Merger talk rules the day, from reported talks at Delta to the possible affect on alliances

Merger talk is a hot topic again today in aviation news, with several prominent news outlets picking up the subject. The latest update on the subject comes from The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), which says Delta "has opened merger negotiations with both UAL's United Airlines and Northwest Airlines, and hopes to negotiate a merger agreement with one of the airlines over the next two weeks, according to people familiar with the situation. … Delta executives, who completed a round of preliminary discussions with United and Northwest before seeking board permission for formal talks, plan to move swiftly and present the preferred partner to Delta directors when they next meet in early February. A deal could be announced as early as mid-February, according to those people."

Scott McCartney, The Middle Seat columnist for The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), writes "when big airlines merge, it changes life for travelers, leading to higher ticket prices, poorer service and maybe even a switch in the credit card you carry." He says that 'for the fractured airline industry, where nine big airlines fight coast-to-coast, removing large competitors and bulking up flight schedules could be a way to better survive high oil prices and recession instead of the bankruptcies and turmoil of past downturns." That's led to talk of mergers –- including recent speculation about Delta –- but so far no big mergers have materialized since US Airways and America West combined in 2005.

McCartney says fliers often bear the brunt of merger difficulties, facing disgruntled workers, reduced service, operational snafus and the likelihood of higher fares. Mergers also bring more frequent fliers and elite-level fliers under a single program, something many predict will make it harder to redeem miles or to use the perks of elite status. On the other side, however, McCartney says that "also opens up new destinations where travelers can get free tickets, and lets elite-level fliers use their benefits like early boarding and better seating on more flights." Frequent-flier guru Randy Petersen says: "Supply and demand evens out a little bit when programs get bigger." Consolidation could also help congestion, though conditions could worsen at certain hubs and opportunistic rivals would likely eventually replace much of the capacity cut by any merging rivals.

But if any of the current round of merger talk actually does move past speculation, the next hurdle could come from federal regulators. For example, Reuters says Delta "would face an unprecedented airline antitrust review if it decides to propose a merger with either Northwest Airlines or United Airlines parent UAL. Industry consultants, lawyers, and former government officials agree either merger would present the Justice Department with its toughest airline test. And with a crucial election year underway, Congress would certainly weigh in."

Another significant roadblock could come from labor. In a separate story, Reuters suggests "U.S. airlines may have to pay a hefty price to the industry's powerful labor unions in order to secure backing for merger deals, but any concessions may ultimately quash the benefits of linking up in the first place. With talk of consolidation sweeping through the U.S. airline industry, pilot and flight attendant unions see an opportunity to flex their muscle and regain some of the hundreds of millions of dollars of wages and benefits lost during the industry's five-year slump, which ended in 2006. But if airline executives give in to union demands to roll back concessions and protect jobs, they may erode the cost savings and capacity cuts that are supposed to justify a deal."

AA's short-hop awards last through February

As 2007 comes to a close, American Airlines continues to offer one of the best deals for frequent-fliers taking short trips. Though it's not a new option, it's worth pointing out that American's "short-hop award" tickets will continue to be available for travel through Feb. 29. The award allows travelers taking short nonstop flights –- 750 miles each or less each way –- to redeem just 15,000 miles for a free ticket. Normally, 25,000 miles are required. A short list of markets eligible for the "short hop award"s travel includes: Chicago-Philadelphia; Boston-Raleigh/Durham; Toronto-New York LaGuardia; Dallas/Fort Worth-Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss; Miami-Savannah, Ga.; St. Louis-New Orleans; and Los Angeles-San Francisco.

Midwest expands codesharing relationship with Northwest

Midwest Airlines announced Thursday that it is extending its codeshare agreement with Northwest. The extended pact will include nonstop Northwest flights from Indianapolis to Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma and Tampa. Passengers may begin travel in Indianapolis or in any of the new codeshare cities. Codeshare deals allow airlines to put their flight numbers on a partner airline and sell connecting seats on that airline –- all on a single itinerary. Midwest says its latest codeshare expansion with Northwest will "greatly expand the networks of both carriers by adding 250 city pairs and more than 1,000 new flight options."

The two Midwest-based carriers began their codesharing partnership Nov. 17. The "first phase" of that alliance covered flights from Midwest's Kansas City and Milwaukee hubs to West Coast cities, where connections are available on Northwest flights to Hawaii. "Our agreement with Northwest gives customers the convenience of a single ticket transaction and the ability to earn miles in the awards program of their choice," says Scott Dickson, Midwest's chief marketing officer. Midwest adds this is the largest codeshare Midwest has entered into in its 23-year history and is an expansion of a successful reciprocal frequent flier relationship between Midwest and Northwest that began in May 2006."

The expansion, of course, may also increase speculation about Northwest's role in the TPG  Capital group's acquisition of Midwest. As part TPG's acquisition, Northwest will acquire a 47% stake in Midwest. Northwest, however, has repeatedly insisted it will be a "passive" investor in Midwest and that it will take no management role in Midwest in the near future.

Bonus bundle: Airline merger pressue; Frequent-flier alliance flaws; Aviation safety concerns

Read on for today's "bonus bundle," which are quick quotes from the media involving recent aviation stories.

Hedge funds latest to push airlines to merge
From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required): "U.S. airlines are once again flirting with potential mergers. But this time, hedge funds are providing some of the push. Pardus Capital Management LP, an investor in both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines parent UAL , this month took public its proposal that the two airlines merge. Now the hedge fund is trying to rally like-minded funds and other investors to its call for airline consolidation." Still, the Journal adds "Pardus hardly has the financial muscle to bully United, the No. 2 airline in the U.S. by traffic, and No. 3 Delta." See the full story (subscription required).

'Airline alliance seams are showing'
That's from the Chicago Tribune (free registration), which writes: "The big U.S. airlines are fond of touting their widespread alliances with other airlines around the world, often claiming or implying that interchanges among alliance members are 'seamless.' Actually, they're not always so seamless. Although interchanges among alliance members do, in fact, generally go more smoothly than those among more independent airlines, you occasionally hit some rough spots." The story sites reciprocal credit, elite seating perks and frequent-flier lounges as examples where the alliances aren't always seamless. See the full story.

Denver de-icers being retrained after TV exposé
A Nov. 20 story from The Associated Press: "Workers hired to de-ice planes for many airlines at Denver International Airport are being retrained after a television station aired footage of an instructor giving some applicants the answers to required written exams. The instructor worked for Servisair USA, a contractor that de-ices planes for all carriers at the airport except for United Airlines. … KCNC-TV in Denver said one of its employees went undercover to apply for a de-icing job with Servisair and then secretly taped some of the training. The video showed an instructor giving applicants the answers to multiple-choice and written test questions, as well as telling them how to spell the word 'hail' and where to put commas." See the full story.

'Composite aircraft may hide dangerous flaws'
That's from the NewScientist.com, which writes: "A standard test used to assess the safety of carbon-fiber composite airliners can be dangerously ineffective, according to air-safety investigators in Canada. In a report published on (Nov. 22), the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says an aircraft can pass the 'tap test,' even though its composites actually have small flaws. … It is working with the aviation industry's global International Maintenance Review Board to review the current maintenance procedures. See the full story

US Airways fliers can check flight status by text

US Airways claims it is the first airline "to implement technology to offer on-demand flight status and frequent flier registration via Text Message." In a press release, US Airways says if customers want "to check the status of their flight(s), they simply text their flight number to TEXTUS (839887) and US Airways will text back with real-time flight information, including arrival, departure times and gate information." Customers who can also in US Airways frequent-flier program by texting their names, e-mail addresses and zip codes to TEXTUS (839887). US Airways say "those customers enrolling at the airport" will get "the advantage of automatically receiving miles for the flight that same day."

Delta gets 'push back' on frequent-flier changes

Delta is making changes to its frequent-flier program which could make booking award tickets more difficult, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Among changes beginning Dec. 1, Delta will add a "surcharge" for reward tickets booked on its SkyTeam alliance frequent-flier partners, which include Air France, KLM, Northwest, Continental and a number of others.

But the Chronicle says "Delta's key change is eliminating ... 'last seat availability' for SkyChoice award tickets. Under that system, when SkyMiles members want to book an award ticket, they can book a seat not yet sold on the flight by redeeming double the number of miles than for a SkySaver award." A domestic award ticket, for example, could be be booked under the current rules on any flight with an unsold seat for 50,000 miles -– double the "saver" mileage threshold. "Under Delta's new rules, the airline is not guaranteeing that you could book an award seat on every flight it offers, even if there is unsold inventory. … All cities will be eligible for award tickets, just not every flight every day," the Chronicle says.

"We perceive it to be a minor change, but it's elicited a much more emotional response," Lee Macenczak, Delta's executive vice president of sales and marketing, says to the Chronicle. He predicts that the change will affect only 5%-10% of Delta's customers who request the higher-mileage rewards. "Where you'd be impacted are some extremely high demand days, such as flying to the Virgin Islands the day after Christmas, to Vail the Saturday of spring break or to France the week before the Cannes Film Festival in our business elite cabin," he says.

Predictably, though, some industry observers criticized the moves as being customer unfriendly and part of a continuing devaluation for frequent-flier programs. "There does seem to be a race to the bottom among airlines," Tim Winship of smartertravel.com says to the Chronicle. Travel analyst Henry Harteveldt of Forrester Research points out research that shows business-traveler loyalty is on the decline and asks: "How does Delta feel this will help them increase loyalty?" As for Delta, Macenczak acknowledges to the Chronicle that "we got some push back from customers, and we expected to. … What we're really saying is: 'Can you give this a chance?' Because we believe that for the most part, people won't notice much of a change."

British Airways wants closer relationship with American Airlines

From Reuters: "British Airways said (last week) it wants to forge closer ties with American Airlines in the longer term but has no plans to seek regulatory approval for a tie-up. BA and American Airlines, a unit of Fort Worth-based AMR, are members of the oneworld alliance of carriers, which allows customers of one airline to earn and redeem frequent-flier miles on most flights operated by alliance partners. The airlines have twice previously tried to cement a closer relationship through a profit-sharing arrangement covering trans-Atlantic routes. Those attempts failed as U.S. regulators wanted the carriers to cede too many landing slots, particularly at London's Heathrow Airport." Read the full story.

Delta to fly from Heathrow in pact with Air France

Delta and Air France have entered into what USA TODAY calls a "far-reaching cooperative agreement" that will give U.S. customers new flight options for getting to Europe. USA TODAY says the pact "represents the most significant move to date by a U.S. carrier to exploit the Open Skies agreement signed earlier this year." Beginning in March, that agreement will allow airlines from the USA and European Union to fly across the Atlantic between any city in the USA and any city in the EU.

London's Heathrow Airport will see perhaps the most dramatic change. "Under the airlines' deal, Atlanta-based Delta will use some of Air France's takeoff and landing slots to gain immediate access to London Heathrow," USA TODAY writes. Delta plans to offer two daily round-trip flights between Heathrow and JFK and one daily flight between Heathrow and Atlanta. "Delta will become the first new U.S. entrant at Heathrow since United and American bought rights to fly there in the 1990s,"USA TODAY writes.

As for Air France, it plans to begin daily nonstop service between London and Los Angeles. That arrangement presumably will permit Air France the option to sell connecting seats on Delta via LAX while Delta will likely be able to do the same via Air France's Paris connections. USA TODAY says "travelers will also see new daily, non-stop service to French airports not now served by U.S. carriers. Delta, for instance, will fly daily from JFK to Paris Orly, and from JFK to Lyon, a popular food and wine region."

AA ends elite bonus for flights on some BA flights

Effective March 1, American says its elite-level fliers will no longer earn elite-status bonus miles on British Airways flights that are booked under the BA code. "As always, all eligible flights booked under the AA flight number will continue to earn elite status bonus miles," AA says in an e-mail to customers. AA says to visit www.aa.com/elitestatusbonus for more information.

US Airways customers will be able to use miles for discounts this winter

Beginning Oct. 22, US Airways customers will be able redeem 10,000 frequent-flier miles to reduce the cost of a round-trip ticket by $50, the airline says in an e-mail to its frequent fliers. The offer will be valid on all published US Airways round-trip fares flown in January and February and requires a 14-day advance purchase.

Delta's plugs Siteseer challenge promotion with frequent-flier miles

Delta is conducting its final voting for its "Siteseer" reality-show style contest. On its website for the challenge, Delta says "you can have the vicarious pleasure of watching other people travel to incredible places, do amazing things and occasionally embarrass themselves in public." There's also this little incentive for Delta frequent-fliers: You can earn 250 miles for voting, which ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. ET.

NWA, Midwest boost ties with codesharing pact

Northwest and Midwest Air announced yesterday that they are expanding their partnership that was first unveiled in May, Reuters reports. Now the airlines will begin codesharing –- the ability to sell connecting seats on each other's flights –- starting this November. The pact will begin by allowing Midwest customers from Milwaukee, Omaha and Kansas City to fly Midwest to or from Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles and connect on NWA's Hawaii flights -– all on a single ticket. "This is just the first step in expanding the networks of both carriers by opening up 250 city-pairs and more than a 1,000 new flight options for customers," says Nathaniel Pieper, Northwest's vice president-alliances.

Southwest offers frequent-flier promotion for long-distance flights

Southwest is offering a 2-for-1 frequent-flier promotion for Rapid Rewards members who fly paid long-distance flights on the carrier, according to webflyer.com. Now through Nov. 15, customers who fly two trips of at least 1,250 miles will earn a free ticket on Southwest. Customers who fly four qualifying round-trips through Nov. 15 can earn a free ticket to Hawaii. Connecting flights count toward the promotion, provided that the distance between the origin and destination cities is at least 1,250 miles.

To be eligible, itineraries can be either solely on Southwest or on itineraries that combine Southwest flights with those operated on Southwest codeshare partner ATA. Itineraries operated solely by ATA are not eligible. Among the routes eligible for the promotion: Baltimore-Denver; Long Island-Las Vegas; San Francisco-Chicago Midway; Dallas Love-New York LaGuardia and Orlando-Seattle.

AA, United reduce miles needed for short flights

Another frequent-flier deal worth calling attention too is not brand new but is still worth noting. Both American and United have reduced the miles needed for a short-haul award ticket to 15,000. Normally, 25,000 miles would be needed for a such itineraries.

American's offer is slightly more generous. AA's deal applies to award tickets for round-trip nonstop flights of 750 miles or less each way and is good for travel through Feb. 29. Sample AA routes for the 15,000-mile award include Chicago-Toronto; San Francisco-Los Angeles; New York-Montreal; Washington National-St. Louis; Dallas/Fort Worth-Vail, Colo., and Atlanta-Miami.

United's short-haul award applies to nonstop round-trip flights that are 700 miles or less each way. The reduced-mileage award tickets must be booked by Dec. 12 and are good for travel through Dec. 14. Sample short-haul award routes on United include Washington Dulles-Toronto; Chicago-Ottawa; Denver-Oklahoma City; Los Angeles-Tucson and San Francisco-Seattle.

Frontier, Hawaiian discuss codesharing pact

Frontier Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have talked about forming a partnership that would help each airline broaden its reach, The Denver Post reports. "It's one of the relationships and code-share thoughts that we've had off and on for quite some time," Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas tells the Post. "Hawaii and Europe are the top two things we hear about from our frequent fliers, that 'you don't go there, and we want to go there."' A Hawaiian Air spokesman confirmed the talks. No pact has been announced between the carriers.

