Issue #73  --  December 23, 1999

<< U P F R O N T >>

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Happy Holidays (if You Stay Home)
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Happy Holidays... unless you happen to be traveling.

You've heard us caution, curmudgeonly, not to travel during the holidays. Nothing to do with threats of terrorist atrocities, it's simply standard contrarian thinking: During times of peak travel, don't. And indeed, the airlines are reporting such soft bookings on days surrounding the holidays that they have cancelled many flights.

Our newest sponsor, Hilton Hotels, provided us with results of a study they conducted recently which throws some light on travelers' feelings about holiday travel. And shows that we're not alone in thinking peak-time travel is more trouble than it's worth.

According to the just-released holiday survey conducted by Hilton Hotels Corp., more than one-third (37 percent) of road warriors believe holiday travel negatively impacts their mood, with 20 percent going so far as to say it is more stressful than going to the dentist or getting married.

Of the more than 500 frequent travelers polled in a random telephone survey, women, more so than men, said holiday trips can, in effect, be a bummer. Two-fifths of the female respondents said holiday travel negatively impacts their mood, while only one-third of male respondents agreed.

Female respondents were also more likely than men to believe holiday travel is even more stressful than a business trip (44 percent vs. 36 percent). And, according to the survey, it appears there's only one thing to do when stressing out during a holiday trip -- eat.

Sixty one percent of the female frequent-travelers say they eat more during holiday trips than any other form of travel they do during the year. Fewer than half as many male respondents (49 percent) made the same claim.

It follows then that more women than men view holiday travel as a disruption to their daily lifestyles. More than six out of 10 women surveyed (61 percent) said holiday travel disrupts such daily routines as eating, sleeping and exercising, while fewer than half as many men (47 percent) concurred.

Interestingly, while more women travelers than men travelers believe a holiday is stressful, they are actually less likely to do anything about it. Less than half of women travelers (47 percent) say they would stay in a hotel room designed to relieve stress on a holiday trip, compared with 52 percent of men.

Male respondents were also more likely than female respondents to take a few days off after the holidays to recuperate (23 percent vs. 20 percent). In fact, more than twice as many male travelers as women travelers plan to take three or more days off after the holidays (64 percent vs. 28 percent).

For helpful tips for staying fit, or combating stress or sleeplessness while traveling, consumers may send for a copy of Hilton's complimentary brochures: "Sleep and the Traveler II" or "Staying Fit and Stressing Less While Traveling." Consumers may write to Hilton TLC, c/o DCW, 8730 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90069; e-mail to carin_meyer@cohnwolfe.com or fax 310/967-2910.

And again, Happy Holidays from The FrequentFlier Crier.

<< M I L E S >>

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Regent Hotels Offers 25,000 Mile Bonus
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United Mileage Plus and Regent International Hotels are offering a 25,000 mile bonus to Mileage Plus members. To qualify for the mileage bonus, registered members need 10 eligible stays with Regent between now and December 30, 2000.

United claims this is the most generous bonus ever offered by a hotel company, and while 10 stays is a high hurdle, the payoff--equivalent to a free domestic roundtrip ticket--is certainly substantial.

>> More <<
o Regent Hotels
o United

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Wyndham Expands Mileage Options
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Wyndham Hotels customers will soon have 2 more mileage options when staying at any of the chain's 130 participating properties in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. (Wyndham already offers miles-for-stays in the programs of American, Delta Canadian and Midwest Express.)

>> United Miles
Beginning Jan. 1, 2000, United Airlines Mileage Plus members will earn 500 miles when paying the qualifying rate at any Wyndham property in the U.S., Canada or the Caribbean.

As an added bonus, from Feb. 15 - April 15, 2000, Wyndham and United Airlines will offer triple miles (1,500 miles) with any qualifying stay. In addition, the Wyndham Peaks Resort & Golden Door Spa in Telluride, Colo. is offering a free herbal wrap at the Golden Door Spa to Mileage Plus members with any qualifying stay.

>> US Airways Miles
Also beginning Jan. 1, Wyndham will become US Airways' newest Dividend Miles program partner.

Dividend Miles members will earn 500 Dividend Miles for every qualifying stay.

>> More <<
o United
o US Airways
o Wyndham

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Bonus Miles & Points for Hilton Stays
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Stay at participating Hilton hotels between January 3 and March 31, 2000, and earn bonus airline miles and/or HHonors points when paying a business rate. Offers vary depending on the airline, as follows:

>> American
Earn 2,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles after every two Double Dip stays at participating HHonors hotels, in addition to the standard 500 miles you already earn with every business rate stay.

