ExpertFlyer Blog

US Air Rebrands and Changes Dividend Miles

2009-11-10T23:20:54-05:00

The US Air frequent flyer program will now be called "GoAwards", however changes to the program may prevent its members from doing that any time soon. The biggest change is the introduction of two additional tiers of awards. Now flyers have “Off-peak,” “Low, “Medium,” and “High” to chose from, when available.

However, according to the US Air website, the window of opportunity for Off-peak seats is sevearly limited, as will probably be for "Low" as well, which might result in more miles needed to fly then before. You can compare the old award chart to the new one to see how the changes affect you.

The new changes go into effect January 6, 2010

Frequent Flyer Program Update Roundup

2009-10-28T15:24:06-04:00

There have been many recent changes to some of the most popular airline loyalty programs. Here's the rundown:

American Airlines - If you haven't heard yet, AA will be making some long awaited changes to the redemption of upgrade awards. The highlight being that now even tickets booked in the lowest O, Q (discount coach) and I (discount business) classes are eligible for upgrades. The downside is that the US/Canada and Hawaii co-pays just went up to $75 and $175 respectively. Now if American would allow the use of additional miles to pay the co-pays with, that would be really something. Get all the details here.

United Airlines - In order to stay competitive with its peers, United just announced new perks for their Mileage Plus program elite members including Unlimited Domestic Upgrades starting in the second quarter of 2010 (first announced on FlyerTalk). However this change isn't necessarily good for all United elites. Mark Ashley of Upgrade: Better Travel recently said it best:

If you’re an entry-level elite (Premier) you’re not going to upgrade much. Previously, a Premier Executive or 1K would have to request an upgrade and offer up some certificates, but now those elites will automatically jump ahead of the Premiers. If you live in a city with a lot of United elites (Chicago, San Francisco, DC, Denver, for starters…) and you’re “just” a Premier, say adios to hot nuts.

Jet Blue - The TrueBlue frequent flyer program is about to get a relaunch on November 9th. The announcement highlights new features that will put JetBlue on par with most major programs including no blackout dates, points that don't expire, and the ability to earn more bonus points the more you fly.

Not to be out done, Virgin America just announced free WiFi on all flights between November 10, 2009 and January 15, 2010, courtesy of Google. It's a smart move on Google's part and we hope the beginning of a trend towards free/sponsored WiFi year round.

Speaking of free vs free, Joe Brancatelli wrote a thought provoking article about The Truth About Airline Bag Fees. He explores a valid question: while fee income is rising for airlines, are they doing more harm then good to their bottom lines by turning off otherwise loyal customers? The bean counters can't count everything it seems.

United and Southwest Perks and Promotions

2009-09-22T16:17:27-04:00

United Airlines has announced that it is rolling out a bundle called Premier Travel, which can be purchased online when booking or when checking in. It lets you check two bags at no charge, use premium security and boarding lines, get a seat in United’s “Economy Plus’’ coach section and earn a 25% mileage bonus. Also with Premier Travel Plus, you get double miles and access to United’s airport clubs. For short trips, Premier Travel starts at $47 each way and Premier Travel Plus starts at $84 each way. All the details can be found here.

Also, Southwest Airlines is bringing back double credits for a little over a month. You can get double frequent-flier credits on flights between September 17th and October 31st. Details and registration for the promotion can be found here.

Qantas Awards now available on ExpertFlyer

2009-09-13T20:44:21-04:00

We're happy to announce that full Qantas Award availability for all 4 cabins is available again on ExpertFlyer.com. Not only can you search for Award inventory and know the exact number of award available on a flight, but you can use our unique Flight Alert feature to have our system notify you when an award becomes available that is currently unavailable.

As always the full list of airlines/class that we show Award & Upgrade inventory for is here.

Changes to Continental OnePass Program

2009-09-13T20:35:10-04:00

Continental Airlines recently announced changes that are to take effect once it joins Star Alliance on October 27th. Here's the breakdown:

There will be no same-day change fees for Platinum Elite members for tickets purchased on or after Oct. 1, 2009.
Reward travel will no longer require a Saturday night stay.
Travelers will earn 100% Elite Qualification Miles and Elite Qualification Points on discounted fares regardless of where the ticket is purchased or issued.
Elite bonuses will be based on the minimum mileage earned instead of the actual flight miles flown.
Starting Dec. 15, Continental will charge $75 for non-elite frequent fliers to book a ticket less than 21 days in advance, as well as to redeposit miles or change a reservation. The fee is $25 for Gold Elite members, $50 for Silver Elite and no charge for Platinum Elite.
Some mileage requirements for reward travel will change for travel booked beginning October 27, although coach tickets would continue to be available at 20,000 miles.
Effective January 1, 2010:
- All members worldwide will earn 125% base miles on F, C, J and D fare classes.
- All members worldwide will earn 1.5 Elite Qualification Points when they purchase and fly in fare classes F, C, J, D, Z, Y and B on flights operated by Continental.