Randall Smith

Dear fellow Fodorites, <BR> <BR>I am curious as to how other, not wealthy travelers, who have to purchase their own tickets, use their Frequent Flyer Miles. <BR> <BR>We are currently traveling to France about 3 times per year. Recently I decided to stick with one airline so that I could hopefully use my FF miles to upgrade to business class. When I called the air line I was told that I would have to first purchase a fairly expensive coach ticket ~ $1000 - $1200 per ticket. Since I currently get tickets for our travel dates for about $450 w/ tax, it just doesn't seem reasonable to pay the $2000 + , just not to be miserable for the <BR>7 1/2 hour flight. Maybe I'm just cheap, or I'm not talking to the right people. I was just wondering how other frequent flyers, deal with this problem. <BR> <BR>The next trip will be our 19th flight to Europe. I guess I should of known there is a catch. I have never actually used any FF miles. <BR> <BR>I would appreciate any comments on how others actually use or don't use their FF miles. <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR> <BR>Ciao, <BR> <BR>Randall Smith

airfares

Randall, <BR> <BR>I echo your sentiments EXACTLY! Once someone gave me a free upgrade certificate and I got to fly SFO to LHR business class. Admittedly it was very nice. I didn't even want to fall asleep so I wouldn't miss a moment of the luxury. <BR> <BR>I fly to Europe about 3 times a year. I try to stick to United so I get the benefit of my premier status and economy plus seating (the extra 5 inches makes a HUGE difference). I wonder how wealthy I would have to be to think that the extra $1200 to $1500 for my coach tickets was worth the ability to upgrade. So far I haven't gotten anywhere close to it. Would rather use that money to upgrade my meals and hotels. And my frequent flier miles for free domestic travel.

alice

since we don't go to europe but every two years we have enough ff miles for 2 roundtrips on american in their coach which has the roomier seats now. it doesn't cost anything except to convert the miles for a ticket and advance pre-planning to get the flight we want.

Sjoerd

I fly a lot and am a member of three airlines' frequent flyer systems. I use the miles/points for free tickets. This year, I already got a free Amsterdam - Bangkok return, two Amsterdam - Venice returns and a Amsterdam - Vancouver for free. Maybe I have been lucky, but I never had problems "using" my ff miles.

Marla

We receive ff miles through work and use them to travel to Europe every two years. We accumulated enough this year to fly Business Class to Paris. Flying coach in the off season is 40,000 miles with AA and 80,000 miles year-round for Business class. It's worth the extra trouble to accumulate the miles to us. <BR> <BR>Maybe one of your three trips could be a business class freebie and the others could be normal tickets? Something to think about. Good Luck!

Robin

This has been on my mind a lot in the last year, because I have always resisted these programs for a variety of reasons, some of which are mentioned here. What turned me around is my husband's growing discomfort in coach (no teasing now-- it's that HE's growing; coach is shrinking plus he's pychologically uncomfortable flying!), and the general abuse we all suffer in coach. <BR> <BR>We just took our first trip in Business Class from LA to Boston. We purchased the tickets entirely with miles (It was 25,000 miles to upgrade a fairly expensive ticket, and 40,000 to purchase business class outright-- made more sense to us). What a difference. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that we felt like human beings on a plane for the first time in years. It's not the fancier food or hot towels. The extra space is important, as is the fact that the flight attendants don't act like they are responsible for crowd control at a soccer game, which probably just how it does feel to them. And being off the plane first on arrival is surprisingly nice. As a result, we will now make a sincere effort to rack up miles, since that's the only way we can afford to fly this way. Naturally it matters most on long flights-- we'll be flying coach on shorter jaunts. <BR> <BR>I have to say that I was very pleased with the assistance I got from the mileage plan agent, who help us book our tickets. Buying tickets with miles only has some huge benefits over upgrading, in that you don't have to "pay" for the seat for months if necessary. She pointed this out, and informed us that it was really less costly to use all miles rather than buying upgradable tickets. <BR> <BR>I am beginning to figure out that you have to plan trips a little differently. It apears that it would be a miracle if a miles seat were available on the one day that you intended to make a trip. Therefore it appears to me (since I don't actually have much experience with this yet) that the key is to plan way ahead and get your seat locked in first, then plan your trip around it. It is not really that costly to change a flight later, if your first choice day comes available. <BR> <BR>Maybe in your case, Randall, your schdule is not flexible enough to use miles on your regular trips to France. But surely you can use them on a leisure trip at some other time. I have to assume you've got quite a pot of miles of you travel to Europe that often. <BR> <BR>Like any "benefit", these things are full of rules to ensure that it is't all that easy to take advantage of it! But I can now say that I'm a convert, and I'm trying to learn to play the game!