>> Continental, Northwest
OnePass and WorldPerks members earn double HHonors Base points and double Continental OnePass or Northwest WorldPerks bonus miles for Double Dip stays with either of these airline partner programs.

>> Delta
SkyMiles members earn a mileage bonus that increases in increments of 10% with every Double Dip stay. For example, earn a bonus of 10% more SkyMiles after your first Double Dip stay (50 bonus SkyMiles), 20% more SkyMiles after your second Double Dip stay, and so forth. Plus, receive an additional 1,000 bonus SkyMiles after every five Double Dip stays.

>> Southwest
Rapid Rewards members will receive triple credit (1.5 credits) for every Double Dip stay at participating HHonors hotels. Southwest customers with a temporary membership card collecting stamps are not eligible.

>> United
Earn one Mileage Plus mile per qualifying dollar spent for Double Dip stays at participating HHonors hotels. These bonus miles are in addition to standard HHonors points and 500 Mileage Plus miles that you already earn for Double Dip stays.

A Double Dip stay is a business-rate stay, for which HHonors members earn both HHonors points and airline miles. You must be a member of Hilton HHonors and the participating airline program to take advantage of these offers.

>> More <<
Hilton

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More Online Mileage-Earning Opportunities
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Like rabbits, mileage-earning opportunities just keep multiplying. This last week alone, we discovered 2 new websites which allow you to accrue miles for online purchases or, in 1 case, for simply visiting selected online merchants.

>> FreeAirMiles
The "Free" in FreeAirMiles refers to the fact that you earn miles just for surfing those websites which have agreements with FreeAirMiles.

Here's how FreeAirMiles describes itself: "Members of our site can log in, visit advertisers and earn 10 frequent flyer miles for doing so. There is no purchase necessary nor any surveys to respond to. Simply click and receive. They can do this up to 10 times per day for a maximum of 100 miles per day. Upon registering for the site, potential members are asked to fill out a brief demographic questionnaire. This allows for highly targeted advertising campaigns for the advertiser."

FreeAirMiles.com currently has mileage agreements with Delta Airlines and TWA. They anticipate adding more airlines as the site grows.

Let's see... (100 miles a day) x (365 days per year) = 36,500 miles per year.

>> Milesmall.com
For purchases at participating online retailers, you earn Program Miles which may either be redeemed for free tickets (a free roundtrip domestic U.S. ticket is 25,000 miles) or converted to miles in the programs of Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines or points in the Marriott Rewards program.

Participating retailers include JC Penney, Baby Outlet, Hallmark.com, Blue Nile Jewelry, FranklinMint.com, SmarterKids.com, Dan's Chocolates, Textbooks.com, RCA.com, HomeWarehouse.com, etc.

Sign up by February 28, 2000, and get 500 free miles. And for the remainder of 1999, get 3 miles for every dollar spent through milesmall.com.

>> More <<
o FreeAirMiles.com
o Milesmall

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Double Miles, Points for Home Loans
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Consumers who take out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or mortgage through the retail division of Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. are now eligible to earn double the standard award for American Airlines AAdvantage miles, United Mileage Plus miles or Hilton HHonors bonus points.

To qualify, consumers need only apply for a HELOC before March 15, 2000 and may receive double rewards as long as their loan is approved. Members of each program can choose from 5,000 AAdvantage miles, 5,000 Mileage Plus miles or 12,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points with their HELOC funding. These award miles/points are double the amount that consumers would normally receive for taking out a home equity line of credit through Countrywide.

According to Countrywide, a HELOC is a great alternative for savvy consumers who have equity in their homes but do not wish to refinance their first mortgage to obtain cash. Instead, borrowers can obtain a HELOC for home improvements, debt consolidation, vacations, etc. In addition, borrowers can take a draw, repay the amount and reuse their line of credit over and over, without the high interest rates of most traditional credit cards. Consumers interested in the possibility of receiving additional tax benefits from their HELOC, should consult their tax advisors for more information.

Homeowners may also receive points or miles for obtaining a first mortgage purchase or refinance loan through Countrywide. These bonuses include a choice of 1,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles, 1,000 United Mileage Plus miles, or 2,500 Hilton HHonors bonus points for each $10,000 in new purchase or refinance loan amount.

>> More <<
Countrywide: http://www.countrywide.com or call (800) 262-4209

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

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Pro Air Recognizes "Founding" Passengers
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Rarely, if ever, do we come across a marketing offer or promotion that's truly unique. For all the promotions we see and report, most are variations on a few basic themes. The following is both unique, as far as we know, and compelling...

