U P F R O N T
Holiday Publishing Schedule
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Because Christmas and New Year's day both fall on Wednesdays, the next issue of the Crier will be published on Jan. 8, 2003.
That's 3 weeks from today -- a long time to go without a mileage fix, I know. To prevent withdrawal, visit the FrequentFlier Forum during the holidays, where discussion of all things mileage-related will continue uninterrupted, 24/7.
Best wishes to all for happy, safe holidays. And -- a wish, not a prediction -- may the new year be one in which the travel industry stabilizes and assumes a consumer-friendly face.
M I L E S & P O I N T S
Double Aeroplan Miles for Shangri-La, Traders Stays
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Aeroplan members will earn double miles for "Rate Break" stays at Shangri-La and Traders hotels in Asia through Feb. 28, 2003.
In addition to the mileage bonus, the "Rate Break" price is discounted up to 40% and includes complimentary breakfast.
To reserve, call 1-800-942-5050 and ask for the "Rate Break" rate or visit http://shangri-la.com.
AT&T Internet Service Pays AAdvantage Miles
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Through Apr. 30, 2003, AAdvantage members will earn 10,000 AAdvantage miles for signing up, plus 5 miles per dollar spent on AT&T Worldnet Service Internet access for $21.95 a month.
AAdvantage members can also earn miles for AT&T Residential Long Distance and Local Service.
Visit http://download.att.net/aaweb, or call 1-888-496-7434 for more.
Delta Revamps Elite - Part 2
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In last week's issue, we reported on Delta's new revenue-based scheme for awarding SkyMiles elite status. (See Richard's comments below, in "Rants & Raves," taking issue with our assessment of the new policy.)
This week, we report on the other SkyMiles changes scheduled to take place next year.
Domestic Upgrades (Bad News)
Current 800-mile complimentary upgrades will be issued for 500-mile increments instead. And the price of purchased upgrades will increase, whether you pay in dollars or miles.
Domestic Upgrades (Good News)
Upgrades can be used by Medallion members when traveling on deeply discounted fare classes (L,U,T), subject to availability, or to upgrade a traveling companion. Plus, members can choose to earn additional SkyMiles instead of upgrades.
Other Changes (All Good)
Effective Jan. 1, 2003, the class-of-service bonus awarded for BusinessElite and business-class travel will increase from 25% to 50%.
Members reaching 75,000, 125,000 and 150,000 Medallion Qualification Miles at the end of each calendar year (as of Dec. 31, 2003) will have the ability to select from a menu-based option of additional benefits.
And effective May 1, 2003, members who reach 2 million Medallion Qualification Miles will receive lifetime Gold Medallion status, and those with more than 4 million Medallion Qualification Miles will receive lifetime Platinum Medallion status.
> More...
Taj Is New SkyMiles Hotel Partner
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SkyMiles members can now earn miles for qualifying stays at Taj Hotels. The normal earning rate is 500 miles for stays at Taj Luxury and International hotels and 250 miles for stays at Taj Business and Taj Leisure hotels.
Between Jan. 1 and Mar. 31, 2003, Taj is offering double miles at all participating hotels, plus a "Third Night Free" at Taj Luxury Hotels and Taj Business Hotels.
> More - http://www.tajhotels.com or 1-800-44 UTELL
Northwest Modifies Elite
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Northwest prefaces its Program Changes page with the following promise: "Northwest will continue to evolve the WorldPerks program in 2003 to provide more flexibility in achieving Elite status and free award ticket usage." As soon as I saw the word 'flexibility' I knew there was bad news to follow.
New Upgrade Restrictions
"To better manage the high demand for first class seats," effective Mar. 1, 2003, non-elite WorldPerks members will no longer be able to use miles to upgrade domestic itineraries when purchasing Northwest V and K fare types or Continental V,Q and T fare types.
Qualification
Northwest will add a second set of criteria for attaining elite status, effective Jan. 1, 2003.
In addition to the current flown-mileage thresholds, WorldPerks members will be awarded elite based upon the number of qualifying full-fare (P,F,J,C,Z,Y,B) flights. Silver status will be awarded after flying 20 segments, Gold after 40 segments, and Platinum after 60 segments.
Kudos to NW. The new system preserves the old elite-qualifying scheme, which arguably favors lower-fare passengers by treating them the same as high-yield customers, while offering those who pay the most for their tickets an accelerated road to elite.
Circle Trip Awards
Also effective Jan. 1, 2003, WorldPerks will allow members to book circle trip award tickets for travel within the continental U.S., and to Alaska and Canada.
A circle trip is an itinerary with multiple stopovers. In this case, NW allows 2 stopovers within a roundtrip, charging the number of miles equivalent to 3 1-way segments. I.e., for a circle trip, you'll redeem 1.5 times the normally required miles.