Frontier has taken a leading role among low-cost carriers in forming passenger-sharing and frequent-flier alliances with other airlines. Frontier, which is focused mostly on western routes, is currently part of an alliance with AirTran, which has its strongest presence in the East. And the Post notes that Frontier ran a limited promotion with British Airways last year. Though the BA promotion was small in scope, Hodas described the effort to the Post as taking "some very baby steps." Hodas added "it might be that we start with Hawaiian the same way. We're continuing to look at ways to enhance our frequent-flier program and to bring greater benefit to our passengers."

oneworld adds Chinese carrier to its lineup

Chinese carrier Dragonair will become a full member of the oneworld frequent-flier alliance on Nov. 1. The move will give oneworld its first airline member based in mainland China, according to Flight Daily News. But a oneworld press release indicates otherwise, apparently not counting Hong Kong-based Dragonair as a mainland Chinese carrier. The press release reads: "Hong Kong-based Dragonair serves more destinations in mainland China  ... than any other airline not based there."

Flight Daily News notes that Dragonair gained oneworld affiliate status in December after becoming a wholly owned part of Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Group, already part of the oneworld group. "It will have taken us just 11 months to implement Dragonair –- and we expect it to join oneworld before Star Alliance or SkyTeam can bring on board their new Chinese recruits," says oneworld managing partner John McCulloch. Dragonair flies to 19 airports in mainland China. "Members of other oneworld airlines' frequent flier programs will be able to earn and redeem awards and receive all other oneworld benefits on Dragonair from 1 November," oneworld says in a press release. American is the U.S. member of the oneworld alliance.

In a separate article, Flight Daily News writes that an "alliance frenzy" could develop for Asian carriers as the three big frequent-flier groups look to expand their reach in that part of the globe. Oneworld's McCulloch says that 12 of the world's 16 top carriers that are not yet part of an alliance are in the Asia-Pacific region. "With the forecast increases in demand in this region, this would suggest Asia-Pacific to be the area of biggest potential growth for the alliances," McCulloch says to Flight Daily News. "It is no coincidence that this has been where our main focus in the past two years has also been."

SkyTeam adds three 'associate' members

The SkyTeam frequent-flier alliance has added three new carriers: Air Europa of Spain, Copa Airlines of Panama and Kenya Airways. The carriers are the first three admitted to SkyTeam as "associate" members. A SkyTeam press release explains that "earlier this year, Air Europa, Copa Airlines and Kenya Airways each signed an agreement outlining their commitment to meet a set of predetermined safety, security and quality standards to be recognized as an Associate Airline. As part of the Associate Program, the carriers also adopted a current member's loyalty program. Air Europa and Kenya Airways recognized Air France-KLM's 'Flying Blue' program, while Copa ... accepted Continental's 'One Pass' program." The three airlines will add 47 additional destinations to the SkyTeam network.

Fare and frequent-flier wars heating up in California

It looks like the fare wars and frequent-flier battles are heating up in California thanks to a spate of new airline competition at San Francisco International (SFO). Virgin America, Southwest and JetBlue have all begun service at the airport in the past few months, and now the airlines appear to be battling with each other and with United, which has a large SFO hub and seems to be mounting an aggressive response of its own. On Sunday -– Southwest's first day back at SFO –- the discount giant announced it would add eight daily round-trip flights to Los Angeles (LAX), with an introductory fare of $39 each way (plus taxes and fees). That fare undercut Virgin America's new SFO-LAX introductory fare of $44 each way (plus taxes and fees) on that route.

As of this morning, round-trip fares (including all fees) for a Dec. 7-10 SFO-LAX itinerary were going for $99 on both Virgin America and Southwest, according to Kayak.com. American's fares on the route started at $109 and Delta's at $119. Most of Alaska Air's itineraries ranged from $119 to $149. United was charging $119 for off-peak flight times but $162 for most options. Predictably, the fare battle seems to be spilling over to other airports near the cities. JetBlue, for example, is charging $102 round trip for the same dates between Oakland and Long Beach. Southwest is charging round-trip fares of $99 to $109 for most of its flights between all of its airport in the Bay Area and in the greater L.A. area.

But it is in the frequent-flier trenches where the battle could be heating up the most. United announced it was awarding double frequent-flier miles (register here) for flights between SFO and six airports: Burbank, Las Vegas, LAX, Ontario, San Diego and Orange County. In addition to the overlap with Virgin America's flights from SFO to both LAX and Las Vegas, Southwest also flies from its three Bay Area airports to all six of the airports covered in United's promotion. United's promotion covers flights (with some restrictions) booked by Oct. 5 and flown by Nov. 14.

Southwest followed up with a promotion of its own, offering a free round-trip ticket to frequent-flier members flying three round-trips within California by Dec. 31. The airline's promotion adds that as "a special treat to (frequent-flier) members flying to/from SFO, you also can travel to Las Vegas" to qualify for the promotion. For both the United and Southwest promotions, travelers' the originating and destination cities in the round-trip itinerary must be the ones covered by the promotions.

AA to end pact with Air Sahara

American Airlines' frequent-flier partnership with India's Air Sahara ends Nov. 15, according to AA's website. Flights after that date will no longer be eligible for accrual or redemption. American AAdvantage frequent-flier award travel on Air Sahara must be booked and ticketed by Nov. 15, though travel is valid for up to one year after the ticketing date. All award travel must be completed by Nov. 15, 2008. Once award tickets are issued for travel on or after Nov. 16, no changes will be allowed.

It's official: Delta gives Utah its first trans-Atlantic route

Beginning June 2, Delta will add nonstop flights between its Salt Lake City hub and Paris. Yesterday's announcement ended months of speculation about whether Utah would get its first-ever regularly scheduled commercial flight across the Atlantic. "There is something different about a state and a city that has direct links across the Atlantic and across the Pacific. It is a huge deal,"  AP quotes Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman as saying during a news conference to announce the route.

"Paris is the best shot that this community has for direct service because of all the connections and support that Air France can provide," Delta president Ed Bastian tells The Salt Lake Tribune. Delta has a codesharing and frequent-flier pact with SkyTeam alliance partner Air France, which operates a hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle. Picking Paris over a city like London or Frankfurt for Salt Lake City's trans-Atlantic route allows Delta to capitalize on Air France's connecting options from Paris. Bastian tells the Tribune that Delta has "expectations that there will be some strong beyond-Paris influence."

To help secure the route, the Tribune says Utah and Salt Lake City "helped build a $1.9 million financial package for Delta. The total includes contributions from the Governor's Office of Economic Development, Salt Lake City International Airport and the Utah Office of Tourism." Who might fly the route out of Salt Lake City? The Deseret Morning News leads off its coverage of the Paris announcement by writing: "Wine snobs, truffle lovers and point guards for the San Antonio Spurs will now have a nonstop flight to their favorite country."

US Airways, Air New Zealand enter passenger-sharing pact

US Airways announced that it has entered into a codesharing agreement with Air New Zealand. The deal is set to begin in October, though it still must be approved by regulators. Under the pact, US Airways customers traveling to New Zealand will be able to connect on Air New Zealand's nonstop flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco. From the Air New Zealand's Auckland hub, US Airways' customers can connect on Air New Zealand to destinations in New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific. Air New Zealand customers traveling to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh can do so on codeshared flights on US Airways. Both US Airways and Air New Zealand are members of the Star Alliance frequent-flier group.

United to add codeshare with Qatar Air, seeks to grow international presence

United is expected to announce today that it will begin a codesharing alliance with Qatar Airways, according to Dow Jones Newswires (subscription required). Qatar Airways began flying yesterday between the Qatari capital of Doha and Washington Dulles, United's East Coast hub. Codesharing deals allow airlines to place their airline codes on and sell seats on each other's flights. Often, reciprocal frequent-flier benefits are included, as well. Elsewhere in the Middle East, United plans to boost its existing service to Kuwait, Mike Whitaker, senior vice president of alliances, international and regulatory affairs, tells Dow Jones.

Looking to the trans-Atlantic market, Whitaker tells Dow Jones that the implementation of the new U.S.-EU "Open Skies" pact will allow for more nonstop options to Europe. However, he says expanding codesharing partnerships likely will remain a priority. Despite the new routes that the Open Skies deal may permit, Whitaker tells Dow Jones that some of those routes do not link cities with enough passenger traffic to be profitable. Instead, Dow Jones writes that "United can get revenue from code-sharing with European airlines that offer service that connects smaller cities with big hubs -- such as London -- where United flies."

AA to sever frequent-flier ties with TAM

American will end its frequent-flier partnership with Brazilian carrier TAM on Nov. 14. According to AA's website, all award travel on TAM and TAM Mercosur must be booked and ticketed by Nov. 13. However, travel is valid for up to one year after the ticketing date. That means all award travel booked on TAM with AA miles must be completed by Nov. 13, 2008.

AA opens adds new Admirals Club location

American Airlines has opened its newest Admirals Club at Nashville International Airport. The lounge is located on Concourse C, Mezzanine Level, near Gate C12. The lounge's amenities include complimentary soft drinks, light snacks and a full-service cash bar. The lounge has two work stations equipped with complimentary Web access, or wireless Internet service is available to T-Mobile subscribers. The lounge is AA's 44th Admirals Club.

African carrier 'contemplating' SkyTeam membership

Air Madagascar is "contemplating" joining the SkyTeam frequent-flier alliance as an affiliate member, Air Transport World (ATW) reports. ATW quotes Air Madagascar CEO Ulrich Link as saying "about one-third of our total of 600,000 passengers comes from international routes." The airline relies on international travelers to fill up to 95% of its seats on some routes, Ulrich says.

SkyTeam members take another shot at antitrust immunity

In case you missed this from last week, USA TODAY writes: "Northwest and Delta airlines, along with four other members of the SkyTeam global airline alliance ... asked the Transportation Department for expanded antitrust immunity that would allow them to act together in scheduling, pricing and operating their trans-Atlantic services. Currently Delta has antitrust immunity with Air France, Alitalia and CSA Czech Airlines, while Northwest and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have immunity."

"The request is to expand the immunity to cover all six of the carriers. Four of the carriers, Delta, Northwest, Air France and KLM, also plan to form a joint venture to 'create a comprehensive and integrated partnership… across the Atlantic.' Continental, the third SkyTeam member from the USA, is not included in the request for antitrust immunity." Business Travel News says that "although a similar filing for antitrust immunity in 2005 went without DOT approval, the recent Open Skies agreement between European Union and United States is expected to ease regulatory hurdles for alliances seeking immunity."

Continental enters 'comprehensive partnership' with Kingfisher Air

Continental and India's Kingfisher Airlines announced today that they have entered into a "comprehensive partnership." In a press release, the airline says that starting Oct. 1, "members of the two airlines' frequent-flier programs … will be able to earn and redeem miles on all flights operated by the other carrier. Reciprocal airport lounge access for eligible customers … will also begin at this time."

By the end of the year, Continental hopes to place its "CO" code on Kingfisher flights connecting to Continental's daily flights between Delhi and Newark and upcoming service between Mumbai and Newark. "Customers traveling on connecting flights between Continental and Kingfisher will be able to have single check-in for all flights, including the issuance of electronic tickets, boarding passes and checked baggage to their final destination," the airlines' release says. Kingfisher says it currently operates 187 flights a day to 29 Indian destinations, according to AP.

United, Aloha to sell more seats on each other's flights

United and Aloha formally signed off an alliance that they first announced in May. Under the pact, the airlines will share certain facilities and increase the number of seats they sell on each other's flights. United CFO Jake Brace will also join Aloha's board of directors, though the Pacific Business News (free registration) of Honolulu says "the two airlines will continue to be independently owned and operated." The Honolulu Star-Bulletin writes that United and Aloha expect the pact "to produce additional savings in fuel procurement, the sharing of facilities at airports and potential integration of ground services performed by third parties. Aloha and United also said they will explore efficiencies in such areas as catering, maintenance and telecommunications."

Aloha CEO David Banmiller says "this close working relationship will bring long-term benefits for our shareholders, our employees and above all our customers, who will have greater opportunities to earn and redeem miles and travel seamlessly on United's routes to and from and within the state of Hawaii." United's Brace adds that "expanding our relationship with Aloha benefits our customers by providing more options for traveling to Hawaii." Customers on United and Aloha can choose to earn and redeem miles on either of the two carriers.

JetBlue offers free travel, asks for more support after 1 year in Pittsburgh

JetBlue is celebrating its one-year anniversary in Pittsburgh by giving away free flights. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that JetBlue, "hoping to improve its market share here, announced a 'gift' today of free travel to any Pittsburgh-area resident who books a flight on the … carrier between today and Saturday. To qualify, you must be a member of JetBlue's frequent flier program, TrueBlue. The flight must originate in Pittsburgh and take place between today and Nov. 15." Customers who book the flight through this link on JetBlue's website will receive 100 of JetBlue’s frequent-flier points –- enough for a free ticket.

What's behind JetBlue's latest push for Pittsburgh customers? In a separate article the Post-Gazette says that "a year after JetBlue Airways launched low-fare service to New York and Boston, hundreds more people fly to both cities from Pittsburgh -- and pay a lot less for the trip. The bad news, for JetBlue at least, is that many of these new price-conscious travelers are still flying US Airways or Continental Airlines instead of (JetBlue), which ended 2006 with just 20% of Pittsburgh-New York City travelers despite walk-up fares as low as $89."

New JetBlue CEO Dave Barger claims competition resulting from JetBlue's arrival has pushed down fares in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that "since June 30, 2006, average Pittsburgh fares have dropped to $84 for New York JFK flights from $221. Average fares to Boston have fallen to $97 from $178." Tim Luceno, JetBlue's manager of national sales, tell the Post-Gazette "the market is growing the way we wanted it to, but the people aren't changing their minds on who they want to fly."

On that subject, Pittsburgh airport chief Kent George is quoted by the Tribune-Review as telling an audience of Pittsburgh-area business leaders: "We've got the two best low-fare carriers in the world, Southwest and JetBlue. We have to support the (airlines) that are supporting us." As for future growth, the Beaver County Times writes that CEO "Barger said he could see JetBlue adding more destinations out of Pittsburgh -- probably to Florida destinations such as Fort Lauderdale or Orlando -- once the (airline's) existing routes 'become highly profitable.' "

Continental teams up with China Southern

Continental says it has reached a marketing agreement with China Southern Airlines, the biggest Chinese carrier, according to USA TODAY's international edition. The paper says "the agreement allows customers to book connecting flights on both carriers using one ticket and earn frequent-flier miles on either airline. Joint frequent-flier benefits begin in September; the flight marketing agreement in November. Continental will add its ticketing code to China Southern flights connecting to the U.S. carrier's Newark-Beijing flight and to China Southern flights between Los Angeles and Guangzhou. China Southern will do likewise on Continental flights connecting with the Chinese carrier at Los Angeles." The agreement also includes a reciprocal use of airport lounges, AP adds.

AA shortens expiration date for frequent-flier miles

Add American to the list of airlines that are shortening the lifespan of miles held in customers' frequent-flier accounts. The Dallas Morning News (free registration) writes that members of AA's "frequent-flier program will lose their miles if they do not have activity in their accounts at least once every 18 months, the carrier has announced. American Airlines has begun notifying participants in the AAdvantage program that as of Dec. 15, they must have some activity to earn or redeem miles over the previous 18 months to keep their miles. The old time window was 36 months."

"We are changing the program to match what most of the other carriers are doing with their programs," AA spokesman Billy Sanez tells the Morning News. Indeed, other traditional carriers have instituted new rules regarding the expiration of customers' frequent-flier miles. USA TODAY reports in a January article that of among the six big traditional U.S. carriers, only Continental does not enforce an expiration date. (See a full list of expiration policies). As for AA's change, Sanez notes customers can keep accounts active with any type of activity. For example, he tells the Morning News that customers "could donate 250 miles to charity and keep their existing miles valid that way."