The company is Detroit-based Pro Air, and the promotion is its "Founding Passenger Program" which rewards passengers who helped get the airline started with lifetime immunity from ticketing restrictions.

The new program gives members access to the carrier's lowest fares without advance purchase requirements or other ticketing restrictions. That's a benefit with substantial value, both in financial terms and in respect of the added flexibility and convenience.

Lifetime membership in the Founding Passenger program is being granted to all persons who have traveled on the airline since its first flight on July 4, 1997. Persons who have not yet traveled on the airline but who book a reservation by Jan. 15, 2000 (regardless of the actual date of travel) also will be enrolled in the program.

The airline operates four Boeing 737s, employs approximately 440 people and serves nine airports including: Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington D.C., Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, New York (La Guardia), Newark, Orlando and Philadelphia. New service to Seattle is scheduled to commence on Dec. 23.

>> More <<
Pro Air

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

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Canada Approves Air Canada's Purchase of Canadian
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On Tuesday, Canada's transport minister and anti-trust bureau blessed Air Canada's bid to acquire financially strapped Canadian Airlines.

According to Air Canada, the 2 carriers will continue to operate separately, under their respective names, although there will be substantial rationalization of services. ('Rationalization' is code for, among other things, 'cease competing.') And each carrier will codeshare on the other's flights.

As we reported previously, the frequent flyer programs will also continue as separate entities, at least initially. In fact, with the codesharing between Canadian and Air Canada, members of both programs stand to benefit from expanded earning and burning options--Canadian members can earn miles and, presumably, take awards on Air Canada's services, and Air Canada members will be able to do the same on Canadian's services. The big difference will be in the alliance area. Predictably, Canadian will sever ties with current alliance partner Oneworld (the American-BA grouping) and join the Star Alliance (United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, etc.).

Kudos to Canadian for setting up a FAQ (frequently asked questions) section on their website specifically to address questions about the buy-out. You can find it at http://www.cdnair.ca/eng/corp/01corp/indexac.html. By contrast, Air Canada's site includes only the kind of corporate puffery which engenders frustration and distrust among those seeking to gauge the effects of the merger on their real-life travels.

Editorializing a bit here, this is a sad day for Canadian commercial aviation generally, and for Canadian air travelers particularly. The decrease in competition in the Canada marketplace can only lead to higher prices and lower levels of service.

>> More <<
o Air Canada
o Canadian Airlines

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Singapore Buys into Virgin
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Singapore Airlines will buy a 49% interest in Virgin Atlantic , the holding company for Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Holidays, Virgin Sun and Virgin's cargo operation, Virgin Aviation Services.

Long term, we can expect to see the 2 carriers codeshare and coordinate schedules to facilitate convenient connections between each other's flights. Singapore is already a partner in Virgin's newly revamped frequent flyer program, Flying Club, as is Virgin a partner in Singapore's KrisFlyer program. In the alliance area, we anticipate Virgin will follow Singapore's lead and join the Star Alliance.

As has been pointed out by both carriers, their route networks are highly complementary, with no overlapping routes. So on paper, the combination is a winner. In the day to day, however, this is an alliance between 2 companies which couldn't be more different. Looking at the organizations from the top down, Virgin is personified by the brash, entrepreneurial wunderkind Richard Branson, while SIA marches to the less-than-frenetic beat of grandfatherly Dr. Cheong Choong Kong. They're the Penn and Teller of airlines, as it were. And like Penn and Teller, the 2 airlines' relationship will stop short of an outright marriage, allowing them to cooperate at the margins while maintaining intact the distinctive core characteristics which have made each a success in its own right.

>> More <<
o Singapore
o Virgin

<< 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."

>> Choose a Good Travel Agent

Do you thin travel agents lead glamorous lives, with some work, but mostly play? Do you think that they probably spend more time on warn beaches than at their desks? Think again. High pressure, high turnover, thin profit margins, cutthroat competition, complex technology, and a constantly changing product are the reality of the travel agency business. In almost all cases, it is wiser to use a trusted travel agent than to call travel suppliers directly. But how do you find a good travel agent?

First, define the services you need from a travel agent; write them down.

Determine fees. Recent cuts in the commissions that airlines pay travel agents mean that travelers now have to foot the bill for certain travel agency services. These fees vary depending on your travel volume and patterns--and they're negotiable.

Ask around. Finding a good travel agent is like finding a good doctor or accountant. Use your network of business contacts, friends, or consultants for recommendations. When you find a good one, stick with him, and refer him to others.

