Category: Airlines

Status Miles vs. Award Miles: Airline Partner Earning

With more and more US airlines going from a “miles flown” to “dollars spent” award mile accrual system, extremely cheap flights are becoming less and less rewarding.

The “big three” airlines (American, Delta, and United) all follow this principle in that award miles – those used for redemption for future free flights – are based on how much you spend and what your status with the airline is. As a rule of thumb, you earn 5 award miles per USD spent as a general member, 7 at the lowest tier, then 8, 9 (if there are 4 tiers), and 11 miles per USD at the highest tier. Status qualifying miles, however, are still earned based on the miles you spend in the air.

One thing to keep in mind is that even though you earn status with the airline you credit your mileage to, since you are using that frequent flier number on your reservation, you will not earn status with the actual airline you are flying. That is to say, if I use my KrisFlier (Singapore Airlines) frequent flier number when booking flights on United Airlines I will:

  • Earn KrisFlier miles – minimum earning rate of 100% of the miles flown
  • Earn status with Singapore Airlines
  • Earn StarAlliance status (derived from KrisFlyer status)

However, upgrades will be severely impacted. This is because cross-alliance upgrades are not an advertised benefit for any of the alliances (OneWorld: American, SkyTeam: Delta, or Star Alliance: United). However, if economy is overbooked and there are unsold seats in a higher class of service and they cannot upgrade anyone from their own program, they might take alliance status into account. Since this is at the airline’s discretion, it’s hard to predict, so it is best to assume you will not be upgraded.

OneWorld

With the recent news that American Airlines will be going to a revenue based system, following the example set by Delta and United, many individuals who do not have high levels of status with American have considered crediting miles to other airlines in the OneWorld family. The primary target for this transition has been Etihad as you still earn based on distance flown.

Additionally, their awards chart is extremely competitive. With Etihad buying shares of other airlines, such as Brussels Air, you can get some spectacular deals when it comes to mileage redemption.

SkyTeam

Because it was the first of the “big three” to make this transition, many credit Delta with starting the transition to revenue based mileage earnings versus the traditional flown-miles model. Between this change and the removal of award charts, and subsequent change to “dynamic award pricing”, it can be tricky to plan mileage earnings for trips!

FlyingBlue, the frequent flier program belonging to AirFrance (and inherited by KLM after the merger in 2004), is particularly attractive as an alternative in that you still earn redeemable miles based on distance flown, even if at a reduced rate for discounted Economy fares. Additionally, they frequently run sales for their award flights, and will always give at least 500 miles for a domestic flight (750 for international) – regardless of fare and distance flown.

Another option is Virgin Atlantic, which offers at a minimum 75% of distance flown.

Both AirFrance and Virgin Atlantic will add fuel surcharges to tickets, though, depending on which airline partner you are flying with. Both have some very interesting options in that regard: Air Tahiti Nui, Singapore Airlines, and Kenya Airlines, to name a few.

Star Alliance

When it comes to StarAlliance, there are a few options that still offer a relatively high rate of accrual based on miles flown, but the airline that comes out at the head of the pack is Singapore Airlines. In addition to earning 100% of the miles flown, you get access to reasonably priced awards charts (with some of the best in-flight experiences available). The only down-side is that the awards will come with fuel surcharges. A full table regarding earnings can be found on the KrisFlyer website.

Another option is AirCanada’s Aeroplan program. Your mileage earnings will vary based on the fare-class: where discount-economy will come in as low as 50% of distance flown, with higher priced tickets earning more. The award chart is fairly competitive, which is also a nice perk.

Flight Booking Terminology

When browsing various travel-related sites, it is not uncommon to see terms like “stopover” and “open-jaw” thrown around. Along with the term “layover” all three express different levels of flexibility in travel, so it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of them. I also mention some more uncommon airline acronyms that are frequently used at sites like FlyerTalk.

Layover

We’re all familiar with the infamous layover – also referred to as a connection, among other things. As the name implies, it is when you route through another city to reach your destination. Usually these are short stops, but it is a good idea to check flight histories on FlightAware to make sure you have enough time to deplane and get to the next gate on time. I like to give myself an hour and a half to account for stretching as well as potential delays, to be safe.

