Airlines

[QUOTE=Sidney]They are reserving the front of coach for higher fares, plus exit rows and bulkhead![/QUOTE]The front section of UA coach is called "Economy Plus" and it has 3-5 extra inches of legroom. UA frequent flyers get them for free. Most airlines reserved the exit and bulkhead rows for the their frequent flyers also, just like UA.

Well I see that we all have a preference to what airline we choose, they all have flaws, I relize that, I work for UAL and I can tell you some horror storys about UAL, and yes I have run in to some bitches at the counter and tryed to charge me extra for for over the 50 lbs per bag, even when I told the ***** that I was a employee, some people are just assholes, you get them everywhere, and I luggage that didn't make the flight with me and when it finally arrived to BA and to my place it had been opened and things were missing, I complained and I got a check from UAL for the things that were stolen. No airline is perfect, but as a UAL ramp employee we try to make all the bags on the flights, some just don't make it because TSA is to slow to check bags and some don't care, the loader's the load the bags in the xray machines don't care what bags leave first, its just a snowball efect.

And in the case of the man that likes to get the exit row seat all the time.

Yes you have more leg roome but the seat does not recline as much as the other seats, the ual flight to BA is a senior flight that means that the flight atendents have over 20 years of service, so they are old cranky and don't take any shit from anyone, but thats life.

Hope you all have a great flight with what ever airlines you fly.

Willy

[QUOTE=Meforu 2000]the ual flight to ba is a senior flight that means that the flight atendents have over 20 years of service, so they are old cranky and don't take any shit from anyone, but thats life.

Hope you all have a great flight with what ever airlines you fly.

Willy[/QUOTE]I just flew on ual. I don't mind 'older' flight attendants.

Not taking shit from anyone?

How about a lousy cup of coffee when its out of their routine?

The staff was terrible! Bad attitude. Poor service!

I have prem exec with UAL and keep using it for that reason, but strongly considering moving to another if I can get in at premiere levels (some airlines used to offer that to get you to move)

[QUOTE=Punter 127]I believe all you have to do is tell them you want AA miles and not LAN miles and provide your AA number when you check in.

You can have your miles flown on LAN credited to any oneworld Alliance airline.[/QUOTE]I think UAL used to give you credit for miles but those miles didn't go to status. You could spend them for tickets and upgrades but miles flown on non-UAL flights didn't count towards Premier, Premier Exec, ect. I might be wrong about this though. Meforu what's the dealio?

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz]I think UAL used to give you credit for miles but those miles didn't go to status. You could spend them for tickets and upgrades but miles flown on non-UAL flights didn't count towards Premier, Premier Exec, ect. I might be wrong about this though. Meforu what's the dealio?[/QUOTE]Dad,

You are correct. These miles do not give you "status" but are redeemable for flights.

[url]http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/AAdvantage/partners/airlines/lan.jsp[/url]

[QUOTE=Miami Bob]flights not operated by american crews are not qualifying[url]http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/AAdvantage/partners/airlines/lan.jsp[/url][/QUOTE] I sure can't find where it says that, could you show us the quote?

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz]I think UAL used to give you credit for miles but those miles didn't go to status. You could spend them for tickets and upgrades but miles flown on non-UAL flights didn't count towards Premier, Premier Exec, ect. I might be wrong about this though. Meforu what's the dealio?[/QUOTE]I don't know about UAL, but I fly Japan air and get both miles and status miles on AA. (but I don't get bonus miles) if you read the link Bob and I posted it tells you how the miles are credited.

The way I read it the only time you don't get miles is if the flight is wholly in Argentina, Wholly Within Peru, or Wholly Within Continental Chile.

[quote=AA] Qualifying miles, points and segments count toward AAdvantage Executive Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum, and AAdvantage Gold status and bonuses. To attain AAdvantage elite status, a member must fly on at least four American Airlines or American Eagle flights within the qualifying year. Flight mileage may not accrue on flights operated by carriers other than oneworld carriers.[/quote] Lan is a oneworld carrier.

