Issue #70  --  December 2, 1999

<< U P F R O N T >>

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Raves, Please
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There's a lot of frequent flyer program news this week, and also quite a few notes from our readers. Which means that the "Miles" and "Reader Rants & Raves" sections are heavy, and the sections in between are light. In fact, that's all to the good as those are arguably the parts of the newsletter which are closest to our core editorial focus.

Speaking of the "Reader Rants & Raves" section, I'd like to take just a moment to encourage readers to share positive as well as negative travel experiences. We print complaints not to bash the offending airlines, but rather to (1) provide readers with a frame within which to judge their own experiences, and (2) pass along any tips that might be helpful in minimizing the negative and maximizing the positive. And, for exactly the same reasons, we want to print readers' compliments as well as their complaints.

So again, please feel free to rave, as well as to rant.

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The View from the Left Seat
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And speaking of recommendations, I wanted to slip in a quick restaurant recommendation. Although it's sometimes tempting to sing the praises of this or that 3-star restaurant, it's pretty far off topic for The Crier. And you'll find better restaurant reviews elsewhere (see "Site2See" below).

In this case, the restaurant is notable not for its cuisine or wine list but for its proximity to an airport runway. And if you're a true-blue frequent traveler, nothing beats an hour of aircraft-spotting in an environment where planes are taken seriously.

The restaurant is the Left Seat--a no-frills coffee shop which sits just off the tarmac at Phoenix Airport. It's on Airlane Road, which runs along one side of the airport, and is totally removed from the passenger terminal complex. So the clientele is a real jet-fuel-in-their-veins crowd. No buttoned-down business travelers, usually. The walls are covered with illustrations of military and commercial aircraft. And, best of all, every table has a grand view of the adjacent runway.

When I visit Phoenix, I always make it a point to stop in, order the blue plate special, and watch the take-offs and landings... make sure I can still distinguish a B727 from an MD-80, or a B757 from an A320.

The airplanes look alot better from the outside than they do from the inside.

>> More <<
Left Seat Restaurant
2633 E. Airlane, Gate 108
Phoenix, AZ 85034
(602) 220-9407

<< M I L E S >>

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Aer Lingus, American and British Air Link Programs
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As a first step toward folding Aer Lingus into the Oneworld alliance (see next story), the Irish flag carrier has linked its frequent flyer program with those of Oneworld anchor carriers, American and British Airways.

Effective immediately, members of American AAdvantage and BA Executive Club can earn and redeem miles for Aer Lingus flights. And members of the Aer Lingus Gold Circle Club and TAB programs can earn and redeem for flights on American and BA.

Effective April 2000, British Airways will codeshare on all Aer Lingus flights between Ireland and the UK. In addition, the code-share will extend to a range of British Airways destinations between London and Continental Europe destinations including Scandinavia, Switzerland, Italy and Austria. American Airlines will codeshare on Aer Lingus' transatlantic services between the US and Dublin/Shannon from summer 2000. (Codeshare agreements and alliance agreements are subject to the necessary regulatory approvals.)

>> More <<
o Aer Lingus
o American
o British Airways

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Aer Lingus Is Newest Oneworld Partner
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Aer Lingus today was confirmed as the ninth member of the Oneworld global airline alliance.

It was formally elected on board today by the chief executives of the established members -- American, BA, Canadian, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, and Airways -- at their quarterly Governing Board meeting in New York.

Its election follows the signing last week of marketing agreements with the leading Irish carrier by both American and BA, covering frequent flyer programs, codesharing and other areas.

Both Aer Lingus and LanChile, whose ratification as a member of the alliance was announced in May, plan to offer Oneworld services and benefits from the middle of the year 2000.

These new additions mean the Oneworld alliance will cover some 665 destinations in 138 countries and territories, with a total of 303 airport lounges. Its members together employ 280,000 people and operate 1,959 aircraft, and carried nearly 225 million passengers last year.

>> More <<
Oneworld

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United Miles for bCard Transactions
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bCard.net has announced an agreement with United Airlines to provide Mileage Plus miles to bCard holders.

With the addition of United, bCard Points can now be redeemed for miles through the three largest U.S. airlines: American, Delta and United.

With over 150,000 bCards distributed and over 250,000 Web site hits per week, bCard.net bills itself as a leader in the emerging smart card industry--estimated by market research firm Frost & Sullivan to be a $5 billion worldwide market by 2003.

bCard.net is the developer of an Internet-based business-to-business information exchange. bCards are universal electronic business cards, based on proprietary smart cards: used to store, transfer and otherwise manage information about business professionals.

In conjunction with the bCard Electronic Business Card it can earn you bCardPoints through online communications and trade show and event attendance.

>> More <<
bCard.net

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SkyMiles Adds South African Air to Program
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Delta has added South African Airways (SAA) to its roster of SkyMiles airline partners, effective Dec. 1, 1999.

The collaboration will enable Delta's frequent flyer members to earn and redeem SkyMiles on SAA-operated flights. This is a first step towards a codeshare relationship planned to begin on Jan. 31, 2000.

