MilesBuzz! - Shortage of Seats Frustrates Frequent Fliers

The holiday travel season is just around the corner, but don't expect any gifts from the airlines. In the past two years, airline traffic has hit an all-time high, while frequent-flier mileage has jumped an estimated 30% to nearly four trillion miles. But many airlines have upped restrictions or not kept up with the public's demand for free trips, analysts say. The result: Consumer complaints about the programs are up 15% in the first six months of this year. It's yet another headache for fliers already upset with airlines for mounting flight delays and service snafus.

"Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering what's the next bad thing that's going to happen to travelers," says Jim Gray, owner of Jim's Travel Link travel agency in Dallas. "These bad things come in waves and it feels like the next wave is imminent."

To some degree, even the airlines are acknowledging just how
http://travel.wsj.com/n/SB970773531126607836-main.html

doc, it is only going to get worse. The handwriting is on the wall. NW not giving miles for it's cybersaver fares, DL pulling back on SWU's, etc. That is why we have to band together and become more militant. Every time that an airline cuts back on their program we must make a unified protest. Originally posted by doc:
The holiday travel season is just around the corner, but don't expect any gifts from the airlines. In the past two years, airline traffic has hit an all-time high, while frequent-flier mileage has jumped an estimated 30% to nearly four trillion miles. But many airlines have upped restrictions or not kept up with the public's demand for free trips, analysts say. The result: Consumer complaints about the programs are up 15% in the first six months of this year. It's yet another headache for fliers already upset with airlines for mounting flight delays and service snafus.

"Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering what's the next bad thing that's going to happen to travelers," says Jim Gray, owner of Jim's Travel Link travel agency in Dallas. "These bad things come in waves and it feels like the next wave is imminent."

To some degree, even the airlines are acknowledging just how
http://travel.wsj.com/n/SB970773531126607836-main.html

In the next month or so UA alone is handing about 400% bonuses to most Elites. The world is awash with an OCEAN of points. It is not rocket science!

I fly to the DUS altbier boozeup weekend in Nov with 40 x FT'ers and get 100,000 miles for it on a lowball $1000 caoch ticket r.t. NUTS. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Everyone should read the details of the story before reacting.

For example, one guy in the piece complained because he couldn't book his daughter's family to Paris (France, not Texas) on two months notice.

I think all FTers will agree that two months notice to France is unrealistic. Now if the same guy had trouble a year ahead of time, I'd say he'd have a gripe.

I tried booking a trip 12 months in advance to Lisbon, Portugal. No luck, the airlines only set their scedules 11 months out. So I call 11 months out and was told no award seats available. I tried to book on Continental. I tried about every concievable date from Sept. to Oct. and was told no availabilty. We ended up booking a trip to the USVI which are taking in two weeks.

I think that with all these bonus miles being awarded there will be some very frustrated FF come 2001 who can't redeem miles.

[This message has been edited by toadman (edited 10-09-2000).]

Yes, I agree things are likely to get worse. Working 11 months in advance I finally got an itinerary that is acceptable, but it took work, patience and flexibility. This is certainly a result of more miles chasing more or less the same number of seats... and even of a decline in available award seats because the airlines are running pretty full on sold fares.

I don't think protesting will help against the inevitable shrinking value of miles created by mileage inflation. What will help are new strategies... working farther in advance, developing more flexibility. And the value of elite membership will certainly be increased by all this, for if there is any edge it will surely go to the best customers. So the strategy of achieving a high elite in at least one program takes on added value.

All this will change when the economy turns down and the planes are no longer full. Meanwhile, the airlines may be forced to provide more ways for ffers to burn miles. I will continue to save mine for travel, albeit with more careful advance planning.

What about greater availability for elite tier flyers verses regular account holders? While a lot of people have miles just from eating cereal and shopping online, the elite tier flyers account for most of the industry's profitability.

Not only would this increase the incentive to stay with one airline, but this could be a great marketing tool to promote the benefit of greater reward availability.

Just some random thoughts on the topic.

[This message has been edited by QHO (edited 10-09-2000).]

Originally posted by QHO:
What about greater availability for elite tier flyers verses regular account holders? While a lot of people have miles just from eating cereal and shopping online, the elite tier flyers account for most of the industry's profitability.

Probably a great idea for most FTers, but is it fair? Not to those of us who toil on the computer each day. I assume most FTers earn around 250K by flying. I earn the same, but few of my quarter million come from flying. Under an elite plan, I'd be getting stuck booking 11 months in advance.

Originally posted by Phil:
... All this will change when the economy turns down and the planes are no longer full. ...

I wouldn't count on that. During the last economic downturn, SWA was much smaller, there was no JetBlue, Priceline did not exist, and Internet fares did not exist.

Recession means a lower average fare, instead of the same fare buying fewer seats as in the past.