Please note link tell you how the mile and.
[url]http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/AAdvantage/partners/airlines/lan.jsp[/url]

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz]I think UAL used to give you credit for miles but those miles didn't go to status. You could spend them for tickets and upgrades but miles flown on non-UAL flights didn't count towards Premier, Premier Exec, ect. I might be wrong about this though. Meforu what's the dealio?[/QUOTE]Not true at all. Flights on Star Alliance airlines (such as Lufthansa, US Airways, SAS, Air Canada. Etc) count toward UAL Mileage Plus elite qualifying status. Miles earned from other UAL partners such as TACA, Aer Lingus, Emirates are only good for things like free tickets and upgrades.

LAN is not partner with UAL in anyway. So no miles of any kind for United Mileage Plus program when flying on LAN.

[QUOTE=Punter 127]The way I read it the only time you don't get miles is if the flight is wholly in Argentina, Wholly Within Peru, or Wholly Within Continental Chile.[/QUOTE]Flights within those areas get 25% of the miles.

[QUOTE=Sportsman]Not true at all. Flights on Star Alliance airlines (such as Lufthansa, US Airways, SAS, Air Canada, etc) count toward UAL Mileage Plus elite qualifying status. Miles earned from other UAL partners such as TACA, Aer Lingus, Emirates are only good for things like free tickets and upgrades.

LAN is not partner with UAL in anyway. So no miles of any kind for United Mileage Plus program when flying on LAN.[/QUOTE]Sportsman is 100% correct, as soon as I read the post I remembered. One other thing be careful about using miles on non star allience airlines for upgrades. In a perfect world it should work but I remember many cases of upgrades booked through star allience carriers that the system just wouldn't recognize. However I have been out of the game for awhile so perhaps those bugs are worked out.

The key wording here is "elite-qualifying".

[quote=AAdvantage]Earn elite-qualifying points, miles, and segments when you purchase eligible fare tickets and fly on American Airlines, American Eagle®, AmericanConnection®, Alaska Airlines (including Horizon Air) British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, (including Dragonair) Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines (including Japan Asia Airways, JALways, Japan Transocean Air, JAL Express, and J-Air) LAN Airlines (including LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador, LAN Express and LAN Peru) Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Jordanian, and American Airlines codeshare flights where the ticket reflects an American Airlines coded flight number.[/quote] This link just came with my monthly AAdvantage Platinum Account Summary.

[url]http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/AAdvantage/programDetails/eliteStatus/qualificationRequirements.jsp[/url]

Sorry Daddy I don't have any info on miles, but I see that their are a lot of nollegable people here.

[QUOTE=Meforu 2000]sorry Daddy I don't have any info on miles, but I see that their are a lot of nollegable people here.[/QUOTE]Merforu, are you Exon in disguise?

Many of the airlines have introduced all sorts of bullshit fees. Bag fees. Ticketing fees. Parner fees. As some of you have found out, they're also killing accounts that don't have activity in 12, 18 or 24 months in many cases.

The only way to combat this crap, is to know what your options are. Make sure you print out the luggage rules when you book a ticket. Usually if you buy a ticket under a certain luggage rule, then even if they change it later, you're grandfathered in.

Many of the fees are waived if you're an elite with an airline. Most US airlines have double EQM (qualifying miles) promos until the middle of June. This lets you become elite twice as fast. You don't get actual extra miles to redeem awards, though.

I've been a Northwest elite for a number of years. They had one of the best award programs in the US. Then they merged with Delta, and everything got fucked up, royally. I've blown through 1.7 million miles in the last 9 months, and still have another 600k left.

I've booked 80% biz class flights with my miles. If you have a lot of miles sitting around in ANY frequently flyer program, I would strongly recommend you use them sooner, rather than later.

As a recap, here are the US FF plans that I think are the best:

AA - Has some of the best miles out there. I value them twice as much as Delta / NW miles. They're easy to use, and have nice one way awards now, plus off season awards at cheaper prices. If you're US based, the AA Citibank credit cards have some great sign up bonuses. As much as 35k, almost enough for a free trip to EZE.