Southwest Extends Double-Credit Promo
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Southwest has been offering double Rapid Rewards credits for online bookings since 1997, extending the offer again and again each time a deadline approached. It's become more like a permanent program feature than a limited-time promotion, with end dates thrown in to allow Southwest to bang the publicity drum every time an extension is announced.
Bang, bang, bang.
The previous end date, Apr. 4, 2003, has -- surprise -- been extended. The new deadline: June 6, 2003.
In the spirit of the holidays, I'm even going to pull a quote from the Southwest news release: "Southwest, like no other program in the industry, has no capacity controls in its frequent flyer program. That means, other than limited blackout dates, a Customer can redeem an award ticket for a seat on any flight as long as there is a seat available -- there is no waiting six months or dealing with limited seats. Rapid Rewards is truly the program that frequent flyers can actually use." Take that, American, Continental, Delta, United et al!
Double credits and no capacity controls on awards... great stuff. But, the Mileage Grinch will never fall head over heels for a program that expires credits after a paltry 12 months.
> More...
United Sells Elite-Qualification Extension
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For $25, Mileage Plus members who are within 10,000 miles or 10 segments of qualifying for a Premier elite tier can purchase an extra 3 months -- through Mar. 31, 2003 -- in which to qualify. The deadline to participate is Feb. 16, 2003.
Remember that US Airways flights will count toward elite status in Mileage Plus from Jan. 1, 2003, so you will have more elite-qualifying domestic flight options during the extended period.
> More...
1800FLOWERS Doubles United Miles
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Mileage Plus members will earn 20 miles per dollar spent on orders of $29.95 or more at 1800flowers.com through Dec. 31.
Use promotion code DUAL and provide your Mileage Plus number during checkout to receive miles.
US Air Puts Award Bookings Online
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Dividend Miles members can now redeem miles and book US Airways award flights online.
Members can choose to purchase, express buy or hold award reservations for up to 3 days for all published Dividend Miles awards in any class of service.
Online reservations can be made up to 6 hours before departure, and there's no service charge for last-minute booking.
> More...
R E A D E R R A N T S & R A V E S
This Week's E-mail Bag
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"Delta's changes to the SkyMiles program literally came just as I was planning to purchase several more tickets in 2003. I am putting those plans on hold so that you can reconsider and rescind this silly new policy which will drive away, rather than attract, customers.
"At a time when airlines are losing money, it would certainly make sense to retain and attract customers, not drive them away.
"This year I flew 25,222 Medallion eligible miles and 32 segments on Delta. This is a typical year for me. I don't get a chance to use all the "elite" benefits given that upgrades are rarely actually available even when I have purchased higher priced tickets so I have given up on that possibility as being realistic.
"I booked 13 segments already for 2003. In past years I've flown at least 30 segments annually on Delta, even when it may have been more convenient or somewhat cheaper to utilize another carrier. Now there is no such advantage. Plus, the message I received loud and clear is that I am not as "valued" of a customer as I once was.
"Once again, at a time when airlines are losing money, it would certainly make sense to retain and attract customers, not drive them away. How can this policy change benefit Delta?
"Certainly not in customer loyalty.
"Bear in mind, customer loyalty is a two-way street. How loyal has Delta been to impose these changes on customers who, like me, stuck with Delta in the post-9/11 era?
"Certainly not in a business sense.
"Driving away customers is never a good idea. When business is bad, it's suicidal. If the goal is to reward those who purchase higher priced tickets, Delta is already doing that as "L" and "U" fares are not eligible for 800-mile segment upgrades. You could certainly offer additional incentives without insulting other Delta customers or driving them away.
"Bear in mind that those of us who are able to book in advance are of utility to Delta which has free use of the money we paid for tickets for weeks and, in my case, often months in advance. This helps cash flow and reduces short-term borrowing. (Further, the lowest fares are NOT always available with advance booking.)
"Certainly not in the sense of integrity.
"When I booked travel into 2003 in Delta, I did so out of customer loyalty. I did exactly what the program hoped for. The reward I get is to be told that I am not as "valued" of a customer as I once was. (And, by the way, the buzz phrase "valued customer" is really an insult. If a customer is really valued, it will be demonstrated by actions.)
"I acted in good faith. Did Delta? Now I am stuck with 13 segments that I could have flown on other carriers, often with better prices and connections. I could have taken my business to other carriers with more consumer friendly policies and greater integrity than Delta has demonstrated here. I feel misled and betrayed.
"Since when does alienating customers help business?
"This policy change was silly and ill-conceived. Delta should apologize to those of us who have stuck with this company and to stockholders for not acting in the company's best interests. Further, those executives who concocted this arrogant and silly scheme ought to be shown the door. We need people who will grow business and that is done by getting people to fill seats, period. (And if you don't think that's possible, maybe you should talk to Herb Kelleher at Southwest!)"
- Richard
Until Jan. 8, 2003...
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