US Airways, Qatar Air form frequent-flier pact

US Airways customers can now earn and redeem miles on flights operated by new partner Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways will fly from New York to Qatar beginning this month and from Washington starting in July.

U.S. airlines risk ballooning frequent-flier payout

With travelers earning airline miles more ways than ever, Reuters writes that U.S. airlines "now risk paying a high price" as the mileage in their customers' accounts skyrockets. "Airlines have awarded more than 19 trillion frequent flier miles over the past 25 years -- roughly equivalent to circling the globe 760 million times -- and more than 14 trillion of those miles are unredeemed. The rate of awards is increasing annually, according to frequent-flier site WebFlyer. While many of those miles may never be swapped for trips or merchandise and they expire more quickly than before, that overhang of unredeemed miles represents a risk for airlines," Reuters writes.

At American, travelers using "free" reward tickets accounted for 7.5% of its passengers in 2006 while outstanding mileage represented a $1.6 billion liability for the carrier. And with planes flying fuller than ever, many customers are reporting a difficult time redeeming their miles for free tickets on a number of carriers. That, some experts say, threatens to devalue the programs. But despite the liability, the loyalty programs seem to remain a priority for airlines.

"It's so important for us," says AA spokesman Billy Sanez. "The mileage program is one of the top-three reasons why people fly with us. The liability is part of having a program." AA frequent-flier Bennett Porter seems to justify the airline's thinking. "It does make a difference in the way that I fly," she says of her frequent-flier program options. "I definitely think twice about booking a flight that's not on American."

Northwest partners with China Air

Northwest and Taiwan's China Airlines announced today that they have entered into a frequent-flier partnership. The agreement -– to be phased in through the summer –- will include reciprocal frequent-flier benefits and lounge access. Upgrades to electronic ticketing and the check-in process will be made to help accommodate customers connecting between Northwest and China Airlines flights. Reciprocal frequent-flier benefits are expected to schedule to take effect Aug. 1.

Star Alliance adds ties with African carriers

Air Transport World (ATW) writes that the Star Alliance frequent-flier group has signed an MOU (memorandum of understanding) "for bilateral cooperation" with EgyptAir and Ethiopian Airlines. But Lufthansa Executive VP-Marketing and Sales Thierry Antinori –- who broke the news to ATW -- says "that does not mean both carriers will be members of the alliance." Lufthansa is a lead member of the Star Alliance, which also includes North American carriers United, US Airways and Air Canada. The report in ATW did not specifically explain what details "bilateral cooperation" would include.

United-bmi pact would 'effectively merge their trans-Atlantic operations'

United and British carrier bmi are said to have applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for permission to create an alliance "that will effectively merge their trans-Atlantic operations," The Times of London reports in a story this morning. The pact, if approved, would begin as early as March. "It means that passengers would deal with just one airline when they booked tickets although the companies would remain independent," the Times writes. The paper adds that "bmi believes that an alliance with United will strengthen its position as it substantially expands the number of services it can offer." Presumably, the alliance would permit bmi to sell connecting seats on United flights and vice versa.

The Times adds that the proposed alliance is an effort by both airlines to take advantage of the new U.S-EU "open skies" pact that won support last month. "This paves the way to an alliance, it does not guarantee it," bmi CEO Nigel Turner tells the Times. "We want to put in place all the steps now to fully take advantage of 'open skies'." The Times notes that bmi and United are already members of the Star Alliance frequent flier group, but says "the proposed deal is a much closer partnership. An attempt to create a United-bmi alliance five years ago was blocked by the U.S. until an open skies agreement was reached," the paper adds. "bmi is the second-largest holder of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow airport with 12% of slots, trailing only British Airways," writes MarketWatch.com.

Airline 'geeks' also show up for United's 1st Dulles-China flight

Among the passengers on United's first flights between Washington and Beijing was Andrew Gibbons. The Washington Post (free registration) says he voluntarily planned to spend 38 hours of a 48-hour period flying on United aircraft. "For fun," the Post adds. "The 29-year-old Northern Californian, who admits to being an airline geek, simply couldn't pass up the chance to fly on United Airlines' inaugural flight from Washington's Dulles International Airport to Beijing yesterday," the Post says in its story. "I know it doesn't make a lot of sense," Gibbons, director of operations for photo-sharing website SmugMug, tells the paper, which described him as "giddy" while taking video and photographs prior to the flight. "My friends don't get it. They think I'm a geek," he adds.

The Post describes Gibbons as a "part of a subspecies of frequent fliers who chase inaugural flights because they adore airlines, airplanes, even airports. They seek to be part of airline milestones. Among their ranks are those who like the prestige of being the first passengers on the world's longest flight, or the first or last travelers aboard a specific type of airplane. Some want to be the first passengers to take a short hop on new routes offered by low-cost, low-frills carriers." As for Gibbons, he wasn't alone on the first Dulles-Beijing flight. The Post managed to find another -– Fran Jelley –- who flew from Australia through China to before heading to Dulles so she could catch United's inaugural flight. She'll return to D.C. on Tuesday "then quickly return to China before heading back to Australia," the Post adds.

CSA Czech, Delta add codeshare options

SkyTeam frequent-flier alliance partners CSA Czech Airlines and Delta will strengthen their ties. Air Transport World writes that "CSA Czech Airlines will place its code on Delta Air Lines' four-times-weekly Atlanta-Prague service from May. Flights operate five-times-weekly June 4-Sept. 1."

US Airways to announce pact with Singapore Air

US Airways is ready to enter into a code-sharing alliance with Singapore Airlines, US Airways President Scott Kirby announced today at the airline's media day in Tempe. The deal will allow the airlines to sell seats on each other's flights. Reciprocal frequent-flier benefits also typically are included in such agreements.

FlyerTalk gets a new owner

Travel website Flyertalk.com –- perhaps the Internet's top site for all things related to frequent-flier programs -– has been sold, reports Joe Sharkey of The New York Times (free registration). The site has been gone to a group called "Internet Brands," a decision made by FlyerTalk founder Randy Peterson. "In e-mail messages to members and to site moderators, Mr. Petersen said he decided to sell only after 'plenty of sleepless nights,' " Sharkey writes. American Express, Expedia, Conde Naste and Travelocity were said to be among other bidders.

Sharkey writes that "Internet Brands operates e-commerce sites for cars, real estate, mortgages and travel. Mr. Petersen said he chose Internet Brands, which was not the highest bidder, because 'they weren't interested in making any changes' to FlyerTalk.com."

Alaska Air offers double miles to Boston, Orlando

Alaska Airlines is offering double miles on its new flights between Portland, Ore., and both Boston and Orlando. The offer is valid for travel through Oct. 31, though registration is required prior to travel. Service on both routes begins Sept. 9.

United adding 'Premium Boarding' lanes

United plans to add new "Premium Boarding" lanes at about 40 airports by the end of this year. On its website, the airline says: "Since late last year, our top customers flying from and through San Francisco have been enjoying the new Premium Boarding lane we put in place at all of United's gates there to provide front-of-the-line access, whenever you choose to board the flight. Designed to offer our elite customers a distinctive and more leisurely experience, this service includes a separate boarding lane, clear signage and even a red carpet that serves to recognize your status and avoid unnecessary congestion. The concept will be implemented at our remaining four hubs by mid-year and at approximately 40 airports by the end of 2007."

Alaska Air to offer one-way frequent-flier awards

Alaska Airlines and sister carrier Horizon Air now will allow frequent-fliers to redeem miles for one-way travel. In a press release announcing the change, Alaska Air says "the new awards allow customers to book one-way travel for half the mileage of round-trip awards. For example, one-way coach travel within the United States and Canada is available for 10,000 miles for Saver Awards and 20,000 miles for Peak Awards. When traveling round-trip, customers also can combine different types of one-way tickets, including Saver and Peak Awards, coach and first-class awards and purchased tickets."

One-way frequent-flier reward ticket are offered by several other airlines, including Southwest and AirTran. Those airlines permit one-way travel for half the points it takes for round-trip travel. But, on most legacy carriers, one-way tickets are typically not available for anything less than the 25,000 miles required for round-trip travel. At least one other carrier -- Midwest -- offers one-way reward tickets for 15,000 miles, though that's more than half of its 25,000 mileage threshold for a standard free round-trip ticket. As for Alaska, it also will introduce a new frequent-flier reward ticket for intra-Alaska travel. Flights within the state will take 7,500 miles one way or 15,000 miles round-trip.

oneworld to add three members

The oneworld frequent-flier alliance will add Japan Airlines (JAL), Royal Jordanian and Malev Hungarian to its list of partner airlines on April 1. The trio will join American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Lan and Qantas. Aer Lingus plans to leave the alliance March 31.

'Use those frequent flier miles sooner or lose 'em'

That's the headline for an online article in the Houston Chronicle, which warns travelers about changes in many airline loyalty programs that shorten the lifespan of frequent-flier miles.

"If you're a collector of frequent-flier privileges and enjoy the periodic pleasure of using your 'miles' to fly for free to some attractive place, then steel yourself, have a drink and beware of darkening clouds," travel expert Arthur Chronicle writes in the Chronicle story. "All within the current winter, both United Airlines and US Airways have cut in half the amount of time in which miles in 'inactive' accounts will expire, from three years to just 18 months," he adds. Delta made a similar change last year, saying miles would be purged from inactive accounts after two years.

"Obviously, the airlines are out to reduce the 'free' travel privileges you thought you safely possessed. And people who are infrequent fliers needing more than 18 months to accumulate the necessary numbers are out of luck," Frommer writes. But there are some simple steps that fliers -– even infrequent ones -– can take to protect their miles. One is to simply keep your account "active," which can be done by any activity that adds or subtracts miles from your account. Getting frequent-flier miles for ordering flowers, for example, will keep your account active. A credit card that gives you miles with your preferred airline also does the trick, but beware of steep annual fees or interest rates.

Frommer says fliers may want to consider earning your miles on the two airlines that don't purge miles from inactive accounts: Continental or Aloha. USA TODAY, however, notes that "Continental has a written policy stating that miles can expire if none are earned in 18 months, but the airline doesn't act on it, says spokesman David Messing." At the other end of the spectrum, USA TODAY says "AirTran and JetBlue have the strictest expiration policies, with credits or miles expiring one year after they are earned." JetBlue points, however, can be extended for frequent-flier members who use the JetBlue-branded American Express card. Curious about your airline? USA TODAY's story contains an airline-by-airline list of frequent-flier expiration policies.

Could there be an upside? Frommer writes that "that the airlines claim that their new policy is favorable to frequent fliers by weeding out infrequent fliers and thus lessening the competition for seats when it comes time to redeem points."

Today's talker: What do you think about the recent changes to frequent-flier programs? Do you find that miles are getting harder to redeem? Does it seem like airlines have upped the miles needed for most free tickets? What are the airlines doing right with their frequent-flier programs? Share your thoughts with other Today in the Sky readers.

California only: Alaska matches Southwest promotion

Customers on Alaska Airlines (and partner Horizon Air) can earn double miles when flying to, from or between any of the airlines' 16 California destinations. To be eligible for the offer, members must register on Alaska Air's website and complete their travel by April 4. The move appears to be an effort to match a similar offer from Southwest, which is offering double frequent-flier credits for its California customers. Southwest's promotion also runs through April 4. As for Alaska's promotion, the company notes its frequent-flier members can "can earn and redeem mileage on more than a dozen airlines, including more major U.S. airlines than any other frequent-flier program."

In a separate promotion, Alaska Air partner Horizon is offering double miles for customers using its new service to Santa Rosa/Sonoma, Calif. Customers flying between Santa Rosa and either Seattle or Los Angeles can earn double miles through June 30. Pre-registration is required on Alaska Air’s website.

Delta makes upgrades 'automatic'

Delta's top frequent-flier members will no longer have to wait to see if their upgrades have been confirmed. Delta now will notify its Medallion-level frequent fliers via e-mail, voice or text message when they've been upgraded for a flight.

California only: Southwest offers double frequent-flier credits

Southwest is offering double frequent-flier credits for flights to or from the airline's eight California cities. To get the credit, customers must book tickets on the airline's website no later than March 8. The offer is good for travel from Feb. 8 through April 4.

United lessens incentive to book on its website

United Airlines has reduced its online booking bonus to 500 miles for a round-trip flight, down from the previous 1,000. The carrier had been one of the last hold-outs, sticking to the once-standard 1,000-mile bonus for flights booked on its own website. Now, United says customers earn 500 bonus miles "for qualifying round-trip, open-jaw and circle-trip itineraries" and 250 "for qualifying one-way itineraries booked on united.com." United joins American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and US Airways as other hub-and-spoke carriers that now offer just 500 miles for booking on their websites.

US Airways, Qantas ending ties

US Airways and Qantas have mutually agreed to end their codeshare, frequent-flier program and lounge agreements on Feb. 28. The last day for US Airways customers to earn miles on a Qantas flight is Feb. 28, and missing mileage must be requested by Aug. 28. The last day to ticket award travel (including changes to current award tickets) on Qantas is Feb. 28. The last day to travel on an award ticket is Jan. 31, 2008.

Fly once on Eos, earn a free ticket on JetBlue

All-luxury-class carrier Eos Airlines has entered into a frequent-flier promotion with JetBlue. Customers who book a ticket on Eos by Jan. 21 and complete their travel by April 30 can receive 100 JetBlue frequent-flier points –- enough to redeem for a free round-trip ticket on any route JetBlue flies. Eos currently flies between New York JFK and London Stansted, using Boeing 757 jets configured with just 48 seats that each recline into 6-foot, 6-inch flat beds. JetBlue's biggest hub is located at New York JFK. To earn the JetBlue points, Eos customers must also be a member of JetBlue's TrueBlue frequent-flier program. Eos customers are eligible to earn Eos frequent-flier points in addition to the JetBlue bonus.

Frequent-flier programs draw regulatory eye

Airlines could soon face additional scrutiny over truth in advertising for their frequent-flier programs. That's according to St. Petersburg Times travel columnist Steve Huettel, who takes a year-end look at four stories he thinks "might change the quality of life on the road for years to come." Huettel says one of those four stories centers on frequent-flier miles –- and how much harder it has become for customers to cash them in. Frequent-fliers complaints on the subject have spiked, but "Uncle Sam is taking notice now, too," Huettel writes.

"The Department of Transportation's inspector general issued a report last month on how major airlines were keeping up with a commitment in 1999 to improve customer service on several fronts. The airline's grades on their frequent flier programs? Not good," he adds. In response, a trade group representing the USA's big airlines says its members have taken the federal report to heart and plan to make customer-friendly changes. "We’ll see," Huettel writes.

Star Alliance expels Varig

Varig Airlines will be kicked out of the Star Alliance frequent-flier group. The Brazilian carrier barely survived a tumultuous year, greatly reducing its route network since it was purchased in bankruptcy proceedings by a group called VariLog. The New York Times (free registration) writes that Varig "is being dropped from the worldwide alliance as of Jan. 31 because it no longer meets membership requirements, which include operating a major global network." The loss of the Brazilian carrier also could hurt Star Alliance in that region. Air Transport World writes that the group now "will be the only one of the three major airline groupings to lack a member based in Latin America."

Elite frequent-flier status: Real perks or hedge against poor service?