Elite levels are at 25k, 50k and 100k.

CO - Free upgrades in the US are a bit of a hit and miss. If you're flying to the Caribbean or Central or Northern South America, it's much better. I find CO service to be pretty good. For top tier members, you get most fees waived, including free changes on award tickets. CO will be moving to the Star Alliance on October 24th, 2009. You will then be able to credit UA, US, SQ, LH and other Alliance member flights to the CO program.

I think the elite levels are changing at CO, to match the UA program, but I'm not 100% sure of this. I think for now, it's 25k, 50k and 75k for their elite levels. CO also has a special for Latin America customers where you pay $199, and get a free silver membership, mileage voucher, and some discounted coupons. This is a pretty good deal if you're flying on routes that you can upgrade. Usually North America to Northern South America (Peru, Colombia, etc) are upgradeable. This membership will get you some fees waived too, and you'll get bonus miles for your flights.

UA - I've heard good things about their program from friends, but I know that most of the really good benefits you've got to be top tier, 100K flown per year.

If anyone is looking for a coach or biz class flight to EZE on Delta or Continental, let me know. I still have those 600k miles to burn, and we might be able to work something out.

And a final comment, if you fly 25k miles a year, or 12.5k with these double promos right now, you have no excuse not to be an elite member. The benefits are good, and you get better treatment from staff, and access to the first class line, extra baggage allowances, and special phone numbers to call for help, in some cases.

If you always just go for the cheapest flight, and hop from one airline to the next, you're probably wasting a lot of opportunities.

I recently noted that Air Tran will now be offering Wi-fi service on all their flights. They are wiring all their planes to offer the service and the news said it is just a matter of time before all the other air carriers do the same. Great revenue source.

Now I feel like Seinfeld with " whats the deal with wi-fi on airlines? Wasn't 911 enough, now we have to make it easier to communicate or download diabolical programs. And what about your neighbor in 13c who is watching porn, not that that is a bad thing.

Perhaps I am missing something here, but can people not endure 2 or three hours without contact with their emails? It is certainly every ones choice I am not sure they really thought this one out. Comments welcome.

[QUOTE=Master J]Perhaps I am missing something here, but can people not endure 2 or three hours without contact with their emails? It is certainly every ones choice I am not sure they really thought this one out. Comments welcome.[/QUOTE]From the Crackberry addicts who never put their phones into airline mode, I can tell you that some people just can't go without internet access.

I paid for internet in 2006 on a Korean Air flight across the Pacific, and enjoyed having the service. A number of US carriers are installing internet now. I know Delta has it up on a number of flights, and I recall a couple of others are working on it. I doubt I'd pay for it on a 3 hour flight, but might for a 6 hour or longer.

I tried inputing some dates for Medellin. I could get there with my miles but the problem would be coming back! After looking at one way fares on avianca and american I realized that it would be cheaper to book a roundtrip ticket.

Does anyone know a trick to getting one way fares at a good price?

[QUOTE=Artisttyp]I tried inputing some dates for Medellin. I could get there with my miles but the problem would be coming back! After looking at one way fares on avianca and american I realized that it would be cheaper to book a roundtrip ticket.

Does anyone know a trick to getting one way fares at a good price?[/QUOTE]Yes, I know quite a few tricks. If you're looking to use an award for one way, and buy the trip back, then that's pretty difficult for most international travel.

One of the best tools is still:

[url]http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/prego[/url]

For dates in August, I checked one way MDE-NYC, best fare was over $700. For a RT originating in NYC for the same dates, I see an AA flight (with connections in lovely Miami) for $365.

$365.70 in US Dollars.

1 adult @ $365.70

Show booking details.

This ticket is non-refundable.

Changes to this ticket will incur a penalty fee.

Airport legend:



JFK: New York J F Kennedy.

MIA: Miami Int'l.

MDE: Medellin JM Cordova Int'l.