Stopover

A stopover is essence a longer layover, and it is often easier to book them as two separate flights. These offer travelers the flexibility to leave the confines of the airport and explore their connecting city. If you have the ability to use multi-segment booking with the airline of your choice, it is advisable to use that feature as if your inbound flight experiences problems, you will be rebooked on subsequent flights seamlessly (usually!). Some airlines will let you add notes between Passenger Name Records (PNRs) to allow an agent to be aware that one trip is linked to the other.

Open-Jaw

An Open-Jaw ticket is one where you fly to one city and return from a different one. This allows you the flexibility to arrange the intermediary travel however is most convenient to you. These are particularly popular for within the European Union given the ease of transit between countries and the inexpensive use of British Airlines Avios as it is distance based.

One example is to book a flight from Boston to Paris, and the return from Rome to Boston. You would then book the travel between Paris and Rome separately – maybe by train, plane, renting a car, and so on. This is popular with international travel given the range of prices that you might encounter when flying to and from certain cities, and the ease of travel once within a country.

Other Terms

FlyerTalk has a wonderful glossary that they have maintained over the years, but I’ve listed some important terms to keep in mind (specifically for interruptions) below.

  • IROPS / IRROPS: Irregular Operations – see OSO
  • OSI: Other Supplementary Information- PNR field, can hold a TCP note
  • OSO: Off Schedule Operations – flight changes and schedule disruptions
  • PNR: This is commonly referred to as your confirmation number. Airlines use a 6 character combination of letters and numbers as a shortcut to your itinerary. Other information can be tied to your PNR, such as special service requests. A full list of fields can be found here.
  • TCP: To Complete Party – a note indicating passenger is traveling with another, etc.,  but on two separate PNRs

Your Rights – Passenger Bumping

Background

When airlines sell seats on flights, they tend to sell more seats than are available on the plane. They do this because historical trending showing that number of passengers on a given flight don’t arrive on time. While different airlines handle voluntary bumping differently – offering it at check-in versus at the gate versus both, some don’t allow it at all.

The primary distinction between the two is in their names:

  • Voluntary bumping is when you offer to give up your seat for compensation offered by the airline. This is usually in the form of flight vouchers that you can use for future flights with the airline.
  • Involuntary bumping where you are denied boarding though you have paid for and have secured a seat on the flight.

It is fairly rare to experience involuntary bumping; there are a few reasons for this.

  • The DOT defines an involuntary bump as one happening due to an airline overbooking problem, and not due to weather/acts of god.
  • If the passenger is aware of their rights, they are entitled compensation when involuntarily bumped – potentially more than what the airline might offer when asking for volunteers. This compensation is determined by the DOT – more below.

Voluntary Bumping

When volunteering to be bumped, it is important that you ask some important questions to the gate agent. Be sure to get all the flight information for the new flight, and that you won’t be flying stand-by. With regards to the voucher, be sure to ask regarding things like blackout dates, expiration dates, and other limitations that might not be obvious.

Most airlines that practice voluntary bumping will ask at the gate when more passengers have checked-in than there are seats on the flight. This, however, does not indicate that you will be selected as there is still a chance that another passenger will not make the flight. In the event that you are asked to not board, after volunteering, you receive the flight voucher and are rebooked per the situation.

Delta is different from other airlines in that it asks you if you are willing to be bumped at the time of check-in. You then provide a monetary level that you would be willing to accept in compensation. If you are selected, the gate agent will then page you and go over the points with you in person. Though this can be faster, I prefer asking the agent at the gate to ensure that I am aware of all the limitations of the voucher.

Involuntary Bumping

TravelSense also provides details on the compensation that the DOT requires for passengers that are impacted by involuntary bumping. The full requirements to be bumped can be found in the document listed below in the “Additional Reading” section. Note that if you are involuntarily bumped but still arrive at your final destination within an hour of your original time, you receive no compensation.

A breakdown by travel type and inconvenience (delay time) can be found in the table below, and on TravelSense.

Flight TypeTotal DelayCompensationCompensation Limit
Domestic< 1 hourNoneN/A
1 – 2 hours200% of one-way fare$650
> 2 hours400% of one-way fare$1,300
Int’l< 1 hourNoneN/A
1 – 4 hours200% of one-way fare$650
> 4 hours400% of one-way fare$1,300

DOT Defined Compensation – Travelsense.org

Additional Reading

Here is the DOT’s full document on “Sky-Rights“. There is a lot of information there, and not all of it will apply, but it is always better to go in fully prepared.