Every year, many frequent-flier scramble to qualify for elite-frequent-flier status. Typically, that's earned by flying a minimum of 25,000 miles in a calendar year (for the lowest elite level) to flying 100,000 miles or more in a year (the "super" elite level). In the past, earning such status gave fliers perks like preferred seating, advanced boarding and separate reservations numbers. Some airports even have special security check-point lines for elite-level fliers. Those perks remain, but -- with recent cutbacks seemingly increasing across the industry --- the most important advantage of elite status may now be to simply give frequent travelers "a de facto insurance policy against more declines in customer service," writes The New York Times (free registration). Minneapolis frequent-flier Christopher Howes agrees.  "Becoming an elite flier doesn’t mean you get anything extra,"  Howes –- a Northwest Airlines customer –- tells the Times. "It just means that you avoid some of the headaches and hassles that are becoming more common."

The Times writes that some airlines are now considering plans that would charge non-elite fliers for items like checked luggage or advance-seat assignments. Elite-level fliers, however, would likely be exempt from changes, according to some possible plans. If those types of policies were instituted in the USA, how would airlines benefit? "Not only do the changes generate income for airlines, but they also encourage passengers to sign up for a frequent flier program and stay loyal to a carrier,� the Times writes. "The airlines are finding that at least some passengers will pay a bit extra for added comfort, like more leg room or an exit row seat," says Hal Brierley, the president and CEO of Brierley & Partners, a loyalty program design firm based in Dallas. “Letting loyal frequent fliers enjoy that comfort for free is one more way carriers like Northwest and United are rewarding their frequent travelers, and creating an opportunity cost for those who do not remain loyal."

And, as for the airlines, they insist elite-level perks are meant to reward their best customers. They say the changes are not meant to devalue the experience by the "average" passenger. "We're not saying, 'We'll take care of our best customers, and everyone else can go stand in a line,' " says Graham Atkinson of United Airlines. "What we are saying is that for people who are going to demonstrate their loyalty or pay higher fares, we want to offer a better experience."

Frequent-flier miles to expire sooner; is your account affected?

You've already read in Today in the Sky about how some airlines will be shortening the lifespan of frequent-flier mileage sitting in unused accounts. But with some changes set to take effect in just 12 days, it seems like a good time to say it again. Today's reminder comes from Kiplinger's Personal Finance, which writes "starting New Year's Eve, Delta SkyMiles will expire in accounts that are inactive for two years -- and that goes for the two years prior to that date, as well. And as of Jan. 31, US Airways is giving its frequent-flier-club members 18 months to cash in their miles. Both airlines formerly followed the industry custom of allowing three years to pass before miles expired." Make sure to double-check your accounts to see if you'll be affected. If you think you are going to be affected, consider options like car rentals or sending flowers through frequent-flier partners as a way to show account activity -- and to extend the life of your mileage.

British Air may be eyeing WestJet partnership

British Airways is looking at entering into a passenger-sharing alliance with Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet, according to The Globe and Mail of Toronto. BA CEO Willie Walsh plans to hold an "informal meeting" today with WestJet executives, Bloomberg News reports. "WestJet is a good airline,'' Walsh said. "If there was an opportunity to do something, we'd certainly be pleased to look at that. Anything that provides connectivity is a plus.'' BA executive Robin Hayes tells Bloomberg that many of its customers who fly between Canada and London already are buying separate tickets on WestJet for domestic connections. WestJet officials also have expressed an interest in joining the oneworld frequent-flier alliance (BA is also a member), though they say that won’t happen until 2008 or beyond.

Seattle-Hawaii bonus miles on NWA

Northwest customers can earn 2,500 bonus frequent-flier miles for flights between Seattle and the Hawaiian destinations of Maui or Kona. The carrier offers daily direct flights from Seattle to Maui with continuing service to Kona. Travelers must register for the promotion before their trip but no later than March 7. Travel must be completed by March 9 and must be on a paid Northwest fare.

Star Alliance tabs Turkish

Turkish Airlines has joined Star Alliance frequent-flier group, according to USA TODAY's international edition. The state-controlled carrier becomes the 21st member of the alliance, the world's largest grouping of carriers. United, US Airways and Air Canada are the Star Alliance's North American carriers. The airline, which serves 131 destinations in Turkey, Europe, the USA and Asia, will add 31 destinations to the alliance's network.

United may offer fares too cheap to check bags or earn miles

Someday you may be able to purchase a ticket on United that is too cheap to qualify for frequent-flier miles. Or even to check your luggage. The Denver Post writes that "United is considering selling tickets that would offer customers a bare minimum for air transportation that would not include in the price the ability to check bags, get frequent flier- miles and assigned seats." Called the "bare fare concept," AP adds such pricing "would feature a basic promotional fare and the option to buy seat assignments," plus the chance to pay extra to check a bag or earn miles. Greg Taylor, United's senior vice president of planning, is quoted as saying such a concept has "a lot of potential going forward." The airline also is "considering selling fare flexibility for customers that want to buy the right to change their ticket," AP reports. Among other possibilities: selling premier frequent-flier status for one day at a time and offering one-day passes for the airline's Red Carpet Club.

Good news for US Airways fliers seeking elite status

In Tuesday's chat, a US Airways frequent-flier who is 400 miles short of clearing the elite-mileage threshold wondered if miles earned for purchases or other partner transactions would post in time for him/her to qualify for elite status. (US Airways is offering a promotion where all miles earned count toward elite status). But, there's apparently no need to worry about how long it takes for the miles to post. US Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder tells me that the miles –- and their elite-qualifying boost –- "are assigned on date of purchase" as opposed to the date of posting. On that note, "good luck" to all you trying for elite status by year's end. I'll be making a year-end mileage run myself. I've narrowed my flight options to Chicago, Denver or Kansas City, all of which have cheap fares for Dec. 15 weekend that I'm hoping to travel. See you on the road! 

What's the top rated airline in North America?

That would be Continental, which was named the continent's top carrier in several key categories, according to Business Traveler magazine's "Best in Business Travel Awards." In addition to being named the survey's "Best airline for North American travel," Continental also was picked by Business Traveler's readers for having the USA's best flight attendants and in-flight services. The best frequent-flier program, however, went to Delta –- which also finished atop the categories for the top airline website and the best airport lounges. The USA's top low-cost carrier? Don't look for perennial favorites JetBlue or Southwest atop these rankings. Instead, Business Traveler's readers tabbed Frontier Airlines as the top discounter.

How did Business Traveler calculate the results of its 18th annual Readers' Choice Business Travel Survey? The publication says it randomly sampled its subscribers and then commissioned a third-party agency to conduct the annual survey. More than 33% of the magazine’s subscribers responded, with Business Traveler noting that its readership base spends an average of 67 nights on the road and collectively flies 6 million round-trip flights per year.

Who else impressed the magazine's readers? Delta was voted as having the top frequent-flier program, though the Star Alliance outranked Delta's SkyTeam group in the survey for the world's top frequent-flier alliance. If you're looking for the best airline in the world, however, you'll have to look outside North America. That award went to Singapore Airlines, which also finished atop several other categories –- including those for the "Best airline for international travel" and for having the world's best economy-class seating section. The best first-class carrier came from the Middle East went to Dubai-based Emirates. Business Traveler readers thought South Korea's Asiana had the world's best flight attendants. On the ground, Singapore Changi International Airport was named the world's top airport while Denver was named the best in North America. Check out the full list of Business Traveler's Best in Business Travel Awards, which also includes categories for subjects like hotels, rental cars and credit cards.

Today's talker: Do you agree with the survey’s findings? Or do you think the survey missed the mark? Share your thoughts with other readers.

AirTran, Frontier form alliance

AirTran and Frontier today will announce a marketing alliance that includes an option for customers to earn and redeem miles on either airline. USA TODAY writes that the "partnership is the first commercial link-up of its kind between next-generation, low-cost carriers," calling it "an effort to offset the advantage that big, traditional U.S. carriers have in the breadth of domestic service offerings." AirTran, with a hub in Atlanta and a focus city in Baltimore, is strongest east of the Mississippi. Frontier operates a route network concentrated on its hub in Denver. "By linking, in effect, their route systems, both hope to tap into and grow each other's group of loyal travelers," USA TODAY writes. AirTran chief operating officer Bob Fornaro says the deal could make AirTran or Frontier a realistic option for fliers who previously preferred to concentrate all of their frequent-flier activity on a larger airline with more destination options.

How will it work? USA TODAY writes that "members of Frontier's EarlyReturns program will be able to earn mileage points even when flying on AirTran. And members of AirTran's A+ Rewards program — based on the number of flights taken, not miles flown — can chose to earn A+ Rewards credits when flying on Frontier. They also can cash in their miles or credits for free trips on either carrier." One thing that will not be included in the pact is a codesharing deal that would allow the airlines to sell connecting seats on each other's flights. Instead, each carrier's website will show all of the two airlines' combined destinations. But when a traveler from one carrier wants to book a destination offered only by the other, customers will automatically be transferred to the other company's website to complete their bookings. "I think both sides will get the same (revenue) benefit without doing a full-blown code share" says Frontier CEO Jeff Potter.

Frontier rolls out fly-3-get-one-free deal on Calif. route

Frontier is offering a "fly-three, get-one-for-free" deal for customers flying its new Los Angeles-San Francisco route. Members of the airline's frequent-flier program who make three paid round-trip flights between L.A. and San Francisco before Feb. 28 will earn a free ticket on the same route. The free Los Angeles-San Francisco flight must be used by May 31. In a press release announcing the promotion, Frontier notes that offer "allows passengers to earn a free flight after only three paid round trip flights, compared with the 15 flights and 15,000 EarlyReturns miles that normally would earn passengers a free flight between the two cities." Frontier offers five daily round-trip flights on the route, which it began flying on June 29. Each one-way flight between LAX and SFO earns 500 frequent-flier miles.

Are your miles safe? Beware of new expiration dates

If you haven't checked your frequent-flier account lately, you may want to make sure all of your miles are still there. That's because some of the traditional U.S. airlines are changing the expiration period for miles sitting in dormant accounts. Previously, most major carriers allowed miles in unused accounts to "live" for three years, though the lifespan of those miles would be extended anytime miles were added to or subtracted on an account. The latest airline making a change is US Airways, which now requires frequent-flier members to have any sort of account activity at least once every 18 months to prevent miles from expiring. Previously, the limit was three years. The first group of US Airways frequent-fliers affected by the new limit could lose their miles as of Jan. 31, provided they have no new account activity. "One other major airline, Continental, has the same rule: Use a frequent-flier account once every 18 months, or the miles expire," The Philadelphia Inquirer writes in a story carried on the website of the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. Among other legacy carriers, Delta allows a two-year grace period for miles in accounts with no activity.  American, Northwest and United still give fliers a three-year window.

Star Alliance sets 2007 entry for Chinese carriers

Chinese carriers Air China and Shanghai Airlines will enter the Star Alliance frequent-flier group next year, AFP reports. The airlines' official entrance into the alliance follows their formal invitation into the group this past May. United, US Airways and Air Canada are the North American members of the Star Alliance. The move comes as the world's global alliances try to recruit China's most prominent carriers into their programs. China Southern signed an agreement to join SkyTeam in June and is expected to officially become a member of that group in the second half of next year. Continental, Delta and Northwest are the U.S. anchors for the SkyTeam alliance. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific is already a member of the oneworld alliance, anchored in the USA by American.

AA rolls out double-mile offer for Dallas customers

American Airlines customers flying into either Dallas/Fort Worth or Dallas Love Field can earn double miles on flights between the those airports and 42 cities. Not surprisingly, the 42 destinations eligible for the bonus are all markets served by rival Southwest, which counts Love Field as its "home airport." The promotion comes as AA and Southwest step up competition in the Dallas area following Congress's move to relax rules on the Wright Amendment. Those rules had restricted long-haul flights out of Dallas Love, but changes that went into effect this month now allow customers to buy connecting flights from Love to any U.S. airport. Previously, flights from Love -- non-stop or connecting -- were permitted to fly only to Texas and nearby states. As for AA's promotion, the double-mile bonus is good on flights through Dec. 31. Pre-registration is required on AA's website.

Fly AA's Boston-D.C. route, get double miles

American Airlines customers can earn double miles on American Eagle's non-stop flights between Boston and Washington's National Airport. The bonus applies to tickets purchased after Oct. 9 and is good on flights through Jan. 31. Customers must preregister on American's website, where customers should enter the code "DCBOS." On its website, AA says tickets booked in Y, G, H, L, M, N, S, V or W fare classes are eligible for the bonus.

US Airways dusts off another elite-qualifying promo

US Airways is offering customers a short cut to earn preferred status. The carrier says customers can "earn Silver Preferred status with just three paid first class round-trips or Gold Preferred status by flying six paid first class round-trips." Travel must be completed between Oct. 1 and March 31. Preregistration is required, and must be done by the end of the year. Earlier this month, US Airways announced another promotion aimed at elite qualifying. As part of that promotion, all US Airways miles earned -- from credit-card miles to rental car miles -- count toward qualifying for elite frequent-flier status.

US Airways promo focuses on elite-qualifying miles

Fliers trying to earn elite status on US Airways might find the going a little bit easier this year. The carrier has rolled out its "Everything Counts" promotion in which all US Airways miles earned count toward qualifying for elite frequent-flier status. That even includes miles earned for items like car rentals and hotel stays. The promotion began Sunday and runs through the end of the year. "US Airways has created an unprecedented opportunity for travelers looking to qualify for the next tier of Preferred status," Travis Christ, the airline’s vice president, sales and marketing, says in a press release announcing the promotion. "Through the end of the year, we're making it possible to accrue miles with or without flying. Hotel stays, car rentals, even by sending flowers, you can earn miles -- in this promotion, Everything Counts!" Typically, elite-qualifying miles can only be earned by taking flights on US Airways or one of its partner airlines. No pre-registration is required, and a list of partners eligible for the promotion can be found on US Airways' website.

British flier uses miles to claim space flight

Virgin Atlantic frequent flier Alan Watts plans to redeem 2 million miles to fly on one of the world's first commercial tourism flights to space. "He will be among the first 1,000 people to travel on a space tourism program in 2009 with Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of British entrepreneur Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic," writes The Associated Press. Without miles, flights cost $200,000. "When we first contacted Alan to let him know he had qualified for this unique offer, I think he thought it was a prank call," Virgin chief and British tycoon Richard Branson says in a statement. Watts will have to undergo three days of training before boarding Virgin Galatic’s craft, which is expected to travel at 3,000 mph to about 75 miles above the Earth. He and the flight’s five crew members will be able to float in zero gravity and see the curve of the Earth, a company spokeswoman says. Still, Virgin Galatic may have more work to do before Watts' flight is official. "Test flights are planned for early next year," AP writes.

AA, Air Tahiti Nui expand frequent-flier pact

American Airlines says it has expanded its frequent-flier relationship with Air Tahiti Nui so that AA customers now can earn AAdvantage miles "for each eligible fare ticket purchased and flown on Air Tahiti Nui." AA frequent-flier members have been able to redeem AA miles on Air Tahiti Nui since 2000.

JetBlue points no longer expire ... for some

JetBlue will do away with the one-year expiration date for points earned in its frequent-flier program –- but only for members who use the JetBlue-branded American Express cards. “Effective immediately, cardmembers can automatically extend the life of their TrueBlue points by 12 months each time they purchase as little as $200 on their JetBlue Card or by using the JetBlue Card to purchase JetBlue travel, before current points expire,� the airline says in a press release announcing the change. Previously, JetBlue’s frequent-flier reward points expired after a year. “Currently, only JetBlue Cardmembers have the ability to extend TrueBlue point expiration dates,� the release adds. And, in what it says is a “thank you� to “loyal customers,� JetBlue has “automatically extended the expiration date of every single cardmembers' TrueBlue points through Aug. 16, 2007."