Robin

Good grief, I didn't realize how I had rambled on. I'll stop now.

Diane

After our trip to Italy this year, we have enough ff miles to get coach tickets next Spring. But I've decided instead to get sale fares to Europe and keep earning miles so we can do the Business class seats instead to Europe at a later date...or cross country to visit friends in Vancouver...

Jeannette

I saved up all year so I could upgrade to business class. When I booked 2 months in advance, I was told that no upgradeable seats remained for the 3 weeks on either side of our scheduled vacation even flying into other European cities. They told me that I need to book a year in advance to use my miles to upgrade. We're on a waiting list for an upgrade now. We've been told by two airline employees and one friend that we'll never succeed. On the other hand, one airline agent said it happens all the time. I'm not holding my breath but I guess I'll have to book now for next year if I want an upgrade!

Joan Doyle

I'm a little confused by all this talk of dfficulty in using Frequent Flyer miles. I flew from New Orleans to Gat- wick last November; paid $700 for my RT coach seat and then used my 40,000 FF miles to ujpgrade to Delta's Business Elite. The trip over was so deluxe that it ruined me for coach travel forever after; on the trip back my seat was changed (still in BE) so that I was seated next to a young man who was coming down with what turned out to be a powerful virus. Within three days of my return it had floored me--and it came back and sent me to bed a total of four times. I am not making future travel plans for ANY section of the plane.

Angel

In early december last year I flew RT on Continental to Europe from Texas at a faresale price of $450. I was able to upgrade my return portion to Business First using One-Pass miles. <BR>Of course upgrading on flights to/from Europe is near impossible during the holiday season or summertime!

Santa Chiara

<BR>First, Randall, thanks for posting this question. I am just as confused as you are. After being unexpectedly upgraded on a recent trip to the U.S., I understand the benefits of business class. <BR> <BR>Angel, if I understand your post correctly, you were able to upgrade one way? What was the cost in miles? Did you upgrade at the airport upon your return or did you arrange this before you left? Will they take a first-born child in exchange? <BR> <BR>Thanks for all the information. <BR>

Art

I traveled for business for 5 years and collected a lot of FF miles. I have used them the last 4 years to upgrade to Business class. Yes the tickers are more expensive (this year open jaw tickets into Berlin and returning from Frankfurt was $1300. I searched for fares through several search engines and found fares ranging from the $1300 to as much as $4,000. I only booked 5 months in advance. I did have to modify my arrivel and departure locations a bit to get them, but this was a small price to pay. This is the only area I splurge as I leave from LA. I don't stay in 3,4 or %* hotels, usually private homes when I can find them. I don't eat expensive meals very often. My primary focus is to be around local people as much as possable. The upgrde is worth it to me as after a very long flight, I arrive refreshed having slept the night away. I stay with one airline for my travel. Also if you become a gold FF you can very often get automatically upgraded without using FF miles. <BR>Regards, <BR>Art <BR>

John H

Randall, <BR> <BR>I only use frequent flyer miles for two types of tickets: <BR> <BR>1) last minute domestic tickets, usually caused by illness or death. If I couldn't use miles for these, the fares would be outrageous. So, I always keep some miles in reserve for this purpose. <BR> <BR>2) International business class upgrades or free international business or first class tickets. <BR> <BR>Simply put, the relative value of frequent flyer miles is maximized when you use them for either of the above kinds of tickets. With business class tickets running $3,000-$4,000 to Europe, I'd just as soon pay the "H" class coach fare ($1100-1200) and upgrade for 40K miles round trip. (You can upgrade only one way for 20K miles; I'd suggest doing it on the overnight outbound flight if you were to do that). <BR> <BR>Two additional comments: <BR> <BR>1) Traditionally, at least on United, flying business class across the Atlantic has not been comparable to business class across the Pacific, where -- due to competitive pressures -- business class seats have almost 10 inches more pitch and much greater reclining capability. [Delta's Business Elite would be an exception -- their seats were great] I think Business Class seats are now being upgraded across the Atlantic, which will make business class tickets to Europe even better uses of miles than in the past. <BR> <BR>2) A benefit of upgrading, rather than trading in for free business class tickets, is that you earn miles (including normal bonuses) on your paid ticket. If you are a 50K/year flyer on United, for example, a round trip ticket from the west coast to Europe will earn you 20-24K miles (including the 100% bonus for being a Premier Executive flyer). So, the "net" cost of a business class upgrade from a coach ticket can be as low as 15-20K miles. Thus, another priority for me is to always fly at least 50K miles a year, so that I earn double miles on all of my flights. <BR> <BR>John H