 

Power Outages and Cancellations

Update: Georgia Power has elaborated on the problem and explained that it was equipment failure at Delta that caused the outage. Additionally, Delta has expanded their travel waiver to cover Tuesday travelers as well as those affected on Monday, though travel still needs to take place by Friday. Finally, a correction regarding the American Express Platinum protection – this protection is an added purchase, while it is complimentary with the Citi Prestige and Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Update 2: Delta is extending their waiver another day as there were more cancellations today, and more are expected for tomorrow.

As many of you are aware by now, a power outage in Atlanta resulted in Delta going dark this morning. Starting at 2:38 AM, the outage lasted for 6 hours and affected everything from displays at airports to mobile apps and the check-in kiosks. Thankfully they are issuing free travel change waivers for those affected today.

René, of RenesPoints on BoardingArea, has a helpful post outlining how to handle a situation like this. The most important things to do are to remain calm and polite when working with customer service representatives. They’ve been dealing with this problem since customers started to get affected by it this morning, and they likely won’t be done cleaning things up for a few days.

Make use of the travel change waiver, if your plans are somewhat flexible, and read up on your credit card’s travel interruption protection coverage! Some cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, American Express Platinum, and Citi Prestige, will cover purchases for food, hotel stays, and other essentials for delays exceeding certain periods. With the Citi Prestige, for example, any delay over 3 hours qualifies. The Chase Sapphire Preferred [affiliate link] requires a longer period: 12 hours. The Platinum card from American Express [affiliate link] is in the middle at 4 hours. Links to the documentation for these cards can be found below, and a full list of cards that cover such expenses can be found at MileCards.

Remember – stay safe and don’t panic if your flight is cancelled; Delta will make sure you get to your destination! It never hurts to send them a tweet (@Delta), but again remember that there is a person behind that screen, and they’re doing whatever they can to help everyone affected.

Virgin Atlantic: Bed Time Stories for Night-Flights

The Guardian recently published an article that told the story of a father, Stephen Holmes, who wrote a story for his two daughters to help them get to sleep. One of his daughters convinced him to publish this story, and Virgin Atlantic ordered 2,000 copies!

It is always nice to see an airline take an active interest in the comfort of their passengers, and even nicer to see them support independent (and local!) talent. Though it still isn’t certain if the book will be distributed to other flights, it is a nice surprise for both the father as well as the children on those flights.

Let’s face it, when a child is happy on a flight, everyone around them is happier, as well! 😉

TheFlightDeal – Great Summer Fares

For those that aren’t familiar with The Flight Deal, they are a website that has been around since ~2011 and have been sharing some pretty amazing fares from various cities. The catch is that these fares are only available for a few days because of how popular they can be, so if you see a fare you like it is worth jumping on it sooner than later.

The Summer is a particularly nice time for deals, so if you have any vacation days handy, give it a look! Here are some sample fares that were posted yesterday – all of these are round trip fares, no less:

Domestic Delta Meals

Over the past few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of flying first class on flights offering meals. Raleigh offers direct flights to Salt Lake City and Minneapolis, and based on time of day first class passengers are offered meals.

RDU-SLC: Breakfast

The flight from Raleigh to Salt Lake City departs at 7:25 AM, usually, and my flight offered a choice between cold cereal and an omelette with chicken sausage. Though the fruit was a little over-sweet, the omelette was surprisingly good.

Omelette and chicken sausage
Omelette and chicken sausage

RDU-MSP

There are flights from Raleigh to Minneapolis, and vice versa, many times a day. Though not as long as the flight to Salt Lake City, meals are still offered if you fly near breakfast, lunch, or dinner time! I opted for the bacon-egg sandwich served on a flaky pastry. As with the SLC flight, the fruit was way too sweet.

Bacon & egg sandwich on flaky pastry
Bacon & egg sandwich on flaky pastry

MSP-RDU

The 7:30 flight from MSP to RDU offers a satisfying dinner service; much tastier than the breakfast! The dinner options were a honey-glazed salmon on rice with vegetables, or a smoked turkey salad. I opted for the salad out of curiosity, and found it was a cross between potato salad, cubed smoked turkey, and edamame. The potato salad also had green beans and radishes. The salad was served with crostini and a cookie Overall a very nice meal for a domestic flight!

Smoked turkey salad
Smoked turkey salad
Crostini
Crostini
C is for Cookie!
C is for Cookie!