European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Frequent flier strategies Bonus tickets Call for consumer savvy by James t. Yenckel Washington Post among travellers frequent flier mileage credits have become a new form of wealth a and says Randy Petersen who keeps a close Eye on airline Bonus programs those credits ought to be spent As carefully As Money. The Wise traveler is savvy to the strategies of using the earned Miles most effectively. Quot if you hear somebody at a party Tell you they be got Moo,000 in american they done to mean the Stock  they re probably boasting that they be earned 400,000 mileage Points in the american airlines advantage program Good for free tickets or seating upgrades on Domestic and International flights. Petersen is editor of frequent a monthly newsletter aimed at keeping subscribers abreast of developments in the frequent traveler programs of airlines hotel chains and car rental firms. He completed a Survey of 47 of the programs he says talking to the people who run them. His conclusion the programs Are Here to stay for a Long Long time. They continue to be effective marketing tools for the travel Industry and Consumers love them. But there Are problems with the programs travellers have grumbled and some class action lawsuits have been filed in the United states. The Forest Point seems to be that free seats Are not always available when you want to Cash in credits for a trip. Airlines typically Black out Holiday periods which Are popular travel times for families. And the number of free seats on any one flight is limited. Peterson thinks travellers have expectations that May be too High perhaps As a result of airline promotion campaigns touting free travel As a Benefit of membership in a frequent flier program. John Holland publisher of business flyer another newsletter for frequent travellers agrees. He thinks cashing in mileage credits for free seats this fall May be particularly difficult. In the Spring several airlines held promotions offering a free round trip ticket to passengers who completed a certain number of round trips within a specified time Frame. Most of these Bonus tickets can be used Only from now until mid december. As a result the Rush is on in the United states to take advantage of them. Quot there Are billions of Miles floating around out there that people have collected Quot says Mary Hunt editor of business traveller International a Magazine aimed at the 15 percent of the american business travel Market that flies regularly to foreign destinations. Travellers can argue that airlines should make More seats available for free flights but no airline wants to Fly without a Good Load of paying passengers a particularly during the Busy season. Quot give the airlines a break Quot says Petersen. Quot somehow they be got to make  from his perspective the airlines May have brought about the problem because of the generosity of their frequent flier programs. A while Back they went on a triple Miles Binge giving triple mileage credits for flights a which delighted passengers who built up a huge Bank of Bonus Miles As a result. And at least for the time being the promotion is haunting the carriers. Too Many people want to Cash in their credits at the same time for the same places. Continental airlines is among the carriers cited in press accounts this past summer As having difficulty meeting the request for free flights to popular destinations. Quot Continental s frequent flier program is probably the most generous in the Industry Quot says Petersen Quot too generous. And now it s coming Back to bite them in the  us air also could not meet the demand for free seats to London this summer says spokesman David Shipley. One reason is that us air has Only one flight daily it is from Charlotte . Seats to Europe should be easier to get now however because the Carrier has inaugurated a daily flight Between Pittsburgh and Frankfurt Germany. Despite these glitches in the frequent flier programs the department of transportation receives few if any newsletters for Solo travellers not expectations of Many travellers May have become exaggerated As a result of airline promotion campaigns Forye quent flier programs that tout free travel. Complaints about them from passengers. In july 682 complaints were filed with the office of consumer affairs most of them dealing with flight delays and lost Luggage says spokesman Bill Mosley. In a category called Quot other Quot there were 21 complaints. These May have included gripes about mileage programs but the listing is not specific. Airline officials and Industry watchers such As Petersen Holland and Hunt All agree that travellers wanting to take advantage of frequent flier credits must make a seat reservation months in Advance especially if they plan to travel to popular destinations at the height of the tourist season. The programs have proved popular with Consumers and Are effective marketing tools but the Quot go go Quot growth of the programs in the �?T80s is Over. The airlines should be in a position to More adeptly manage them than they have been in the past. As Petersen notes the airlines All started from scratch with an initial member and now they have millions. During the period of rapid expansion the carriers weren to always sure How to handle the creature they had created. The airlines will make Good use of the database they have collected on their membership. Petersen expects them to develop limited local and regional incentives