Members flying on qualifying SAA fares will earn a minimum of 500 miles or the actual miles flown, whichever is greater. Travelers flying on paid Business Class will earn 125 percent of the miles flown, and those flying on paid First Class will earn 150 percent of the miles flown.

To promote the new partnership, members will receive double SkyMiles when flying qualified SAA flights between Dec. 1, 1999 and Mar. 31, 2000.

>> More <<
Delta

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Wyndham Guests Can Now Earn SkyMiles
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The newest hotel partner in Delta's SkyMiles program is Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

SkyMiles members may earn 500 miles per qualified stay at any of Wyndham's 130 properties throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean beginning Dec. 1, 1999.

>> More <<
o Delta
o Wyndham

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Continental Offers PC-Based Incentive Miles
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Continental Airlines this week introduced Interactive Miles of Thanks, a new software program that allows companies to offer Continental OnePass frequent flyer miles for customer and employee loyalty and incentive programs. The new Interactive Miles of Thanks program is a PC-based version of the current certificate-based Miles of Thanks program.

Interactive Miles of Thanks software gives companies the ability to create their own loyalty programs, track the success of these programs, and generate reports and graphs of statistical information. Companies can use the program for promotions as simple as awarding miles per purchase amount, or as complex as implementing tailored promotions to targeted segments of a customer database.

>> More <<
For more information or to order Interactive Miles of Thanks software, call 1-888-6-THANKS or visit Continental's web site at http://www.continental.com.

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Virgin's Upper Class Earns Free Flights Fast
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Fly Virgin's Upper Class to London now through Jan. 31, 2000, and earn enough miles for free tickets or a free companion ticket on future trips.

To qualify, passengers must enroll in Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club. Upper Class travelers will earn enough Flying Club miles to redeem for one of the following:

-- Two free round-trip Economy tickets to London; or
-- One free Economy ticket to any Virgin Atlantic destination via London, to be redeemed and traveled by March 15, 2000; or
-- One free companion ticket in any class of service, including Upper Class and Premium Economy, the next time the passenger flies. The companion ticket must be in the same class of service on the same dates, and complete travel by March 31, 2000. Blackout dates apply for reward tickets.

Virgin Atlantic Airways serves London from nine U.S. gateways: three times daily from New York (JFK); twice daily from Newark, Los Angeles and Orlando; and daily from Chicago, San Francisco, Washington (Dulles), Miami and Boston. From London, the carrier serves South Africa, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong, the Caribbean and Shanghai.

>> More <<
Virgin

<< S T E A L S & D E A L S >>

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Delta Discounts Online Fares
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Delta and Delta Express are offering discounts of up to five percent off any fare that has an advance purchase requirement of 3 days or greater for travel to all U.S. destinations they serve.

To receive the discounts, customers must purchase tickets on the airline's Web site between November 29 and December 5, 1999 that have at least a three-day advance purchase requirement. The discount applies for travel between December 2, 1999, and January 1, 2000.

SkyMiles members who purchase their flight online and fly with Delta, Delta Express, the Delta Shuttle or Delta Connection carriers will earn a bonus of 1,000 SkyMiles for a round-trip or 500 miles each way after travel is complete for each ticket purchased. Offer valid until March 31, 2000. In addition, SkyMiles members who purchase for the first time on the Delta Web site and travel between September 13, 1999 and December 31, 1999 earn 4,000 bonus SkyMiles.

>> More <<
Delta

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

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Virgin "Very Welcome" in Australia
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This week, Virgin's Richard Branson unveiled plans to launch a new budget airline in Australia.

The new carrier, Virgin Australia, would begin operations in time for this summer's Olympics, flying B737's on high-demand intra-Australia routes like Sydney-Melbourne.

According to Australian government officials, Richard Branson is "very welcome indeed to have a go" at the country's dominant incumbent carriers, Ansett and Qantas.

No word yet on whether flights on Virgin Australia will earn miles in Virgin's frequent flyer program.

<< B U S I N E S S T R A V E L T I P S >>

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Things to Know Before You Go
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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."

>> Get Used to Booking Your Travel On-Line

The Web is mostly a place where business travelers go to gather information rather than book tickets, but that's changing fast. Experts estimate that revenue from on-line travel bookings will mushroom to $3.1 billion by the year 2000. Booking simple out-and-back trips (the bulk of business trips) is easy on most travel agency or airline Web sites. But if you need help with a multiple-leg or international trip, or the airline seat of your choice, or a hotel room with a view, it's good to now that a human travel agent is still around.

Chris McGinnis
Travel Skills Group
PO Box 52927
Atlanta, GA 30355
http://www.travelskills.com

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

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"Good News" Story
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So many bad stories, with reason it appears. Can I give a good news story?

Returning to BWI in early June from a wedding in LAX on American, with me paying a discount fare and 3 family members travelling free on my miles, we were grounded late at night at our transit in ORD by a storm. The AA desk agent endorsed *all* our tickets to United for the first flight next day. AA also paid for two hotel double rooms..

