RichardMEL
Apr 18, 01, 8:57 pm
Washington Post
Taking Laps To Pile On Award Miles
By Keith L. Alexander
Wednesday, April 18, 2001; Page E01
Tomorrow, Charles Witt is taking a Continental Airlines flight via Newark to Hong Kong and then plans to turn right around and fly back to Reagan National early Sunday morning. That's nearly 40 hours of flying in about three days.
But Witt doesn't mind. He's not flying to the other side of the world for a business trip or a vacation. He just wants the miles. He'll nab about 100,000, thanks to bonuses he'll earn from booking his ticket with his American Expres card.
Witt is taking a mileage run. And he's not alone.
Airlines require frequent fliers to travel between 25,000 to 75,000 miles or in numerous segments each year to retain their elite status. With companies cutting back on business trips because of the economic slowdown, a new breed of business traveler has emerged on the scene, and they've dubbed themselves mileage runners.
These travelers take long-distance trips for the sole purpose of adding miles to their frequent-flier accounts to protect the upgrades, early boarding and additional bonus miles that often come with their status. Randy Petersen, publisher ofInside Flyer magazine, estimates that more than 25,000 travelers nationwide have gone on mileage runs within the past 12 months.
As an economist with Avila Government Services in Alexandria, Witt traveled once a week last year but now takes only one business trip every two months.
"I can't count on business travel as much as I used to," Witt says. "Now I like to find these cheap runs that I can make that will keep me at the elite status that I am at."
Witt says paying up to $1,000 to fly to Hong Kong is worthwhile because the additional 100,000 mileage points can be redeemed for two free round trips to Hong Kong in coach or one free round trip to Hong Kong in business class.
Likewise, Carol Bruno of Rockville was in danger last December of losing her "silver" preferred status on US Airways, which she used to fly business class at economy-class prices. She was short 8,500 miles for the year and had no business trips scheduled.
So Bruno quickly found a $500 trip to Paris on the Internet, took off on a Saturday morning, landed early Sunday, shopped a bit in the duty-free shops of Charles de Gaulle Airport and boarded the next flight back to Washington.
She was home by 7 p.m. Sunday. After 16 hours of flying, she netted 30,000 mileage points.
Of course, she spent her weekend in airports. But, she says, "if I find a cheap fare that will help push me to the next level, I'll do it again."
Mileage runners tip off one another in various chat rooms on the Internet.
That's how Jason McGee got into mileage runs last fall. The 29-year-old World Bank consultant likens the subculture of mileage runners to the passionate members of auto clubs.
"We're like the Mazda Miata clubs. We get together and boast and brag," he says.
Like a meticulous accountant, McGee manages his mileage accounts on a spreadsheet. He has 560,000 miles on American Airlines, 300,000 on Continental Airlines, and about 110,000 on Delta Air Lines, US Airways and United Airlines combined.
On international trips, he uses his miles to upgrades to business class. When he flies American Airlines, he upgrades to first class because he's a "platinum" member. McGee also gets for free tickets for his wife so she can accompany him on trips.
"Once an airline treats you as an elite or you get to travel up front, it becomes very difficult to sit in the back again," McGee says.
Thus, in recent months, he's spent weekends taking trips to Madrid, Hong Kong, London and Los Angeles. "It's the thrill of the game," he says. "These days we have to be creative to get the perks."
Airlines Vying for Business Travelers: Frequent fliers aren't the only ones hurting from the cutback in corporate travel. Airline earnings have been hit because business travelers tend to pay more for tickets than tourists.
Unfortunately, there's no sign of things improving soon. A survey by the National Business Travel Association found that 77 percent of corporate travel managers expect their companies to reduce the number of business trips their employees take this year.
Naturally, airlines are scrambling to keep as many of those business travelers as possible.
Northwest Airlines and its international partner, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, are offering a half-price sale on premium business-class flights to Europe.
Tickets must be purchased by midnight tonight, and only on Northwest's Web site. Travel must begin between June 1 and Aug. 31 and be completed by Sept. 17.
Delta Air Lines this week rolled out a new Web site, MYOBTravel, which offers special promotions aimed at businesses that have between five and 50 employees and spend between $40,000 and $500,000 a year on travel. The site allows corporate travel managers to book flights and car and hotel reservations.
Both United Airlines and US Airways (which hope to become one airline by June anyway) are rolling out check-in kiosks at various airports, targeting busy executives who hate standing in long lines at the ticket counter. United plans to install 800 machines in 25 U.S. airports before the end of the year.
In October, US Airways began installing the kiosks for its shuttle customers at Reagan National, New York's La Guardia and Boston's Logan International Airport.
[This message has been edited by RichardMEL (edited 04-18-2001).]
