Consider driving to another airport to use your frequent-flier miles

Fodor's member mrssparky recently asked fellow travelers in our Air Travel Forum how far they were willing to drive in order to use accumulated frequent flier miles. In her situation, she was unable to book tickets using her miles from the airport closest to her home, but found that there were options from a larger hub farther away. According to one member, shirleyk, the savings are sometimes worth the drive:

"We have driven 4 hours from our home to get good flight prices. We usually will drive to near the airport the day before, stay at a hotel that has free transportation to the airport and offers free parking of our car while we are gone. Then when we return, get the free shuttle to the hotel, and drive home. Sometime we have saved $800 EACH on the price of the flight by doing this, but mostly saved $200 or $300 each. If you are using FF miles, you are only paying the taxes and the overnight at a hotel (if you stay over)."

From the Forums: How far would you drive to use frequent flier miles?