I compliment the American staff for their costly decision to treat us all to benefits due to paying passengers and their general good treatment of us (despite the long lines for hotels and the frayed tempers all 'round).

Did I mention that I am *not* high-mileage on AA? American gave us all shelter from the storm. United (on which I am Premier Executive, so rank may be involved in their decision) awarded me 2,500 miles for my inconvenience of the crisis although they were beneficiary, not contributor. Thank you both, but *especially* thank you American.

- Eric

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Cheap Rentals
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Check out the awesome link for the cheapest car rentals. I used it today and saved myself over one hundred dollars on a weekly rental. If you haven't passed this one on to your readers-you should.

Thanks,

 - Kevin

http://www.cars-rentals-discounts.com/

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Customer Service
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Have to respond to SA's letter last issue. The writer was concerned with the tone of some of the letters, and defended airline employees as mostly doing their jobs with courtesy and professionalism. I agree with that in general, but most of the letters discuss employees being intentionally nasty. That's not "slipping up," it is an indication that the individual does not belong in a service industry job. If I acted that way toward my customers I would be fired, period.

My wife has had numerous experiences flying with our son relating to child seats, which I will not relate in detail here. Suffice it to say that flight attendants vary from mildly helpful to rude when dealing with the parent of a young child. And, we have NEVER flown our son as a lap child; he has always been a paying customer.

What some individuals in the airline industry don't seem to understand is that it's not the military - employment is voluntary. If they don't like dealing with people or feel they are underpaid for the job, they should find another line of work. Yes, I can see where the airlines are no fun to work for, but no one held a gun to their heads and forced them to hire on. The 5% or 10% of bad apples are giving the majority of hard-working pros a bad name.

Whew - now that I have that off my chest it's back to turkey leftovers.

 - John

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Response To Curt's Letter
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Curt's snubbing was too light of a penalty. He should have been fined on the spot for endangering the other passengers and crew from an electronics system failure. Just because he wants to use or play with his laptop during take-off., should not warrant the statistical risk during a short flight. I commend the stewardess for her actions not once but twice!!. If she didn't and the e- waves caused a malfunction or mis-reading of the instrument panel, your criticism of the "snubbing" would not have had an opportunity to be posted on the FFC.

As a pilot, we are under the pressure to guide the lives of others, taking off and landing are the most risky. When a customer like Curt endangers others, it would be best not to allow any laptops/phones at all for flights under 60 minutes.

So I will voice my opinion to encourage the FAA to ban all electronics on short flights. Being "snubbed" as you put it was harmless. You deserved a 'snubbing' for risking the lives of every one on-board.

If I choose to fly commercially, I hope for everyone on board, you are not one of the passengers.

 - Steven

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Joel's Proposal
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The major airlines have policies which state that miles will not expire if you have some kind of activity within three years. And your newsletter mentioned that United would conditionally give back expired miles from 1998.

My idea is to request that the airlines give miles for some of the flights you took before you signed up for the frequent flier program. This means flights more than 30 days before you signed up and it presumes that you still have paper proof that you took the flight. It would be giving miles for flights on which the airlines already received payment from you. Which makes more financial sense than some of the bonus mile offers I have seen. In September, I called an 800 number to request a certificate for 10,000 Delta SkyMiles in exchange for a Buick Regal test drive. I do not pretend to understand why Delta would give 40% of the miles I need for a free ticket in exchange for me buying a postage stamp to mail the completed certificate to Delta. Yes, I took the test drive and got the miles posted to my account 2 weeks ago. Would it not make more sense to offer miles for flights you took before you signed up for the frequent flier program?.

 - Joel

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Sprint, Waiting
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As a frequent traveler, sometimes, more often than I want, I am in need of customer assistance from SprintPCS, but is amazing how much time you are put on hold; time or day, does not matter. You would think, if they are having such a demand, they will hire more people, or at least mention the average time you can expect to wait, so you can decide.

 - Genaro

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

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Zagat's
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If you're not familiar with the Zagat restaurant guides, you should be.

I use the printed version of the Los Angeles guide to help choose restaurants here in my home city. And when I'm on the road, I check with Zagat online to develop a shortlist of restaurants worth considering in the destination city.

Zagat's ratings are based on surveys submitted by non-professional restaurant reviewers. (If you take the time to fill out the review form every year, as I do, you are rewarded with a complimentary copy of the printed Zagat guide for your city.) The everybody's-opinion-counts approach is both the guides' strength and their weakness. Just bear in mind that the ratings (for food, decor, service) are composites, and include as many opinions from the clueless as from the knowledgeable.

Next time you're in a strange city and have to make dinner arrangements, fire up your laptop, log onto the Zagat site, and search by neighborhood, type of cuisine, price or food quality. You probably couldn't do much better than taking advantage of the collective wisdom of thousands of locals.

>> More <<
Zagat online

Until next week...