[This message has been edited by RichardMEL (edited 04-18-2001).]
Taking Laps To Pile On Award Miles
By Keith L. Alexander
Wednesday, April 18, 2001; Page E01
Tomorrow, Charles Witt is taking a Continental Airlines flight via Newark to Hong Kong and then plans to turn right around and fly back to Reagan National early Sunday morning. That's nearly 40 hours of flying in about three days.
But Witt doesn't mind. He's not flying to the other side of the world for a business trip or a vacation. He just wants the miles. He'll nab about 100,000, thanks to bonuses he'll earn from booking his ticket with his American Expres card.
Witt is taking a mileage run. And he's not alone.
Airlines require frequent fliers to travel between 25,000 to 75,000 miles or in numerous segments each year to retain their elite status. With companies cutting back on business trips because of the economic slowdown, a new breed of business traveler has emerged on the scene, and they've dubbed themselves mileage runners.
These travelers take long-distance trips for the sole purpose of adding miles to their frequent-flier accounts to protect the upgrades, early boarding and additional bonus miles that often come with their status. Randy Petersen, publisher ofInside Flyer magazine, estimates that more than 25,000 travelers nationwide have gone on mileage runs within the past 12 months.
As an economist with Avila Government Services in Alexandria, Witt traveled once a week last year but now takes only one business trip every two months.
"I can't count on business travel as much as I used to," Witt says. "Now I like to find these cheap runs that I can make that will keep me at the elite status that I am at."
Witt says paying up to $1,000 to fly to Hong Kong is worthwhile because the additional 100,000 mileage points can be redeemed for two free round trips to Hong Kong in coach or one free round trip to Hong Kong in business class.
Likewise, Carol Bruno of Rockville was in danger last December of losing her "silver" preferred status on US Airways, which she used to fly business class at economy-class prices. She was short 8,500 miles for the year and had no business trips scheduled.
So Bruno quickly found a $500 trip to Paris on the Internet, took off on a Saturday morning, landed early Sunday, shopped a bit in the duty-free shops of Charles de Gaulle Airport and boarded the next flight back to Washington.
She was home by 7 p.m. Sunday. After 16 hours of flying, she netted 30,000 mileage points.
Of course, she spent her weekend in airports. But, she says, "if I find a cheap fare that will help push me to the next level, I'll do it again."
Mileage runners tip off one another in various chat rooms on the Internet.
That's how Jason McGee got into mileage runs last fall. The 29-year-old World Bank consultant likens the subculture of mileage runners to the passionate members of auto clubs.
"We're like the Mazda Miata clubs. We get together and boast and brag," he says.
Like a meticulous accountant, McGee manages his mileage accounts on a spreadsheet. He has 560,000 miles on American Airlines, 300,000 on Continental Airlines, and about 110,000 on Delta Air Lines, US Airways and United Airlines combined.
On international trips, he uses his miles to upgrades to business class. When he flies American Airlines, he upgrades to first class because he's a "platinum" member. McGee also gets for free tickets for his wife so she can accompany him on trips.
"Once an airline treats you as an elite or you get to travel up front, it becomes very difficult to sit in the back again," McGee says.
Thus, in recent months, he's spent weekends taking trips to Madrid, Hong Kong, London and Los Angeles. "It's the thrill of the game," he says. "These days we have to be creative to get the perks."
Airlines Vying for Business Travelers: Frequent fliers aren't the only ones hurting from the cutback in corporate travel. Airline earnings have been hit because business travelers tend to pay more for tickets than tourists.
Unfortunately, there's no sign of things improving soon. A survey by the National Business Travel Association found that 77 percent of corporate travel managers expect their companies to reduce the number of business trips their employees take this year.
Naturally, airlines are scrambling to keep as many of those business travelers as possible.
Northwest Airlines and its international partner, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, are offering a half-price sale on premium business-class flights to Europe.
Tickets must be purchased by midnight tonight, and only on Northwest's Web site. Travel must begin between June 1 and Aug. 31 and be completed by Sept. 17.
Delta Air Lines this week rolled out a new Web site, MYOBTravel, which offers special promotions aimed at businesses that have between five and 50 employees and spend between $40,000 and $500,000 a year on travel. The site allows corporate travel managers to book flights and car and hotel reservations.
Both United Airlines and US Airways (which hope to become one airline by June anyway) are rolling out check-in kiosks at various airports, targeting busy executives who hate standing in long lines at the ticket counter. United plans to install 800 machines in 25 U.S. airports before the end of the year.
In October, US Airways began installing the kiosks for its shuttle customers at Reagan National, New York's La Guardia and Boston's Logan International Airport.
[This message has been edited by RichardMEL (edited 04-18-2001).]
[This message has been edited by RichardMEL (edited 04-18-2001).]