Hawaiian Air signs pact with Canadian discounter Harmony

Hawaiian Airlines and Canadian discounter Harmony Airways have entered into a code-share agreement that allows the airlines to put their flight numbers and sell seats on each other’s flights. The deal will allow customers to connect from one airline's flights to the other's -- all on a single ticket. “The new code-share agreement is especially beneficial for Harmony’s Canadian customers flying to Hawaii, offering the convenience of making seamless inter-island flight connections on Hawaiian to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii’s Big Island,� Hawaiian states in a press release. “Hawaii residents traveling to Canada... can enjoy the same service benefits by booking their tickets through Harmony.� For Harmony, the deal allows it to “effectively expand its route system to Hawaii and sell seats aboard Hawaiian by attaching its two-letter booking code to Hawaiian’s flights listed in worldwide computer reservations systems,� the release says. Based in Vancouver, Harmony flies to Oakland, Palm Springs (Calif.), Las Vegas and New York in addition to several Canadian destinations.

Dulles adds security lanes for elite United customers

United says its elite frequent-flier members flying out of the airline’s Washington Dulles hub can now use “new security checkpoints exclusively for our first, business and elite travelers, their families or travel companions.� In an e-mail from United detailing the new option, the carrier says “one elite lane will be available on the east side of the terminal near the United ticket counter. A second elite lane will be located on the west side of the terminal. Whichever lane you use, we ask that you please be prepared to show your Mileage Plus card.� The checkpoints opened Tuesday.

What would you do with 31 million miles?

You may think you have racked up a lot of frequent-flier miles, but chances are you’ve got nothing on Jim Noble. He’s a Delta frequent flier who has accumulated a whopping 31 million Delta Skymiles, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (free registration). As it celebrates the 25th anniversary of its frequent-flier program, Delta says Noble’s total makes him the “top earner of SkyMiles.� Noble is the CEO of his own software firm, something he says calls for frequent trips between his Atlanta office and destinations like London, Paris, New Delhi, and Sydney, Australia. What does Noble do with all his miles? For his most recent trip, he redeemed a chunk of 500,000 miles for a 10-day honeymoon in Greece with his new bride Chantelle. "There are some beautiful places out there in the world," he told the Journal-Constitution just before his Atlanta-to-Greece flight this week. Close behind Noble and his 31 million earned Delta miles is Bob Kelly. The Journal-Constitution says he “earned his 30,694,012 miles in the trenches … with frequent flights to every capital of every state in the union, plus trips to the U.S. territories� for his job.

AA offers free tickets for fewer miles on short flights

American Airlines is bringing back its reduced-mileage frequent-flier award for short flights. Customers can redeem just 15,000 miles -– down from the normal 25,000 -– for a frequent-flier reward trip of 750 miles or less each way. American’s “Short-hop MileSAAver awards� are available for travel from Sept. 1 through Feb. 28, and include routes such as New York-Chicago, Los Angeles-San Francisco and Denver-Dallas/Fort Worth. Only non-stop flights are eligible for the 15,000-mile awards. United also offers a reduced-mileage award in which customers can redeem 15,000 miles for trips of 700 miles or less through the end of 2006.

Scenes from the road: Planes, trains and automobiles

I can't get away from travel-related topics –- even when I’m on vacation. On a trip to Boston this past weekend, I spotted this Delta Shuttle billboard in the city's North End neighborhood. As the advertisement promises, planes are indeed faster than trains. But a New York friend joining me for the trip disagreed with the premise. He pointed out that he could catch a train just two blocks from his Manhattan apartment at Amtrak’s Penn Station. And in Boston, he arrived at Back Bay Station, which was literally across the street from our hotel. For him, the train seemed like a "faster" option. For me, flying was a no-brainer since I was coming from Washington. But our conversation got me thinking about the merits of taking the train vs. flying when traveling in the Boston-New York-Washington corridor.

Figuring that Today in the Sky readers likely have strong opinions on the subject, I thought I'd put this topic out for discussion. What do you prefer when traveling between New York and Boston, Washington or other points in the "Northeast Corridor?" Flying? Taking the train? Driving yourself? The bus? Share your thoughts below.

US Airways upgrades could become harder to snag

US Airways may remove 10 first-class seats from the jets it uses to fly many cross-country routes. The airline is expected to make a decision by the first quarter of next year, writes Keith L. Alexander, the Business Class columnist for The Washington Post (free registration). The change -– if adopted –- “would most affect the carrier's Airbus A321 aircraft that operate not only on transcontinental flights but up and down the East Coast.� Alexander says the number of seats in the A321 first-class cabin would drop to 16 from 26. Reducing first-class seats, of course, would likely make it more difficult for frequent-fliers to upgrade out of coach. In addition, US Airways will tweak the configuration of its A319 aircraft by adding another row (six seats). Alexander writes “that will reduce the average seat pitch, or legroom, by an inch or so to 31 to 32 inches from 31 to 33 inches.�

Airline officials tell Alexander the changes are part of an effort to reconfigure the aircraft of the merged US Airways to be more consistent with the fleet of the “old� America West. "There's a lot of things that are changing," says Andrew Nocella, senior vice president of US Airways' planning and alliances. "There are more people who want to get on the airplane than we have seats." Alexander also says US Airways is hoping any changes will “attract more paying customers in first class and … wring more revenue out of its coach seating.� But if upgrade options do shrink, US Airways could lose one of its top selling points. The carrier’s generous upgrade options for frequent fliers is often cited as a top perk. California traveler Travis Mason-Bushman tells Alexander: "If I can't get an upgrade, I have little incentive to fly them. I'll fly United instead. At least I get can extra legroom in their Economy Plus.�

Photo: US Airways jets at Philadelphia. By William Thomas Cain, Getty Images.

Can you 'cheat' your way to elite frequent-flier status?

Fortune magazine says you can ... if you know some of the tricks of the trade. For starters, Fortune suggests American’s Gold and Platinum Challenge options. Normally, achieving Gold frequent-flier status on AA requires 25,000 miles or 30 segments in a calendar year. Platinum requires double that. That's where AA’s challenge comes in, Fortune says, adding that the offer “is barely mentioned on American's website" and that "you have to physically pick up the phone to enroll." Fortune says “free enrollment� in the challenge begins “on the 1st or 16th of the month and lasts 90 days. During that time you need to earn 5,000 points or 16 segments for Gold status, and twice that for Platinum. (Super discounted tickets earn half a point per mile flown, regular coach tickets earn one point and full-fare coach, business and first class earn 1.5 points per mile.)�

According to Fortune, fliers can sometimes meet those thresholds with as little as one trans-Atlantic trip or just two or three cross-country flights. And if you successfully complete AA’s challenge, Fortune writes “you can often parlay that into elite status at many of the other airlines" by contacting their frequent-flier departments and asking for a "status match" with AA. However, most airlines will require proof of your status on AA ... such as an old statement indicating your elite frequent-flier level. “Of course, there's a catch to all these programs,� Fortune admits. “Your newfound cachet lasts just one year unless you start meeting the normal requirements.�

Continental, Alitalia strengthen ties

Continental Airlines and Alitalia will expand their code-sharing partnership to include connecting travel between Italy and both Canada and Mexico. Code-sharing allows airlines to place their own flight numbers and sell seats on each other’s flights. In the expanded Alitalia-Continental deal, Alitalia will place its airline code on Continental non-stop flights between Continental’s Newark hub and Mexico City and the Canadian cities of Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa. That will allow Alitalia customers to use a single ticket to fly from Rome to Newark on Alitalia and then connect on Continental to Canada or Mexico. Both Alitalia and Continental are members of the SkyTeam frequent-flier alliance.

Frontier reduces miles to Mexico

Frontier Airlines has reduced to 15,000 the number of miles needed for a free flight to Mexico. Normally, 25,000 miles are needed. The deal is good only on non-stop flights to Mexico from Denver, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, St. Louis and Salt Lake City. Reward reservations must be made by July 5. (UPDATE: Booking deadline is now July 12). Travel dates vary by route, but most are good for travel through Oct. 14. Taxes and fees are applied to the reward tickets.

Airline credit cards turn frequent-fliers into big spenders

Cars. Mortgages. College tuition. Those are just some of the big-ticket items that frequent-fliers are charging to their airline credit cards these days. With more airline-related credit card options than ever, many frequent fliers have resorted to taking “expenditures to new extremes to lift their (mileage) balances rapidly,� writes Keith L. Alexander, the Business Class columnist for The Washington Post (free registration). One of the more extreme examples comes from Leesa Weiss, a Maryland lawyer who charged the $9,000 bill for her father's funeral to her US Airways Visa card. Even while she was grieving over the loss of one of her parents, she tells Alexander that she opted to go the mileage route after seeing a sign in the funeral home welcoming credit card payments. "My father would get a kick out of this," she says. "For what we were spending on the credit card, I thought I might as well get something out of it," she tells Alexander.

She’s certainly not alone. One man received 20,000 Continental miles by using plastic to pay for his wife’s facelift while another racked up 40,000 United miles in paying for her home’s new bathroom. Not everyone is sold, however. Some say the cards and their miles are no longer worth it, citing factors like annual fees of up to $85 and increased difficulty in redeeming frequent-flier mileage for free airline tickets. Virginia resident Marybeth Majka is one of those. She tells Alexander that she has little trouble finding frequent-flier reward flights to place like Buffalo and Greenville, S.C. "But trying to get seats to St. Thomas or someplace I really want to go, forget it," she says. "I'm rethinking using these cards."

Should airlines reveal success rates of redeeming miles?

Should airlines be required to publish data on passengers’ chances of redeeming free frequent-flier reward tickets? That’s what one frequent-flier expert thinks, according to Steve Huettel, the "Road Life" columnist for the St. Petersburg Times. Huettel writes that Tim Winship -– publisher of FrequentFlier.com –- “has long argued that the federal government should compel airlines to report the percentage of free ticket requests they fulfill just like they report on-time performance and numbers of mishandled bags.� Winship’s call comes as some frequent fliers complain that it has become nearly impossible to redeem miles for free trips. "This is the critical issue facing these programs,'' Winship tells Huettel. "It's what people are up in arms about.'' Others, however, insist that travelers still have a relatively easy time cashing in miles. Kurt Stache, president of the American’s AAdvantage frequent-flier program, tells Huettel that AA members get a flight to their destination 90% of the time. Further, he adds that travelers get ''roughly the flight times'' they first asked for more than 70% of the time.

Days numbered for AA, TACA pact

American Airlines frequent-flier partnership with El Salvador’s TACA Air Lines will end June 30. After that date, American customers can no longer earn or redeem miles for TACA flights. American customers hoping to use AA frequent-flier miles to book award travel on TACA also must do so by June 30, though they have through June 30, 2007, to complete travel.

Photo credit: Passengers walk towards a Taca Peru jet at an airport in Cuzco, Peru. By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY.

Airports open services to keep fliers plugged in

Airports increasingly are adding office-like service to appeal to business travelers, USA TODAY reports. The paper cites San Francisco International as an example, writing that travelers in the airport’s Terminal 3 “can rent laptops, private workstations and meeting rooms at a business center operated by PowerPort. PowerPort's charging station in San Francisco has 12 bays for cellphones, personal digital assistants and computers.� Other airports with PowerPort facilities include Jacksonville, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis.

In Minneapolis, TravelEx America has set up shop across from the PowerPort facility there, renting conference rooms and offering photocopy, fax, courier and other services. "Business travelers need these services," says Jenni Bowring-McDonough, a spokeswoman for Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. "People don't want to be unplugged in the airport. Time is too valuable." Travelers seem to agree. "It's tough enough being disconnected for 10 hours on a flight, but it's much harder if you can't download and respond" during an airport layover, says Chuck Kelley, a sales director for an Illinois broadcast equipment company.

One addition likely to be popular with travelers comes at Chicago O'Hare. That’s where the city’s aviation department teamed with United Airlines last month to open a station allowing fliers to simultaneously recharge two electronic devices for free. Airport spokeswoman Wendy Abrams says 21 such stations at O'Hare and four at Midway are planned.  Still, other frequent travelers say their top priority is simply wireless Internet access in airport terminals. Many airports already provide such access –- some for free, but most at a charge. Some big airports, however, have yet to add Internet access, including Los Angeles, Washington Dulles and Washington National airports. Those airports expect to have Web access sometime this year, according to USA TODAY.

(Check out the USA TODAY story for a list of the business services avialable at major U.S. airports. A chart at the bottom of the page details these options.)

Photo credit:  US Airways lounge at Washington National Airport. By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY.

oneworld adds Japanese carrier

In early 2007, Japan Airlines (JAL) will join oneworld, the airline alliance led by British Airways and American, The Associated Press reports. The move comes as the world’s three large frequent-flier alliances -– Star Alliance, SkyTeam and oneworld -– race to bolster their networks with new carriers. JAL's Japanese rival -- All Nippon Airways (ANA) –- is a member of the Star Alliance, which includes the U.S. carriers United and US Airways.

Photo credit: Japan Airlines jets at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. By Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP/Getty Images.

Airlines may cancel fewer flights, but is that good or bad?

Air travelers could be in store for one of the worst seasons for delays in recent memory. Thanks to what’s expected to be a record summer for air travel, many flights will be flying at or near capacity. Couple that the with industry cutbacks in both aircraft and numbers of flights, and that means carriers will have few options to accommodate passengers on other planes in the event of a schedule disruption. What does that mean for customers? Possibly long waits in airport terminals, according to Keith L. Alexander, the Business Class columnist for The Washington Post (free registration). He says that airlines experiencing mechanical glitches this summer will be more likely to hold the flight instead of canceling it, since they’d have few other options to put passengers on other planes.

"When you have fuller planes and when you do have a cancellation, there is no place to put these people. You have to get these flights out," Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Caroline Boren tells Alexander. Travel expert Terry Trippler of TerryTrippler.com says fliers are likely to feel the pinch. "Flights that were canceled in the past won't be canceled. They will be delayed instead for however long it takes to fix the plane," he says. "You're going to see more flights operating at 2 a.m. than ever before. They have to get those planes out." That could force many passengers to endure waits in airport terminals of four, five or six hours. As for alternative options this summer, fliers may “simply have to bear it, reading, toe-tapping, staring off into space,� Alexander writes.

Frequent fliers turn a skeptical eye to the skies

Feel like it’s getting harder and harder to redeem frequent-flier miles for award tickets? You’re not alone. “The airline industry's frequent-flier programs … seem to be under attack as never before,� writes USA TODAY. The paper talks of a “fast-growing number of … critics — consumers and experts alike — (who) say the programs are becoming more trouble than they're worth to travelers and have outlived their appeal.� Indeed, an analysis by USA TODAY and Back Aviation Solutions found that the percentage of frequent fliers traveling free on U.S. airlines' domestic flights has been gradually been declining since 2002. And, across the globe, mileage credits have been accruing at a faster rater than free trips are being redeemed. Yet airlines and some recent outside studies show most frequent-fliers generally are able to redeem miles for their preferred destinations and dates.