New York, NY to Medellin, Colombia: 2477 miles 8 hrs 45 min.

American Airlines American Airlines Flight AA1291 on an Airbus A300 (jet) in coach class.

(food for purchase)

Departs New York, NY (JFK) Wed, Aug. 19 5:45a 3 hrs 4 min.

Arrives Miami, FL (MIA) 8:49a.

Layover in Miami 2 hrs 26 min.

American Airlines American Airlines Flight AA919 on a Boeing 737 (jet) in coach class.

(lunch, movie)

Departs Miami, FL (MIA) Wed, Aug. 19 11:15a 3 hrs 15 min.

Arrives Medellin, Colombia (MDE) 1:30p.



Medellin, Colombia to New York, NY: 2477 miles 8 hrs 15 min.

American Airlines American Airlines Flight AA924 on a Boeing 737 (jet) in coach class.

(breakfast, movie)

Departs Medellin, Colombia (MDE) Wed, Sept. 9 8:20a 3 hrs 20 min.

Arrives Miami, FL (MIA) 12:40p.

Layover in Miami 1 hr 40 min.

American Airlines American Airlines Flight AA902 on a Boeing 757 (jet) in coach class.

(food for purchase)

Departs Miami, FL (MIA) Wed, Sept. 9 2:20p 3 hrs 15 min.

Arrives New York, NY (JFK) 5:35p

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]Yes, I know quite a few tricks. If you're looking to use an award for one way, and buy the trip back, then that's pretty difficult for most international travel. [/QUOTE]I appreciate the time you took to respond. Thank you. It seems like the rewards for one way tickets are very similar to what round trip tickets used to be minus the 12k restricted one way.

I think it might make more sense to wait until you get a free RT domestic and use that to make your international flight cheaper (ie. Go through miami) Even still timing might be an issue and you will find yourself with a long layover.

These miles programs are more of a nuisance than anything else. I believe there has to be more of a benefit to AA versus the customer. Most promotions for anything these days are questionable.

You are better off doing it the other way around. Buy the ticket out, and use your awards to come back. For some reason it's cheaper to buy tickets in the US, then when you are outside the US. E who is always at Mad, ask me too look for a one way ticket from EZE to NY and I notices there was a 200 dollar difference in price. If you start in NY it was cheaper, then if you start in BA. This was back in March. Even on round trips. Don't know why. My guess would be there is more competition in the US then outside. Plus back then, most 1 ways tickets where the same price as round trips.

[QUOTE=Tessan]You are better off doing it the other way around. Buy the ticket out, and use your awards to come back. For some reason it's cheaper to buy tickets in the US, then when you are outside the US. E who is always at Mad, ask me too look for a one way ticket from EZE to NY and I notices there was a 200 dollar difference in price. If you start in NY it was cheaper, then if you start in BA. This was back in March. Even on round trips. Don't know why. My guess would be there is more competition in the US then outside. Plus back then, most 1 ways tickets where the same price as round trips.[/QUOTE]That's the problem with many programs. They severely restrict awards to the general public. That is another big benefit for being top tier elite (and sometimes mid level) is that they open more awards.

One of the most common problems in using award tickets is that people take what the website says as gospel. There are often different ways to get to your city, that the website doesn't show, and that most agents won't check.

Always check for partners. AA has a lot of them. You'll generally have to call to use them. Sometimes they may charge you a phone fee for booking, but you're usually better off in the long run.

If you're only willing to fly direct, you're missing out on a lot of opportunities. I burned some miles last year to come back from Indonesia. This was after the merger was announced and trying to get a biz class seat out of NW was nearly impossible. I checked other cities in SE Asia, and finally found that if I did a one day stopover in Japan on the way there, and will stop in Seoul on the way back. Not the best way to do it, but a one day stop in these interesting cities won't really hurt me either.

As for our friend E, he learned the hard way about watching his frequent flyer account. Airlines like Delta are some of the worst at changing the expiration dates of the miles, and all of a sudden, "poof", they're gone.