Meet the agency owners and managers. Be sure you are comfortable with them. Let them know you are seeking a long-term relationship. Meet the agents. How long have they been in the business? How familiar are they with your specific travel needs?

Find out if the agency is biased toward certain air carriers. Some travel agencies earn overrides or percentage points that are added to the standard commission the airlines pay only if they favor one airline (and can prove it). If that is the case, you may not always get the lowest fare. However, agencies with these "preferred" relationships are in a better position to pull strings with the airlines to get their clients out of travel jams--and even score upgrades.

Ask about the specialty of the agency. Some agencies are better at leisure travel than business travel, although few will admit it. {You may not want to use a business travel agent to book your honeymoon in St. Lucia or a leisure travel agent to book your four-city sales junket.)

Does the agency have an on-line booking site? If so, is it cheaper to book on-line than with a human agent?

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

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

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AA.com Say What?
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Last time American's AA.com website went down, it was big news on the Internet.

I haven't been able to access the site for most of this week, so I'd count the site "down" again. But I haven't heard of anyone else having similar problems.

Is it just me?

<< B A C K O F T H E B U S >>

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Tips for Travel Abroad
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In response to U.S. State Department warnings of potential Y2K-related health service interruptions around the world, the founder of WorldClinic, Dr. Daniel Carlin, has issued seven preventative tips for American tourists and business travelers planning overseas trips during the New Year period and in early 2000.

"The countries whose medical systems have been identified by the State Department as posing some level of risk include some of the most popular destinations for American tourists," said Dr. Carlin. "Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Egypt, Italy, Morocco and St. Kitts/Nevis are among those nations identified as having some potential risk. Americans need not alter their plans to visit any of these destinations, but being informed and taking appropriate precautions is prudent."

Carlin's tips include:

1) Review the US State Department's evaluation of your destination's Y2K readiness.

"A poor evaluation for Y2K readiness implies that basic services such as water and electricity could be compromised. By extension, healthcare and air travel could be severely curtailed," said Dr. Carlin. "A hospital without electricity or reliable water is not capable of delivering modern medical care." Travelers can access US State Department country Y2K evaluations at http://travel.state.gov/y2kca.html before departure.

2) Obtain hard copies of your medical records before departure and keep them with your important travel documents during your trip.

Travelers can also contact a service such as Medifile Inc. http://www.medifile.com who will store and deliver personal medical records by fax or e-mail anywhere in the world for a flat fee of $45 per year. Travelers can also archive their medical records on-line at several health information web sites.

3) Bring along a supply of water purification tablets and a good travel medical kit including emergency medications like antibiotics, pain, allergy, and motion sickness medicine.

Consumers can obtain these items at a local pharmacy and the kits can be purchased at many sporting goods and outdoor gear stores. If you are going on-line, you can check out the extensive catalogue of supplies offered by Moore Medical at http://www.mooremedical.com or, for the adventurer, you can visit Chinook Medical at http://www.chinookmed.com. Both companies offer a selection of travel health accessories and good quality, fairly priced medical kits.

4) Before departure, write down the location and contact information for the US embassy or consulate in your destination city.

"Embassy staff will have good local knowledge of in-country physicians and hospitals to assist you in an emergency," said Dr. Carlin. "They are also quite good at assisting you in making arrangements in an any emergency." The US State Department web site lists all of the US overseas diplomatic missions at http://www.usia.gov/regional/posts/posts.htm.

5) Pack extra supplies of any prescription medications that you take regularly.

Blister-packs or "bingo cards" are individual pills separately sealed in plastic bubble cards. This process prolongs the shelf life of the medicine and makes them less susceptible to accidental contamination. "Make sure all of your medications have their original labels, and do not combine multiple pills in a single bottle. Customs agents take a very dim view of this practice and may withhold the entire bottle for lack of proper documentation," noted Dr. Carlin.

6) Schedule a visit to a travel clinic immediately if you are planning on visiting an exotic location.

For travel to rural Africa, Asia, South America or Africa, a certified clinic can recommend the necessary immunizations, antibiotics and medications you may need during your trip. Pay close attention to the risk for malaria and yellow fever; both require special intervention. For information about a clinic near you, visit the International Society for Travel and Tropical Medicine clinic directory at http://www.istm.org/clinidir.html or call the Society directly at 770-736-7060.

7) Check the relevant health and disease information about your destination through the Centers for Disease Control.

The travel clinic you visit can give you a good idea of the different disease and risks at your destination. If you want even more information prior to departure, log onto the CDC web site at http://www.cdc.gov/ for the latest information. The Traveler's Health Section provides many region-by-region tips for safe and healthy travel.

Until next week...