8. Carry a picture of family or friends in a wallet or purse and share it with others.
9. Start a personal journal.
10. Exercise to release any travel or work stress.
If Dr. Covey truly finds time to accomplish the above, he must be managing his business-travel time much better than most. (Which would make sense, since he's a time-management consultant.) Personally, I consider a business trip to be downright leisurely if I find time to so much as purchase a box of candy to bring back to the office. In fact, I've been known to buy gifts on my way to work the morning after a business trip, because there wasn't time to do it on the road. I must be a few short of those "7 Habits..."
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New @ FrequentFlier.com
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FrequentFlier.com is the "parent" website of this newsletter (in case you forgot where you subscribed).
** A Mile is a Terrible Thing to Waste **
'Tis the season to think about your miles, and how many of them will expire at midnite on December 31, 1998. If you're not already, you SHOULD be asking yourself the following questions:
(1) Which airlines offer expiring miles?
(2) Which offer non-expiring miles?
(3) How many of my miles will expire at the end of this year?
(4) What can I do to protect those endangered miles?
You'll have to answer (3) on your own. For the other three questions, we've compiled answers and posted them in article form on the site. Also featured is a very handy countdown function which shows--down to the second, because nothing less will do for the truly mileage-obsessed--the time remaining until the end of this year.
>> More <<
FrequentFlier.com on expiring miles
** Mining Company Award **
The Mining Company named FrequentFlier.com the "Best of the Net" travel site for November.
If you're not familiar with The Mining Company, it's a search engine, in the sense that it provides search-the-Internet functionality. But instead of sending out software spyders or bots to track down sites meeting your requirements, The Mining Company has more than 500 Guides, experts in their fields, who search the Internet and manage subject-specific sites (channels) under the Mining Company umbrella. It's a fruitful approach, and I can personally recommend the Air Travel and Business Travel channels.
Thanks to A.G. Dunham and her staff at The Mining Company's Air Travel channel.
>> More <<
The Mining Company
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You Can't Do THAT Over the Telephone!
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It's worth remembering that booking over the Internet gives travelers access to services they can't get using traditional methods like the telephone.
Case in point: booking online allows customers to choose their seats using an online seat map.
Seat maps were recently made available on Travelocity, for example, for America West, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Qantas and US Airways. This is in addition to the carriers already offered -- American Airlines, Canadian Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Gulf Air, Northwest Airlines, Trans World Airlines and United Airlines.
>> More <<
Travelocity
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Cathay Will Take Charge at PAL
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In what must be a body blow to the corporate ego of Philippine Airlines, the financially distressed carrier has agreed in principal to allow Cathay Pacific to acquire a controlling interest in the company.
Egos aside, Cathay is one of the world's best managed airlines, and that expertise will serve PAL well. Assuming that the two corporate and national cultures can be meshed. (As an example of a failed , I remember visiting USAir's frequent flyer program offices in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Many of the employees in the Winston-Salem offices were formerly with Piedmont, which had been acquired by USAir. And even years after the merger, many of them still wore Piedmont jewelry and identified with their former rather than their current employer.)
Next step will be the drafting of a comprehensive plan that can be endorsed by both airlines. Also to be determined is the amount Cathay will ultimately invest in PAL.
>> More <<
o Cathay Pacific
o Philippine Airlines
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Site Suggestion
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Here's a site which delivers on the maxim: Do one thing, and do it well.
Doug Dyment's "Compleat Carry-On Traveler" site is devoted to the twofold proposition that flyers can, and should, carry everything onboard with them. Doug covers both the why's and the how's of the carry-on life, and he does it in detail: what kind of carry-on luggage to use for both business and leisure trips, where to buy it, what to pack, and how to pack it.
With strict enforcement of airlines carry-on guidelines on the horizon, there's more reason than ever to do it Doug's way.
>> More <<
The Compleat Carry-On Traveler
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Miscellany
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Under the heading of "Strange News Releases that Come Across the Editor's Desk," the following is offered without comment:
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LANCASTER, Pa., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- A regulated Muzzleloader Antlerless Deer Harvest will be held Monday, December 28, 1998 and Wednesday, December 30, 1998, in designated areas of PECO Energy Company's Muddy Run Park.
The harvest is scheduled during the Pennsylvania muzzleloader season. The event will be conducted in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and will follow the guidelines of the Muddy Run's White-tailed Deer Management Program.
Eighty (80) hunters will be chosen (40 per day) on a lottery basis. Interested hunters can apply by sending a postcard with name, address, telephone number, current Pennsylvania Hunting License, Lancaster County Doe Tag (if you have one) and muzzleloader stamp to: PECO Energy Company, Muddy Run Recreation Park, Deer Management Project, 172 Bethesda Church Road West, Holtwood, PA 17532. NOTE: Only one postcard per person will be accepted; duplicates will disqualify a person.
All applications must be postmarked no later than Thursday, December 10, 1998. The lottery will be held Monday, December 14, 1998. Selected hunters will be notified by December 18, 1998. Along with verification letter, those selected will receive a list of the regulations and directions to the Muddy Run Project with an area map.
In addition to all standard Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations, as a private landowner, PECO Energy Company requires the following:
1. Hunters may take Antlerless Deer only -- one deer per person.
2. Only flintlock muzzleloaders may be used or be in the hunter's
possession.
3. Selected hunters 12 to 15 years of age must be accompanied by a
non-hunting adult.
4. Selected hunters must check into the Muddy Run Information Center
by 6:00 a.m. the day of the hunt for registration
and the required orientation. HUNTERS MUST BRING
INTO THE INFORMATION CENTER THEIR VERIFICATION
LETTER, HUNTING LICENSE, BLAZE ORANGE HAT, BLAZE
ORANGE VEST AND DRIVERS LICENSE OR HUNTER SAFETY
CARD.
5. Participants must wear a blaze orange hat and vest. The cap and
jacket or vest must be shown at registration. NO EXCEPTIONS.
6. During check-in, participant parking areas will be assigned.
7. Hunting will be permitted between 7:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
8. No portable or natural tree stands will be permitted.
9. No fires are permitted on the property.
10. Spectators accompanying hunters are not permitted due to safety
concerns.
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"Harvesting" antlerless deer with flintlock muzzleloaders? Wearing a "blaze orange hat"? Like Rambo meets de Sade, with a pinch of Beau Brummell? (I said without COMMENT, not without QUESTION.)
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