There are ways to get to EZE for about $500-600 in Biz class, one way, but the method takes a lot of patience, and it's not something I'll publish how to do.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]There are ways to get to EZE for about $500-600 in Biz class, one way, but the method takes a lot of patience, and it's not something I'll publish how to do.[/QUOTE]Does it involve a gun and mask?

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz]Does it involve a gun and mask?[/QUOTE]Not in the least. I know a number of people who basically fly business class, wherever they want, for free or at a very low cost. Not buddy passes, not airline employees flying for free.

Most I won't disclose, for fear of ruining them. Some simple ones are: Citibank has an American Airlines credit card. They have offers from 25k to 35k mileage, once you spend $750. You can do two at one time, so you've got 50-70k plus your credit card spend. You can repeat this every two months or so (you must wait a bit over two months from the time the accounts were approved) Keep the card for a couple of months, and then cancel them, usually right after you're approved for for the new ones. You can get over 300k in free miles a year doing this. That's 3 free RT to EZE in Biz class every year, for very minimal effort.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]Not in the least. I know a number of people who basically fly business class, wherever they want, for free or at a very low cost. Not buddy passes, not airline employees flying for free.

Most I won't disclose, for fear of ruining them. Some simple ones are: Citibank has an American Airlines credit card. They have offers from 25k to 35k mileage, once you spend $750. You can do two at one time, so you've got 50-70k plus your credit card spend. You can repeat this every two months or so (you must wait a bit over two months from the time the accounts were approved) Keep the card for a couple of months, and then cancel them, usually right after you're approved for for the new ones. You can get over 300k in free miles a year doing this. That's 3 free RT to EZE in Biz class every year, for very minimal effort.[/QUOTE]Thanks for the tips Jimmy Carter,

Your travel tips are far greater than were your Presidential policies.

Thanks again,

Jack

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]Not in the least. I know a number of people who basically fly business class, wherever they want, for free or at a very low cost. Not buddy passes, not airline employees flying for free.

Most I won't disclose, for fear of ruining them. Some simple ones are: Citibank has an American Airlines credit card. They have offers from 25k to 35k mileage, once you spend $750. You can do two at one time, so you've got 50-70k plus your credit card spend. You can repeat this every two months or so (you must wait a bit over two months from the time the accounts were approved) Keep the card for a couple of months, and then cancel them, usually right after you're approved for for the new ones. You can get over 300k in free miles a year doing this. That's 3 free RT to EZE in Biz class every year, for very minimal effort.[/QUOTE]JC (Idont mean Jesus Christ)

Great idea to get miles, if it works. Pretty bad for your credit rating!

B.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero] You can get over 300k in free miles a year doing this. That's 3 free RT to EZE in Biz class every year, for very minimal effort.[/QUOTE]Sr. Cartero,

While I definitely admire your style and certainly flying for free beats the shit out of paying, FF programs don't always work out for some of us.

I generally fly between BsAs and either California or France 4-5 times per year with approximately 2 weeks notice and usually have to fly on specific dates. Any tips for getting the most out of my flying dollar?

-S

[QUOTE=Bizzie]JC (Idont mean Jesus Christ)

Great idea to get miles, if it works. Pretty bad for your credit rating!

Be.[/QUOTE]Not really. You might take a hit of 5 points or so for some of the hard pulls. If you apply for both AA cards on the same day, it only counts as one. I know guys who have been doing this again and again for years.

[QUOTE=Schmoj]Sr. Cartero,

While I definitely admire your style and certainly flying for free beats the shit out of paying, FF programs don't always work out for some of us.

I generally fly between BsAs and either California or France 4-5 times per year with approximately 2 weeks notice and usually have to fly on specific dates. Any tips for getting the most out of my flying dollar?

-S[/QUOTE]Just pick an airline that you can get good benefits from. If you're using Flying Poo, er, Flying Blue (AF / KLM) then they've axed their frequent flyer program as of April this year. Reduced mileage earning tickets, and upped the amount of miles you need.