to fill air planes. Frequent fliers can also expect More and better service since they Are the passengers the carriers want to keep Loyal. Award Levels probably will not change much. In 1989, most of the major airlines increased the amount of mileage credits needed to earn free flights and seating upgrades and they put a time limit on when the credits could be used. The move caused an uproar. Petersen concludes the Industry does no to want to anger its Best customers again. Airlines will introduce new and unusual programs to attract frequent fliers. Petersen cites Eastern s current business break promotion aimed at business travellers using full fare tickets. Passengers who Fly seven round trips by March 1 on specified Days of the week earn two free tickets to Hawaii Cancun or the Virgin islands. However the winners will not be flying on regularly scheduled flights where they might be competing with fare paying passengers for seats. Instead Eastern is arranging a series of special Charters to these Beach destinations Between dec. 14 and april 14. Only the winners in this promotion and a companion will be aboard. Participants in the american airlines advantage program can earn Miles each time they buy Bonds stocks and certificates of Deposit. A brochure explains that an advantage member who opens a $50,000 six month certificate of Deposit earns 500 mileage credits a month for six months a in addition to interest on the investment. Travellers who belong to More than one program Are Well aware that each is different and each has an Odd quirk or two that can trip you up if you Aren t careful. Petersen Holland and Hunt recommend these strategies As a Way of making the most of your mileage credits a Book Early it May be inconvenient but the facts Are that free seats and upgrades Are limited and they Are snapped up quickly to popular destinations. If you can t get the flight you want but have lots of Miles to your credit Holland suggests writing a letter to officials of the airline. For a Good customer a one who flies Many thousands of Miles a year a they May be quite willing to relax their capacity controls and make a seat available. A a be aware that mileage credits can expire when they Cut Back their award Levels last year several carriers a including United american and pan am a set time limits on when the mileage credits could be used. For example any mileage credits earned on pan am in 1991 must be used by 1993. Pan am says this permits passengers to use their credits Quot for up to three  the catch of course is that you have to earn the credits on Jan. 1,1991, to get the full three years. If you happen to travel dec. 31,1991, then your credits expire in two years. A know the difference Between old Miles and new Miles depending on the program mileage credits earned through 1988 Are More valuable than credits currently earned. This is True because the old mileage can be used to obtain the More generous rewards offered prior to 1989. For example on United you Are entitled to a first class upgrade on Domestic flights for Only 10,000 old Miles with Newt Iles the requirement is 20,000 credits. A sold Miles Are easier to spend United sets no Capa to controls for free flights and upgrades. However Contr s Are applied for new Miles. Soi times you can get what you want with old Miles when a same thing Isnit available with new Miles As a Washigton traveler Learned this summer. He wanted a first class upgrade on the Long overnight haul from Alaska to wast i ton. Nothing was available if he planned to use 20, 000 n jew Miles but the clerk managed to accommodate him when e opted to spend 10,000 old Miles. No Only Are old and new Miles different but so is the Way nines apply them. United s old Miles expire in 1994 there 4no expiration Date for americans old Miles. A Fon t Overlook opportunities to earn mileage credits Peter in estimates that frequent fliers can earn 40 percent of the r mileage credits from specified airline partners such As he Els and car rental agencies. To get Bonus Points for staying in specific hotel chains and i noting from specific car agencies. But Many travellers Don i other to keep track of which partners an airline has sign Dup. The two newsletters frequent and business flyer Are Lesii led to keep business travellers abreast of changes in freq it traveler programs. Each is published monthly. Busi Ess traveller International a monthly Magazine prov Les coverage on a variety of topics of interest to bus ii Ess travellers abroad. Pc information frequent 4715-c, town Center dr., Colo ado Springs Colo. 80916. Subscriptions Are $33 a year publisher Randy Petersen also offers a mileage cred tracking service he Calls the frequent flyer club. For c fee he will Send you a monthly report summarizing your mileage account for All the programs in which you parti Pate. He will obtain vouchers for you and warn of Appi racing expiration dates. Depending on the level of serv e desired the fee is $50, $100 or $150 a year. To s business flyer . Box 276, Newton Centre mass. 0211. The subscription rate is $50 a year which includes a $5 . Savings Bond. Business traveller International 41 e St 42nd st., suite 1512, new York . 