But there seems to be little debate over this: The primary mission of frequent-flier programs has changed since they were first introduced 25 years ago. “The programs have drifted from their original purpose of promoting loyalty and have become important cash generatorsâ€? for the airlines, USA TODAY writes.  Last year, more than half (54%) of frequent-flier miles were earned not from flying, but from programs involving partners such as credit cards, mortgage lenders or flower shops. And as the airlines’ frequent-flier clubs slowly evolve from true “loyalty programsâ€? to revenue generators, USA TODAY writes that “many travelers have taken the cue and are becoming less loyal, shopping for the lowest fare or joining multiple plans.â€?

Just ask Rolfe Shellenberger, the man who help design the industry’s first frequent-flier program at American. Now a retired travel consultant, Shellenberger tells USA TODAY that the programs’ “purpose now is to generate more revenue" in the short term instead of building long-term customer loyalty that financially benefits a company over an extended period of time. "These programs are just about the only antidote to lousy airline service in general. Yet they are being slowly devalued," he laments. The airlines, he tells USA TODAY, “got greedy.�

Frequent-flier tickets aren't free to the airlines

Airlines have resorted to charging fees for some frequent-flier reward tickets booked over the phone or on short notice. But, do handing out free frequent-flier seats actually cost the airline anything? "Yes," says to USA TODAY. Citing Randy Petersen, publisher of WebFlyer.com, the paper writes that "an award trip costs an airline at least $23.93, based on the food, beverage, fuel, reservations, liability insurance and miscellaneous costs. This assumes the seat occupied would have gone unsold and the airline didn't forgo revenue from a paying passenger."

And there were other fun frequent-flier facts in USA TODAY's Wednesday article on the struggle to redeem frequent-flier awards. Among those: If frequent fliers converted all their miles into reward tickets today, airlines would be liable for about 27 million free trips.  Also, USA TODAY writes that "the average active member of a frequent-flier program earns 11,364 miles per year."

Aer Lingus leaving oneworld

Irish carrier Aer Lingus announced Tuesday that it will leave the oneworld frequent-flier alliance. The carrier first joined oneworld in 2000, according to Agence France-Presse. But with Aer Lingus in the process of reshaping itself as a low-cost carrier, the airline says the alliance no longer meets its needs. "Alliance membership has inevitably become less relevant for the airline over time, with an increasing number of customers availing of our new direct services at low fares," Aer Lingus CEO Dermot Mannion said in the statement. In addition to the airline’s changing business strategy, the Financial Times/MSNBC says that Aer Lingus “is also facing growing costs of compliance with the obligations of membership of oneworld … at a time when the alliance is growing quickly.�

Japan Airlines, Royal Jordanian and Malev Hungarian are all set to join oneworld next year, something that the publication says will “trigger a sharp rise in IT costs for integrating the computer systems of the new members.� Aer Lingus did not say exactly when it would exit the alliance, but Air Transport World notes that the carrier is obligated to give its oneworld partners a year’s notice. The oneworld Alliance roster currently includes Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Lan and Qantas. It is the world's third-largest airline alliance, following the Star Alliance and SkyTeam.

Photo credit: An Aer Lingus jet takes off from London's Heathrow Airport. By Adam Butler, AP.

Frontier rolls out new website, offers double miles

Denver-based low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines introduced a new website this week. Frontier's old green-dominated site has been replaced by a bright site with lots of white and deep blue. A picture of a Frontier plane is located in the upper right corner of the page, with a bear on the jet’s tail that moves its head as you mouse over it. In a press release announcing the new site, Frontier says it wants the site to be the "primary driver" of ticket sales. "Our goal with the new site is to increase our Web bookings by over 40% in the next year, which would reflect a significant savings for us in terms of distribution costs," President and CEO Jeff Potter says. Among the promotions to highlight Frontier’s Web redesign: Free in-flight DIRECTV for all passengers who book online and double miles to any destination booked online. Frontier’s domestic reward tickets can be redeemed for as little as 15,000 miles.

Photo credit: Frontier is known for the animals that adorn the tails of its aircraft.  By Heribert Proepper, AP.

US Airways merges websites

US Airways over the weekend unveiled its new post-merger website, a move that combines the sites of America West and the “old� US Airways. The new site features a look that more closely matches that airline's post-merger color scheme. The Charlotte Business Journal writes that the change is “part of a continuing consolidation of operations� of the merged carrier. Customers who try to go to America West’s old site -– www.americawest.com –- will be redirected to the new US Airways site. The carrier is also merging its America West and US Airways frequent-flier accounts into one, with the program maintaining the “Dividend Miles� name used by US Airways. “If you are an existing America West Flight Fund member, your miles will automatically be rolled into the new US Airways program,� writes the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Some Today in the Sky readers have reported trouble creating a new log-in name on the US Airways' new website, something that appears to be required of first-time visitors hoping to book travel or check miles. Have you had similar problems, or was your first visit to the site a breeze? Share your experience with other Today in the Sky readers.

AA has its own double-mile promotion

This morning I told you about a double-mile bonus from United (see below). And, thanks to a tip from a reader, I can now tell you that United’s offer appears to have come in response to a similar double-mileage promotion from American. The offers from both AA and United are nearly identical. Here are the details on American’s promotion: Earn double miles for travel on published fares on all American Airlines, American Eagle or AmericanConnection flights through Nov. 15. Codeshare flights on partners like Alaska Airlines are not eligible. To qualify, customers must register prior to travel but no later than May 31. Travel must be booked at AA.com. Register on AA’s website using promotion code DBL06. Both American and United are offering the double miles as a way to promote the 25th anniversary of their frequent-flier programs.

United dusts off double-mile offer

United customers can earn double miles on all published-fare tickets booked on united.com between May 18 and May 31. Travel must be completed by Nov. 15. Registration is required prior to travel but no later than May 31. The offer is valid only on United, United Express and Ted flights, and not on United codeshare partners such as US Airways or Air Canada. Bonus miles apply to base flight miles only and do not count toward elite status, but the double-mile bonus is in addition to any applicable elite-level or class-of-service bonuses.

Report: Air China to get Star Alliance invite

Air China appears set to become the newest member of the Star Alliance frequent-flier group. The carrier will receive an invitation Monday, Air Transport World (ATW) reports -– citing a report in the German newspaper Handelsblatt. Air China’s invitation appears to strengthen the Star Alliance’s position in China. Last week, the group extended a formal invitation to Shanghai Airlines, according to ATW.

Photo credit: Air China jets on the ground at Beijing's airport. By Greg Baker, The Associated Press.

AA opens new Admirals Club in Miami

American Airlines on Wednesday opened a second Admirals Club lounge at Miami International Airport. The newest Miami location is on the mezzanine level of Concourse A, across from Gate A12 and above Gate A7. The Concourse A lounge is 9,500 square feet and can seat 251. The club is open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and is staffed with personnel fluent in Spanish, French and Portuguese. AA also opened another Admirals Club lounge last November on Miami’s Concourse D. Non-members can buy day passes; this FAQ from American explains who is eligible.

25% award-ticket discount is among 25 AA promotions

To help celebrate the 25th anniversary of its AAdvantage frequent-flier program, American Airlines is offering “25 deals in 25 days� to help promote its loyalty program -- the industry's first. Today is eighth day of the 25-day promotion. Among the airline’s best offers so far is AA's day one promotion, in which the airline is allowing customers to redeem frequent-flier awards for 25% fewer miles. The 25% discount is available on free tickets within the USA and to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. With the discount, tickets within the USA are available for 18,750 miles (down from the normal 25,000). At the other end of the spectrum, “Premium Class� tickets to Hawaii are available for 71,250 miles, down from the normal 95,000. To get the 25% discount, tickets must be booked and ticketed by May 31 for travel between Aug. 22 and Nov. 8. Check out the airline's other 24 deals on AA’s website.

United gives 'Choices' to frequent fliers

In a program United announced earlier this week, the nation’s second-largest carrier says it will expand its frequent-flier program by offering special perks to holders of its Mileage Plus Visa credit card. The program -– called Mileage Plus Choices -– will allow cardholders to earn “points� through regular purchases. Consumers can then use those points as though they were currency to book flights, hotel rooms and rental cars. Cardholders earn one Choice point per dollar spend, while those using gold and platinum cards earn two points per dollar spent. The Rocky Mountain News writes that “points can still be used as traditional frequent flier miles, but consumers also can cash them in as monetary credits. After using the card to book travel on United's website, members simply wait for their monthly statement and decide whether they want to use the new ‘choice’ points, cash or a mix of both.�

For each United flight booked on the airline's website, cardholders receive a $100 credit toward flights for every 10,000 points. “For example,� United says on its website, “purchase a $129 ticket and redeem 12,900 Choices� points to pay for the ticket. Since the Choice points are used "like cash," one advantage to the program is that points can be used for any open seat on any United flight, according to The Denver Post. Choices points can also be redeemed for elite qualifying miles, with an annual redemption maximum of 50,000 Choices points for 5,000 elite-qualifying miles. Among the other options: 15,000 Choices points for a $120 hotel credit or 7,500 points for $60 toward a rental car.

AA gives away up to 42 million frequent-flier miles

It was 25 years ago yesterday that American Airlines launched its AAdvantage frequent-flier club, making it the first airline to have such a loyalty program. In the 25 years that have followed, of course, frequent-flier mileage programs have become both a cottage industry and something of a cultural phenomenon. Today, nearly every commercial U.S. carrier has instituted some sort of frequent-flier program –- ranging from traditional mileage programs to points-based systems like those at Southwest, JetBlue and AirTran.

To mark the 25th anniversary of its ground-breaking program, AA gave away 25,000 miles to passengers on 10 flights Monday, The Associated Press reports. On Monday's American Flight 145, for example, all 188 passengers on the Boston-to Los Angeles flight got 25,000 miles –- enough for a free domestic round-trip ticket. “It makes my day,â€? Flight 145 passenger Josh Gerber tells the Boston Herald. AA officials estimate that Monday's mileage giveaway could amount to as much as a combined 42 million miles for the passengers on the 10 flights. 

Miles are good – but can you actually use them?

While many airline travelers eagerly participate in today's seemingly unlimited number of frequent-flier programs, there has been increasing frustration with them in recent years. “Indeed, on this 25th anniversary, we're hearing much hoopla praising frequent-flier programs as boons for the airlines as well. The truth, however, is much darker,� writes ABC News. The programs have become so popular that customers look to earn miles anywhere they can. And, with miles now available for everything from mortgages to groceries, miles are piling up in frequent-flier accounts at an astonishing pace. U.S. frequent-fliers now have billions of miles stockpiled in the various programs. That not only creates a huge liability for airlines, but also a backlog of "free" reward seats when too many people try to redeem miles during peak periods. One of the top frequent-flier complaints is that it has becoming too difficult to redeem miles for a frequent-flier reward ticket –- if there are any reward travel seats available at all.

Tim Winship of frequentflier.com says "the astonishing thing is that while the earning side has gone through the roof, the award side has moved very little." In fact, he tells Knight Ridder Newspapers, " it has never been more difficult to redeem miles. … The pressure on airlines now is to reduce free seats, as they are still operating in the red." ABC News concludes: “So today we have a confusing dichotomy. The airline industry appears to be congratulating itself on a great idea it says has worked wonderfully. … But behind the false front of sweetness and light lurks a dark repository of billions and billions of unredeemed miles no airline executive really wants to talk about, or allow to be cashed in."

What do you think? Have miles really become too difficult to redeem? Or, are people just not flexible enough when they try to redeem mileage for their free tickets? Share your thoughts with other Today in the Sky readers.

iTunes downloads may be coming to airline flights

Apple’s iTunes music service could soon be part of some airlines’ in-flight entertainment (IFE) options, according to a report on FlightGlobal.com. The airline-focused website writes that some IFE providers have talked with Apple about licensing the company's iTunes service, possibly “enabling passengers to use frequent-flier miles to download music and videos on to iPod MP3 players" during commercial flights. “We’ve had lots of discussions with Apple,� says Brad Foreman, the vice-president and in-flight systems general for Thales –- a company whose services include IFE systems. “The key is to get them to see the value of hosting iTunes on an aircraft. Is it a big enough market for them to be interested in? I’d try to do it tomorrow if they said yes.� Apple would not confirm or deny any talks on the subject, with company officials saying only that "Apple never talks about the future."

Teacher suspended for asking students to help him earn frequent-flier credits

A Florida school district suspended a first-year teacher this week, in part because he asked students to help him earn frequent-flier credits for a promotion with AirTran Airways. The teacher, 23-year-old Scott Keatley, allegedly gave extra credit to students who brought in specially marked Wendy's beverage cups that were part of a frequent-flier promotion with AirTran, the Orlando Sentinel reports. In that promotion, 32 of the cups could be redeemed for eight AirTran flight credits -– enough for a free one-way ticket. The promotion led to widespread reports of dumpster diving and eBay-selling as customers looked to horde the promotional cups.

As for Keatley, he tells the Sentinel that he didn’t realize that asking for students' help in collecting the cups was wrong, and he adds that he took steps to correct the situation as soon as the school raised an issue. The paper writes that a letter in the Volusia County school district's "investigative file shows (Keatley) wrote to AirTran and asked the airline to remove 32 credits from his account -- the number needed for a free one-way coach ticket in the promotion.� Keatley says the incident came to light only after a student complained about not being graded fairly. That student's parents wrote a letter to the school in which they criticized Keatley's teaching methods. "I feel that they're simply out for my job because I didn't give their son a different grade," Keatley says. As punishment, the school board decided to suspend Keatley for five days without pay. "This will stay with me forever," Keatley says. "Plus I'm probably going to lose my job. It's a nightmare."

Alaska Air's reduced-mileage frequent-flier offers

Alaska Airlines is offering reduced-mileage frequent-flier award tickets -– 15,000 miles instead of the usual 20,000 –- on select routes in the West. The 15,000-mile award tickets are good on Alaska and Horizon Air flights between Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, Reno or Denver and any of the airlines’ destinations in the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The offer is valid for travel between April 18 and June 8. The reduced-mileage awards are blacked out for Memorial Day travel (May 26-29).

Fliers need scorecard to keep up with food, entertainment options

Wondering what kind of service and amenities you’ll get in coach class during your next flight? USA TODAY writes that today’s frequent-fliers often “need a scorecard to keep track of what's served and sold in-flight.� One of the latest changes is coming from low-cost carrier ATA, which next month will end free snack service and instead will sell $2.95 snack boxes filled with a granola bar, cookies, crackers and other items.

"It is rather confusing," Ines Lormand, a frequent business traveler from Houston, says about keeping track of each airline’s options. But it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re wondering if Continental still serves free meals (it does) or whether United charges for headsets (it does not), check out today’s USA TODAY story on the topic. The article includes a chart listing all of the in-flight meal and entertainment options on U.S. carriers.

Which airline do you think has the best -- or worst -- in-flight options for meals and entertainment? Share your thoughts with other Today in the Sky readers.

Earn faster free trips on AirTran

AirTran Airways is offering double frequent-flier credits for customers traveling to or from the following airports: Chicago Midway; Westchester County/White Plains, N.Y.; Richmond, Va.; Rochester, N.Y.; Newport News, Va.; Bloomington, Ill.; Moline/Quad Cities, Ill.; and Akron-Canton, Ohio. All flights must be completed by June 15 to earn the double credit. With the promotion, customers will earn 2 credits for each trip to or from the selected airports, up from the airline’s usual 1 credit per one-way flight. AirTran offers a free one-way coach-class ticket for 8 flight credits, which must be earned within a year.

United tweaks frequent-flier mile levels, fees

United is making a few changes to its frequent flier program, some of which will cost customers more in miles and fees, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Beginning Oct. 16, United will start requiring 50,000 miles for a "standard" domestic ticket -– up from the current 40,000. And the carrier will also begin charging a $50 fee for customers booking reward tickets between seven and 13 days prior to departure. Book less than seven days, and the fee jumps to $75. The fees are waived for 1K Mileage Plus and Global Services members.