Usually American Airlines or Continental are my favorite FF plans. I can't say that I really fly AA a lot, but their miles are some of the best.

The most important thing you need to determine is what you want. Do you want free upgrades, free trips in coach, free trips in Biz / FC? Whatever you do, you should be at least Gold status, and possibly Platinum, with the amount you're flying.

If you're buying revenue tickets, and flying on short notice, you may end up paying through the nose. In some cases, you can actually find a RTW in Biz or Coach that is cheaper than paying the normal fare.

Right now RTW trips are cheaper in certain countries. There are forums on [url]www.flyertalk.com[/url] that talk about specifics. That's where I get 75% of my info, and you can find out most stuff by just cruising the forums there.

For what it's worth, I tried applying for a second credit card from United Airlines a couple years ago on an offer that included first year fees waived and 25K miles, right after I cancelled my previous card which was up for renewal. They let me have it for no annual fee, but wouldn't give me the bonus miles. Apparently, they keep track of multiple accounts for the same person.

United Airlines is offering reduced mileage award trips to BA this summer for 40K miles (usually 55K) The promo is until 8/31 for trips booked by 5/24. This is a great deal for people flying from DC since UA has a non-stop flight from IAD to EZE. Also, you can get additional UA miles by applying for thier buisness and gold class cards.

[QUOTE=BA Luvr]For what it's worth, I tried applying for a second credit card from United Airlines a couple years ago on an offer that included first year fees waived and 25K miles, right after I cancelled my previous card which was up for renewal. They let me have it for no annual fee, but wouldn't give me the bonus miles. Apparently, they keep track of multiple accounts for the same person.[/QUOTE]Did I mention a United Airlines credit card? Each airline and bank that issues the credit card is different. I gave very specific details.

This is the special offer I'm taking advantage of to make this trip to Buenos Aires. Sweet deal. Took awhile to decide between Buenos Aires, Rio de Janiero and San Paulo.

I think I made a great choice.

Others should take advantage of this opportunity.

[QUOTE=Tequila Tim]United Airlines is offering reduced mileage award trips to BA this summer for 40K miles (usually 55K) The promo is until 8/31 for trips booked by 5/24. This is a great deal for people flying from DC since UA has a non-stop flight from IAD to EZE. Also, you can get additional UA miles by applying for thier buisness and gold class cards.[/QUOTE]

It seems that credit card mileage may be a thing of the past in the U. S. due to the new law that the congress just passed regulating credit card fees.

[QUOTE=David_33]It seems that credit card mileage may be a thing of the past in the U. S. Due to the new law that the congress just passed regulating credit card fees.[/QUOTE]That may be true. At a minimum, you could wrack up 50-60k miles in minutes though. Credit cards are not going to just shut down, though. They may try to scare you, but they'll still need new customers, and will be willing to do some nice promotions to get you.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]That may be true. At a minimum, you could wrack up 50-60k miles in minutes though. Credit cards are not going to just shut down, though. They may try to scare you, but they'll still need new customers, and will be willing to do some nice promotions to get you.[/QUOTE]Jimmy Carter, are you in the travel industry? You seem to have a wonderful insight in this realm.

Thanks again for the input,

Jack

Since LAN has raised its requirements for top freq. flier status, I now have to fly 90,000 km. a year including three RT business class flights. Last year it was 50,000 km. and two business class flights. Since the cheapest qualifying business class flights from Lima are to Bs As, I usually fly there. The prices have never changed in the past. Always around $1200 plus taxes. This price stayed steady whether purchasing far in advance, or at the last minute.

I'm going next week for a few days and checked out the LAN site this morning. I was pleasantly surprised to see a price of $624 RT in business (without taxes) half the usual fare. TACA has come out with real cheap business class flights, and maybe this is why LAN has dropped the fares. Needless to say, I got out the credit card and locked in the price.

[url]http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/05/29/mileage-run-math-how-800-and-50-hours-of-flying-could-save-14000/[/url]