10017. A subscription is $36 a year. By Betsy Wade new York times in the desktop publishing Era travel newsletters multiply like junk mail. While computers create a More presentable publication than a mimeograph technology is no guarantor of Quality and Many newsletters do not last a year let alone support their creators. Some do fill a Niche providing information that people want at a fair Price. Here is information on a few new newsletters that look As if they May survive. Going Solo Quot the newsletter for people travelling alone Quot rounded the Corner into its second year in August looking stylish and full of fresh information. Unlike most publications for single travellers this does no pairing up work nor does it focus on the few known strategies to avoid hotels hated single supplement although the subject does come up. In Well edited first person articles by staff members freelancers and nonprofessional writers it concentrates on places and occasions to be enjoyed alone on groups one can join without being incarcerated in a bus and on restaurants with communal tables or other non isolating eating arrangements for those with no dining partner. In its nine eight Page issues so far a eight a year a going Solo has touched on hiking with the wayfarers in Scotland budget Ryo kans or inns in Japan using a rail pass to tour the United states joining an outward bound wilderness Challenge eating alone in Paris and evaluating hotel safety. There Are regular features on weekend excursions and travel tips. Prices and addresses for More information or reservations Are included. Going solos writing and occasional photographs have an open Quality there is no sense of rigidity or Claustrophobia. For example Here is the editor Jane a. Doerfer writing about the Caribbean Quot although much of the publicity that surrounds the Caribbean features bustling islands with Large luxury resorts and duty free shopping Solo travellers ofter prefer the Othef Caribbean the islands with a minimum of resort and cruise ship activity. Its easier to meet people a both visitors and islanders a when tourists Are the exception rather than the Rule. In mid May i visited Vieques an Island off the coast of puerto Rico and Dominica one of the British Windward islands. Worlds apart in history Topography and attractions both Greet Solo travellers with a warm  considering that most Solo travellers Are women making it easy to fall into stereotypes Doerfer includes a Welcome number of male writers and topics that interest both sexes for example boards ailing and Europe on a motorcycle. She says circulation is now 1,600. Going Solo . Box 1035, Cambridge mass. 02238. One year eight issues $39 two years $55. A Sample copy is $5 plus $1 postage the Price can be applied to a subscription. Most Back issues Are available at $5 each plus $1. Resort Golf analyst is a monthly eight Page newsletter in the usual 8vfe-by-11 format but it has a tighter focus than going Solo it rates the Way Golf courses at resorts Are maintained eight courses to each Issue. At the moment the courses Are All in North America but the coverage May extend overseas. The editors Roger l. Cordes a Golf course architect and Bruce Diamond a management consultant both from Atlanta published their first Issue in March and Are giving the letter two years to take hold. They have enlisted laypeople As evaluators by giving travellers forms to fill out on the courses they play. The evaluators get subscription renewals in return. The ratings cover condition from double Eagle the top to double bogey the Bottom and value which weighs condition against Cost. Judging by what golfers say one feature is particularly useful the Odds of a foursomes playing 18 holes within four hours. The newsletter has a printed Letterhead but the telegraphic reports on courses Are mimeographed. There Are no photos. Diamond said the partners would not disclose circulation. Resort Golf analyst 3 corporate Square suite 103, Atlanta a. 30329. Subscriptions Are available through pros at Golf courses. One year 12 issues is $75 at charter rate until the end of 1990 $12 discount for members of National motor clubs. Strictly speaking the travel review is too fat for a newsletter 48 pages an Issue six issues a year. The publisher Theodore Kobrin a former foreign service officer and head of while Many newsletters do not last a year let alone support their creators some do fill Niche providing information that people want at a fair Price. A travel service started the Magazine this year with the idea of offering High Quality travel articles selected from american magazines and newspapers and English language publications elsewhere. Margaret Drabble writing a Quot letter from Amalfi Quot and Wallace Stegner on the celtic Island of Glass appear among the 30 authors in the two issues published so far. Also in the travel review was a piece by Margaret Atwood which was originally published in architectural digest on the Rideau canal in Ottawa. After i visited it one summer i saw a picture of the Frozen Rideau that inspired in me an ambition to skate there. Atwood s writing is also compelling but in this Case i feel it s too bad that the Magazine does not carry pictures. Kobrin says he does not select material if he believes the writers judgment May have been influenced by free transportation or lodging. He says his goal is Quality and credibility. The articles Are carried at full length with whatever practical information including maps originally appeared with them. The travel review . Box 414, Glen Echo my. 20812. One year six issues $20. Is Blu s %. I  publications with tips for people travelling alone have proliferated in the United states. Page 14 a a a the stars and stripes Ted mesday october 17,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 15