Now to the good news. United’s 25,000-mile domestic “saver� rewards are still available for domestic travel, and the company says it “has reserved a percentage of Saver Award seats on every flight� though the end of its schedule. In addition, United will extend its “Short-Haul Saver� awards for flights of 700 miles or less (each way, non stop). The short-haul awards can be redeemed for 15,000 round trip (down from the normal 25,000), and are now available through the end of the year. Short-haul markets include routes like San Francisco-Seattle, Washington-Toronto, Los Angeles-Albuquerque and Chicago-New York.

The frequent-flier 'game' is bigger than ever; how can you come out ahead?

Twenty-five years ago, American Airlines launched what then was the industry’s first-ever frequent-flier program. Today, as you surely know, frequent-flier programs have become big business. And the rules of how to play the frequent-flier game have changed dramatically since the early days of the programs, reports The Miami Herald. In fact, many of today’s fliers are able to earn free trips without ever setting foot in an airplane since miles can be earned for everything from taking out home mortgages to donating blood. But much to the frustration of the traveling public, the number of seats available for free travel has not kept pace with all the different ways to earn miles. ''The astonishing thing is that while the earning side has gone through the roof, the award side has moved very little,'' says Tim Winship of FrequentFlier.com. In fact, he says, “from what I hear, it has never been more difficult to redeem miles.''

The Herald writes that “shortfall of free seats� has prompted airlines to offer more non-flight rewards in their frequent-flier programs -- rewards that can be redeemed for items ranging from cookware to NASCAR rides to snowmobile excursions. However, Winship says those awards are “of lower value� when compared to redeeming miles for flights. ''Airlines have to buy those products," meaning you’re likely spending a disproportionate number of miles for those items when compared to the value of a flight that could be claimed with the same number of miles. As for strategies, the Herald offers a thorough list of tips on how to best earn and use miles. With her own advice is the Herald’s Jane Wooldridge, who offers additional tips on how to successfully redeem miles. Among her tidbits: Have patience and be realistic. “Don't expect convenience, direct flights or seats on those busy travel days of Friday and Sunday,� she says. “Free has its own price -- it's called time.�

Tips that can help you make the most of your miles

So, how can you make the most of your frequent-flier miles? The Miami Herald offers helpful tips on the subject, including ways to both earn and redeem them. For building your account, “earning miles the old fashioned way –- by flying –- is still one of the best ways� to rack up reward options, The Herald says ... but don’t forget to add credit cards, car rentals, hotel stays and dining plans to your earning mileage-earning portfolio. Of course, earning miles is the easy part these days … but if you’re looking to redeem miles, the Herald suggests trying to be as flexible as possible on travel dates when you requested a free trip. If that doesn’t work, consider using your miles for upgrades –- or for non-airline goodies like hotel stays, cruises or points on dining programs.

And don’t always trust airline websites. “If you search online, don't believe the website answer is the final word,� the Herald writes. “Airlines want you to book online, but their websites don't search seat availability on partner airlines. … Try online first, then talk to a live person.� The Herald’s Jane Wooldridge adds her own advice, which includes simply calling again. “If the first agent isn't so savvy, or there's just nothing available, call back on a regular basis. We moved our Christmas tickets from one date to the next by simply calling every day for a few weeks until something opened up.� She also advises patience: “Even when you get a great agent, this process can take time.�

Which airline has the best frequent-flier program?

“There really is no 'best' program in any categorical sense,'' FrequentFlier.com’s Tim Winship says to The Miami Herald. “Rather, the program which allows the member to earn free trips, with the least disruption to their natural travel patterns, should be the preferred program,'' he says. Still, Winship admits that some programs may have a leg up on their rivals. ''American's AAdvantage program offers more opportunities to earn miles than any other program . . . and is among the most generous in making seats available,'' he says. He also cites United's Mileage Plus for its aggressive promotions and Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan for its wide range of partners.

Which airline do you think has the best frequent-flier program? Share your thoughts with Today in the Sky readers.

Eos Airlines: Get your money back if you don’t like us

That’s the offer being made by Eos Airlines, the all first-class airline that flies between New York JFK and London Stansted. Eos operates 757s equipped with just 48 seats -- a typical 757 can carry as many as 220 passengers -- featuring 78-inch lie-flat beds and 21-square feet of space per passenger. Eos is apparently so confident that high-fare-paying customers will be won over by such perks that it's offering a sale fare along with a money-back guarantee. Travel Weekly reports that the offer -– good for up to $3,500 cash back -– is open to customers who have flown in British Airways' or Virgin Atlantic's premium classes at least twice in the past six months.

Hoping to make a splash with its offer, Eos took out high-profile “open letter� ads Thursday in major newspapers, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The special fare is available for purchase by April 12 and is good for travel through May 26. Regular fares on Eos range from $2,950 round-trip for weekend travel to $6,500 for last-minute fares. Those fares are typically lower than published fares for a similar class of service on big rivals like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, but Travel Weekly reports that Eos has faced “a stiff challenge from BA and VA, who fly to Heathrow (instead of more distant Stansted) and offer aggressive corporate discounts.�

First-class upgrades: Can you get them, and are they worth the effort?

Upgrades to first or business class have become increasingly important options to frequent fliers, but how hard is it to redeem airline mileage for such awards? If you request an upgrade on the same airline you're using the miles from, the process tends to be fairly straight forward. But “it can be such a pain, if not impossible, to use miles earned on one airline for an upgrade on a partner carrier,â€? writes travel columnist James Gilden of the Los Angeles Times (free registration). Though the three major frequent-flier alliances -- Star Alliance, SkyTeam and oneworld -– say upgrades can be redeemed across the multiple airlines in their groups, Gilden writes that “the record is mixedâ€? on just how easy the process can be. For example, Gilden says his request to use United miles for an upgrade on Star Alliance partner Lufthansa led him to make multiple calls to each airline, after which he had to redeem a paper certificate to complete the process. And, that’s after he had to buy a more expensive fare from Lufthansa to secure a ticket that was actually eligible for upgrades. “I would have thrown in the towel in disgust had I not been planning to write this column on the subject,â€? he says.  However, Gilden says, “my persistence paid off — I was upgraded on both the outbound and inbound legs of my trip.â€?

How does Gilden’s experience compare with your efforts? Have you had trouble redeeming miles for upgrades? And, is the process worth the trouble? Share your thoughts.

Frequent-flier mile faux pas?

In today's Wall Street Journal, the Work & Family Mailbox column (paid subscription only) addresses an awkward flying moment. "R.A." wrote in with a complaint about a five-hour flight he'd taken with his manager, with whom he has a good relationship. The manager "surprised" R.A. by saying that he wanted to upgrade using his frequent flier miles because "he said he wanted the free drinks and better food." R.A. wondered if this was a case of bad manners.

WSJ columnist Sue Shellenbarger got etiquette expert Peter Post on the case.  Post said that the manager was justified in the upgrade but that he could have delivered a more thoughtful explanation than free drinks. One possibility mentioned: "I fly a lot, and this is an opportunity to treat myself." However, if the tables were turned and the subordinate had the ability to upgrade, Post says the employee would be well advised to stay put in coach along with his or her boss.

Do you agree?  Do you think bosses should ditch their employees in coach class to enjoy champagne up front?
-- Barbara De Lollis

Aeroflot to join SkyTeam

On April 14, Russia-based Aeroflot will join the SkyTeam airline alliance, according to USA TODAY's international edition. In addition, SkyTeam now offers a German-language version of its website. The address is www.skyteam.com/DE. Other SkyTeam websites are available in Czech, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.

Who has the best frequent-flier program?

Want to tell everyone who you think has the best frequent-flier program? Now’s your chance to do it. Votes for the Freddie Awards -– which honor the world’s top frequent-flier programs -– are being taken through March 15. The winners will be announced in late April.

Northwest, Midwest bury the hatchet, ink frequent-flier pact

Northwest Airlines had seemed to be stepping up competition against Midwest Airlines –- a rival whose route network overlaps much of Northwest’s in the Midwest region. As recently as April 2004, Northwest was ramping up flights in Milwaukee, Midwest’s hub and hometown. Some experts wondered publicly whether that effort was aimed -- at least in part -- at NWA's then-struggling rival. But now, Northwest appears to be content to coexist with its regional neighbor. Beginning May 1, the two airlines will enter into an alliance that allows frequent fliers of either airline to earn miles on each others’ flights. More information is available on the websites for both Midwest and Northwest.

Southwest, ATA to expand pact, including frequent-flier perks

ATA Airlines officially emerged from bankruptcy protection this week, and today the carrier announced it will be expanding its partnership with Southwest. The expanded deal will allow passengers to book tickets on ATA flights using Southwest's website, including flights out of Dallas/Fort Worth. The airlines will allow passengers to use frequent flier points to book flights on either carrier. Passengers will now also be able to earn frequent flier credit by using either airline, according to The Associated Press. Southwest passengers will earn one credit on each one-way ATA flight, or two credits on flights to Hawaii. The changes are expected to go into effect later this year. ATA says the deal with Southwest earned it $50 million last year, a number that would logically be expected to grow along with the airline’s partnership. (ATA press release | Southwest press release)

Spirit Airlines introduces frequent-flier program

Spirit Airlines launched a frequent-flier program today that will reward members with status and the opportunity for free travel. The airline calls the program “Free Spirit� and says award travel will be available on every flight, without blackout dates. Domestic awards start at 15,000 miles and Caribbean awards start at 20,000 miles. Miles are earned based on frequent-flier status and the type of fare a traveler is flying on. “Our customers have been clamoring for a frequent-flier program without the hassles typical of other programs and we have designed Free Spirit to answer that calling,� Barry Biffle, Spirit’s chief marketing officer, says in a press release.

More access for Delta club members

Members of Delta's Crown Room Club can now visit AeroMexico, Air France, Alaska Airlines and KLM lounges when flying Delta or any other SkyTeam airline. Members now have access to more than 100 lounges.

How do airlines decide on flight cancellations during poor weather?

As flights ramp back up at Northeast airports following the record snowfall the walloped the region this weekend, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) takes an interesting look at just what goes into an airline’s decision to cancel a flight. The paper notes that American Airlines has 80,000 workers, but says the airline has just four who make decisions on cancellations. The Journal followed one of those workers, Danny Burgin, as he manned the control center at AA’s Texas headquarters during the storm. His task was to manage the airline’s cancellations ahead of and during the storm. Among the questions he had to juggle: “Are employees getting in to work? How many runways are cleared? How's pilot visibility?â€?  The Journal writes that one of AA’s early decisions was to halt Northeastern operations on Saturday night, ahead of the storm. As of 9 a.m. Saturday morning, the airline was canceling flights, something it says gave it more time to warn customers and allow them to make other plans -– and possibly avoid becoming stranded at a snow-bound airport.

Airlines also are increasingly using technology to aid them in figuring out which delays and cancellations will have the least impact. New programs allow airline employees to find out which cancellations will impact the greatest number of connecting passengers -– or how delaying some takeoffs can help another flight with more connecting passengers to leave on time. But once a flight is canceled, today’s record-capacity levels often leave airlines with few options. "There are fewer empty seats in which to put passengers spilling over from other flights,'' says Robert Shumsky, a Dartmouth business professor who wrote his dissertation on air-traffic control problems. "My feeling is that you better get used to it."

AirTran: Wendy's promo, dumpster diving were 'more than we expected'

AirTran’s recent promotion with Wendy’s –- where customers could earn a free airline ticket by buying 32 soft drinks at the restaurant –- seems to have been a smashing success, judging by most media reports. To earn the free ticket, customers clipped “flight coupons� from specially marked Wendy’s beverage cups. For every four coupons collected, customers got a flight credit, and it takes eight credits to earn a free one-way ticket on AirTran. The latest story on the promotion comes from The Star-Ledger of Newark, which writes that the promotion was so popular that it “quickly got out of hand. Scores of would-be air travelers began foraging through Wendy's dumpsters, and dozens of entrepreneurs started selling the coupons via the Internet.�

Says AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver: "It's been more than we expected. With the buzz (and) the stories about dumpster diving, we didn't know what we were in for." Though coupons obtained through “dumpster diving were technically ineligible for the promotion, that didn’t stop customers from going through the trash in an effort to accrue the individual maximum (128 cups, or two round-trip flights, per person). Others sold their stash on eBay. Regardless, Wendy’s officials say they were  “thrilledâ€? by the response to the promotion. "People were actively involved, engaged and participating in our stores, which is what you want," restaurant spokesman Bob Bertini says. Those still holding coupons to redeem on the promotion better send them in right away; AirTran's rules for the promotion state all coupons must be received by Feb. 13.

United targets Denver rival Southwest with aggressive frequent-flier promotion

United has rolled out a generous frequent-flier option that appears squarely aimed at Southwest’s new Denver service. United operates one of its biggest hubs at Denver, where Southwest began service last month. Fliers earn a “special award� for every United trip they take this year that either begins or ends in the city. For every two Denver round trips (or four one ways), United will give fliers a $100 hotel certificate or 4,000 bonus miles. Awards increase with every two round-trip flights. Eight round trips will net you a free domestic ticket or 25,000 bonus miles. Fly 16 round trips, and United offers a free international ticket or 90,000 bonus miles. Customers have until Dec. 31 to rack up flights toward the promotion, but registration is required on the airline's website. United used a similar tactic last year with the now-defunct Independence Air, offering travelers an around-the-world ticket for booking just 12 flights that either started or ended Washington or Baltimore.

It's a bonanza for frequent fliers as American, Southwest duke it out over Dallas

The gloves are off -– again –- between American and Southwest as the two airlines battle over Wright Amendment. This time, frequent-fliers of the two airlines stand to reap a bonanza of benefits. The latest tiff began late last week, when Southwest announced it would offer triple frequent-flier credits on its new flights between Dallas Love and both St. Louis and Kansas City. Now, American has rolled out a big frequent-flier bonus of its own. Saying that it wants to “get serious about competing at Love Field,� AA is now offering 60,000 bonus miles for customers flying out of either Dallas Love (DAL) or Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). The AA offer awards 30,000 miles each time a customer flies three round trips between either DAL or DFW and Austin, Kansas City, San Antonio or St. Louis. To earn the bonus, flights must be flown between March 2 and May 26, and a second 30,000-mile bonus can be earned if a customer flies another set of three round-trip flights during that period.

The frequent-flier battle comes after Southwest added new flights from Dallas Love to Kansas City and St. Louis. Those flights, of course, only became possible after Congress late last year exempted Missouri from the Wright Amendment, which limits long-distance flights from Love Field. American has been staunchly opposed to the loosening of the Wright Amendment, but said that if Southwest was allowed to expand at Love it would be forced to add flights of its own there. AA followed through on that promise, beginning service at Love for the first since 2001 with non-stop service to Austin, Kansas City, San Antonio and St. Louis.

S'west raises Wright Amendment stakes, offers triple credits between Love Field and Missouri

Southwest is offering triple credits on its new flights between Dallas Love Field and either St. Louis or Kansas City, Mo. Travelers flying on either of those routes will get three credits per flight (six per round trip) when they book online and fly by April 30. Southwest awards a free frequent-flier ticket at 16 credits. Southwest often offers bonus credits on new routes, but the triple-credit option is one of the airline's more generous offers during the past year or so. Flights between Love Field and Missouri had been prohibited by the Wright Amendment until Congress passed legislation late last year that made the state the eighth to be exempted from the amendment. Southwest’s new Missouri flights also touched off a quick response from American, which said the move forced it to announce service at Love Field for the first time since 2001. Saying it had to do so to remain competitive with Southwest, American will shift several planes from its hub at nearby Dallas/Fort Worth to begin service at Love Field.

SkyTeam adds presence in Middle East

Lebanese carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) has begun the process of joining the SkyTeam frequent-flier alliance, reports Air Transport World. The airline is expected to be a full-fledged member in about 15 months. MEA will be SkyTeam's first member in the Middle East. Continental, Delta and Northwest all belong to SkyTeam.

Reciprocal benefits for United, South African customers

Frequent-flier miles earned by United Airlines' Mileage Plus members can be redeemed for award travel on South African Airways beginning this April. Also, the airlines' frequent-flier members can now earn miles on each other's flights. The moves are part of a recent code-sharing agreement between the airlines, something that allows them to sell seats on each other's flights. United is a member of the Star Alliance, while South African is set to join in April.

Booze no longer free -- not even on international flights

You may be out of luck if you’re looking for a free alcoholic drink –- even on an international flight. Northwest Airlines is the last U.S. carrier that still offers free alcoholic beverages on international flights, but starting Feb. 1, the carrier will phase in a $5-per-drink fee on Asian-Pacific flights, reports The Wall Street Journal (subscription required). However, Northwest will still offer complimentary alcoholic drinks on flights to Europe and other international routes. Northwest’s changes are just latest in a series of attempts by U.S. carriers to charge for booze on international flights.

United now charges $5 per alcoholic beverage in international economy, and the Journal says the airline has told flight attendants to stop offering complimentary beer, wine or champagne to passengers celebrating birthdays, anniversaries or honeymoons. "It feels like the airlines are nickel and diming their best customers by offering less and less for the cost of the ticket," says Joseph Gordon, a 27-year-old consultant from Iowa who flies mostly on American. "I'm just resigned to the fact that in economy class you have to pay for almost everything now." But cost-cutting may not be entirely to blame. The Journal writes that the alcoholic-drink changes come “after legal and lobbying pressure on airlines to cut down on ‘air rage’ -- in-flight misbehavior most frequently attributed to drunkenness.�

Is United the USA’s top airline …

United was named North America’s best airline for business travel in 2005, according to an annual survey by Business Traveler magazine. United was also tabbed by the magazine’s readers for having the best frequent-flier program, The Associated Press reports. “What United has managed to do in the past year, particularly on domestic routes, has been no less than remarkable,� the magazine wrote in its review of the rankings. It also cited the airline’s “groundbreaking p.s. service on trans-continental flights,� the airline’s system-wide Economy Plus seating, and United's “reinvention� of the “the hated regional jet� by using 70-seat aircraft with first-class and Economy Plus seats.�

In the global awards, Singapore Airlines won nearly every category, taking home the best-of vote for international service, first-class service and coach-class service. British Airways was tabbed for having the best business-class service. As for airports, Denver International Airport was named North America’s best airport for business travel in 2005. Denver’s choice as the top airport ended Chicago O’Hare’s six-year run as the top pick of the magazine’s readers. Another notable award: Business Traveler named Orbitz as the top website for booking travel, citing new deals to offer cheap fares to eastern Europe and a plan to expand its Care Alert program that calls customers to inform them of bad weather or airport delays.

AA shrinks online booking bonus

American Airlines has reduced the number of bonus miles for tickets purchased online from 1,000 to 500. The change took effect Dec. 15. American says on its website that tickets booked prior to the Dec. 15 deadline will still earn 1,000 bonus miles.

USA TODAY: Fewer people flying on free frequent-flier tickets

Fewer people are traveling on free frequent-flier tickets today when compared to two years ago, according to an analysis commissioned by USA TODAY. The report, which looked at domestic flights on the 10 biggest U.S. airlines, found that one of every 16 travelers was flying on a free ticket during a yearlong period that ended June 30. Two years prior, it was one out of 14. USA TODAY writes that’s because of “tighter restrictions by the airlines and a growing preference of travelers to save their miles for non-airline goodies like hotel rooms or more expensive foreign travel.� Even Southwest -– which the paper says is “considered the airline with the most liberal rules" -– will add capacity controls next month on the number of free tickets offers on each flight. Elsewhere, many other airlines have reduced the number of free reward seats that are available on each flight. "Consumers are becoming fed up with earning miles and not being able to redeem them," says Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks, an independent airline consulting firm that tracks loyalty programs.

Airlines change how they herd us aboard

You may soon be able to forget the back-to-front boarding process that used to be a staple of U.S. airlines. USA TODAY reports that several big airlines –- including Delta, United, US Airways and AirTran -– are trying to speed up the boarding process by trying new methods. United and US Airways now board customers in window seats first, followed by middle seats and then the aisle. AirTran and Delta have turned to staggering boarding fliers between back and front seats to avoid a rush to one particular part of the cabin. United says its boarding is four to five minutes faster since the change, and spokeswoman Robin Urbanski estimates that saves the carrier about $1 million a year. How would that save the airline money? Faster boarding means planes can get back in the air more quickly, both reducing delays and allowing airlines to squeeze more revenue-producing flying time out of their aircraft. Southwest cites its open boarding process -– which it says allows for faster boarding –- for helping to keep its operations efficient.

More dumpster diving for free AirTran flights

WRTV Channel 6 of Indianapolis is one of the latest news outlets to report on AirTran's unusual promotion with Wendy's fast-food restaurants. During the promotion, Wendy’s restaurants are selling drinks on cups containing frequent-flier coupons. Four coupons equal one AirTran frequent-flier point, and 16 AirTran points can be redeemed for a free one-way ticket. WRTV-6 talks to college student Jeff Lattea, who’s trying to collect 64 cups -– good for a free round-trip –- so he can take a free trip during his spring break. "People were walking out of Wendy's, and I was just like, 'Can I have your cup?' " he says of a recent cup-hunting mission to the restaurant.

Another man who refused to give his name told the station that he’s been digging through trash cans to find the cups. But Sandy Emous, assistant manager at an Indianapolis-area Wendy's, says the promotion can be a handful. "I did go out to the dining room one day when a lady was going across every table and asking for cups and empty cups," she says. "That's just harassment of the guests, and I told her she had to leave." Still, Wendy’s managers tell the station that since the promotion began, drink sales are up and parking lot litter is down. The promotion officially ended Dec. 31, though some stores may still have the coupon-laden cups in stock. The coupons must be received by AirTran no later than Feb. 13.

Discount carrier vs. traditional airline -- these days, what's the difference?

The differences between flying on a low-cost carrier and a traditional big airline are fading, reports the Chicago Tribune (free registration). The paper writes that it was just a few years ago that travelers flying on a traditional airline “could drop off their bags with the skycap, board a plane where they'd be served an in-flight meal and then take a nap, heads resting on pillows provided by the airline.� At discounters, frills and in-flight meals weren't expected, and “travelers didn't mind because the price was right.� Today, however, the traditional airlines are charging $10 or more for fliers who choose to have meals, and skycap service costs $2 – plus tip – at many airports. Pillows aren't free either, on some carriers. Discounters, on the other hand, have rolled out perks like free seatback TV and satellite radio. "A lot of the low-cost carriers offer more now," says San Francisco-based airline consultant Alan Sbarra. "If you're not flying first-class on a United or American, the low-fare carriers have service that's similar to--or in some cases better than--the legacy carriers."

Some fliers fly extra to keep elite status

USA TODAY writes that thousands of U.S. road warriors this month are making year-end “mileage runs� –- trips meant only to earn mileage and secure elite status in frequent-flier programs. One of those thousands is Zach Iseminger, who plans to fly from Dallas/Fort Worth to Lima, Peru, and back to Dallas without ever leaving airport grounds. The purpose of such a trip? To earn the nearly 7,000 frequent-flier miles that will help him accumulate mileage toward his airline’s elite frequent-flier status. Elite-level fliers typically receive perks like dedicated check-in lines, generous mileage bonuses and access to free first-class upgrades. Iseminger says the 15-hour journey will be worth it. "Getting unlimited upgrades to first class, getting on the plane faster, getting the meals I want — that all means a lot when you fly as much as I do." And for customers not willing -- or able -- to take year-end mileage runs, USA TODAY writes that American, United and Delta are among airlines “quietly allowing good customers to buy the last miles they need to secure their preferred status through 2006.�

Airline vouchers may not be the deal you're hoping for

"Sometimes, those airline vouchers are like a lump of coal."  That’s the word from Los Angeles Times (free registration) travel columnist Jane Engel, who writes “you'd better watch out for the fine printâ€? on airline vouchers. Airlines typically offer vouchers to entice passengers on overbooked flights to fly later in the day in an effort to avoid “involuntarily bumpingâ€? other passengers. Sometimes, airlines also offer vouchers for flights delayed by mechanical or other reasons, though Engle notes that the process is often “curiously unregulatedâ€? by federal regulators. Fliers are likely better off to get vouchers that can be redeemed as cash instead of one that’s good simply for a free flight. While the latter option may seem to be a better deal at first, such free-flight vouchers are often restricted by blackout dates, capacity controls and other rules that can make them difficult to redeem. Engle also says that it’s important to make sure you know the time period your voucher is valid for and she adds you should check up front to see if your voucher is transferable to a friend or family member if you’re not able to use it.

Free Wi-Fi in Phoenix

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is now offering free wireless Internet service. Customers with wireless-enabled devices can connect free of charge on both sides of security, in retail areas and near the gates at the airport.

MAXjet adds new route, plans loyalty program

The new trans-Atlantic, all-business class carrier MAXjet plans to add Washington Dulles-London Stansted service beginning in February. MAXjet first began flying between New York JFK and Stansted on Nov. 1, and the Dulles route will be its second. The carrier also said it would upgrade its JFK-Stansted schedule to daily service, according to Travel Weekly (free registration). Also new at MAXjet will be a frequent-flier program that company officials hope to have up and running as soon as February.

The company says it’s considering allowing up to five names per account, something that would allow travelers to accrue and redeem their earnings collectively. MAXjet’s round-trip fares between JFK and Stansted currently sell for as low as $1,600, which compares to New York-London business fares that typically range between $3,500 and $8,000 on other airlines, according to the Washington Business Journal. Another all premium-class carrier -– Eos Airlines –- also began flying between New York and London this fall.

Elite status won't pull the same punch in 2006

Being an elite-level frequent flier may not carry the same punch in 2006 as it has in the past. That's because the number of fliers eligible for elite status is on the rise, and that means more intense competition for the accompanying perks, according to Scott McCartney, The Middle Seat columnist for The Wall Street Journal (subscription required). The growing ranks of elite-level fliers could translate into watered-down perks, ranging from harder-to-snag upgrades to unusually long lines at “elite-only� queues. So, what’s behind the surge in those qualifying for elite-level status?

For starters, broader airline frequent-flier alliances –- such as the Continental-Delta-Northwest pact -– have made it easier to earn elite-qualifying miles on a single airline. And some credit card promotions have taken the previously unusual step of offering elite-qualifying miles –- not just “redeemable miles� –- to their highest-spending customers. That means those customers can fly less and still earn elite status. There have been various other promotions that have helped other frequent fliers earn special status at faster clips than before. But that could ultimately come with a price for the airlines, says FrequentFlier.com publisher Tim Winship. "More elite members fighting over fewer first-class seats has got to be a recipe for elevated frustration and exasperation on the part of an airline's best customers," he tells McCartney.

Dumpster diving for airline tickets

More than a month ago, I told you about AirTran’s promotion with Wendy’s where customers could earn a free one-way ticket for every 32 soda cups they collect from the restaurant. Apparently, the promotion has become so irresistible to some bargain hunters that they’re willing to dig through the trash to find the discarded promotional cups. Philadelphia-area nanny Danielle tells The Christian Science Monitor that she and a friend spent two hours digging through the dumpsters outside two New York Wendy’s restaurants searching for the cups, which can be redeemed for AirTran frequent-flier points. Danielle, who asked the paper to withhold her full name to make sure AirTran would honor her claim, estimates they collected 330 cups –- or enough for two round-trip tickets each. "It's pretty disgusting work, especially when you grab a handful of chewed meat," she says. "But it's about the only way I can afford to see my family [in San Luis Obispo, Calif.]."

The craze doesn’t stop there –- the cups and the flight coupons have even shown up on eBay and Craigslist. The Christian Science Monitor says sellers typically ask between $150 to $200 for 128 flight coupons –- the maximum the promotion allows per person. That may seem to be a steep price for 128 cups, but when compared to the cost of buying two $300 tickets from New York to the Bahamas, for example, the price is right for some. "A free product makes money at whatever price it sells," Brooke Szczepanski, a financial planner from Hayes, Va., who collects the cups from the trash and sells them  64 at a time on Craigslist for $100 per set. She says she has collected 2,600 cups so far. AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson says the company did anticipate a black market emerging for the cups, but adds: “(W)hen we looked at the pros and cons of it, the cost of getting exposure for AirTran outweighed the bad." | Details about AirTran's promotion with Wendy's |

Frequent-flier programs — Good deal or broken promises?

Frequent-flier programs were meant to cement customer loyalty, but complicated rules and difficulty involved in redeeming reward tickets could instead be alienating fliers, writes Steve Heuttel, travel columnist for the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times. "There's a disconnect between the demand for award seats and the supply," says Tim Winship, publisher of FrequentFlier.com. "There are fewer seats and less willingness to give away seats. The result is people are more frustrated." Huettel notes that airlines do report how many free frequent-flier tickets they dole out each year, but "the numbers don't tell consumers what they really need to know. How often do you succeed in getting a flight? Is it the one you want or do you need to settle for a different destination, different day or different time?" Indeed, with record-full flights, airlines downsizing in bankruptcy and many domestic flights now being flown on smaller jets, reward tickets do seem harder to snag. But frequent-flier guru Randy Petersen, publisher of InsideFlyer, says that the frequent-flier programs are far too important for the airlines to let them fall completely into disarray. He notes American's loyalty program alone generates about $1 billion each year. "It's a little bit of a mess right now," he tells Heuttel, "but they don't want to kill the goose that's laying the golden egg."

Would you like a free airline ticket with your Wendy's combo meal?

Just a few credits short of a free ticket on AirTran Airways? That's nothing a trip to Wendy's can't take care of. The fast-food restaurant has teamed up with the carrier on a promotion that offers AirTran frequent-flier members one-fourth of a flight credit for every purchase of a combo with drink, or any 20- or 32-ounce drink at participating Wendy's restaurants. For those of you already starting to crunch the numbers in your head, here's how the math breaks down: AirTran offers a free one-way ticket for 8 flight credits, so buying 32 eligible drinks is enough to net you 8 flight credits — or enough for a free one-way ticket. Buy 64 drinks, and you get a free round-trip flight.

There is, however, a limit of five drinks per transaction. The details on how to convert the drinks into flights are available on the airline's website, but here's how it works: "Participating" Wendy's will have specially marked combo, 20- and 32-ounce drinks that have a proof of purchase/AirTran flight coupon printed on the cup. Customers must collect those and send them in to the airline, along with a 3x5 notecard containing their contact information and AirTran frequent-flier numbers. Members will receive one flight credit for every four drink coupons, but no single member can redeem more than 128 drink coupons (good for 32 flight credits). AirTran officials tell me the promotion is being offered at more than 3,200 Wendy's across the USA, though some markets are not included. The offer runs through Dec. 31, or while supplies last.