doc
May 7, 01, 9:57 am
Frequent-flier perks don't come easily
When it comes to airline frequent-flier programs, John Flanagan is a frequent joiner.
It began 10 years ago, during airport layovers, while flying on family vacations, or while traveling on an airline for the first time. He'd take a few minutes to fill in a membership application. He now belongs to programs sponsored by Delta, United, TWA, Continental and US Airways.
"My whole approach has always been, it's free and you may never use it, but for the amount of time involved in setting it up, why not do it?" said Flanagan, a consultant for a major accounting firm.
With more than 90 frequent-flier programs, choosing one - or even several - may seem a daunting prospect. But experts say the time invested is well worth the benefits, as 67 million members of frequent-flier programs have learned.
Even those who don't fly often can find themselves qualifying for free travel or other giveaways.
But comparison shopping is in order, as some programs are more liberal than others. You should have a specific goal in mind - a free trip to Paris, say - and see how each prospect will help you achieve it.
Although they seem to have been around as long as the seat belt, frequent-flier programs are just 20 years old. Now there are companies that specialize in helping pax make the most of their miles, including Frequent Flyer Services, founded in 1986 by Randy Petersen, a former men's clothing salesman who became entranced by mileage programs.
The company, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., aims to assist travelers in collecting and tracking their miles with InsideFlyer magazine, the Official Frequent Flyer Guidebook and Web sites like www.insideflyer.com (http://www.insideflyer.com) and www.webflyer.com. (http://www.webflyer.com.)
He has managed to accumulate 10 million miles along the way.
Petersen said he's hardly alone. He calculates more than 107,000 people have earned at least 1 million miles each...
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/ web/vortex/display?slug=freqfly06&date=20010506&query=airlines (http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=freqfly06&date=20010506&query=airlines)
And another mention regarding getting perks, etc:
To make the most of frequent-flier miles: www.webflyer.com (http://www.webflyer.com)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42511-2001May4.html
[This message has been edited by doc (edited 05-07-2001).]
When it comes to airline frequent-flier programs, John Flanagan is a frequent joiner.
It began 10 years ago, during airport layovers, while flying on family vacations, or while traveling on an airline for the first time. He'd take a few minutes to fill in a membership application. He now belongs to programs sponsored by Delta, United, TWA, Continental and US Airways.
"My whole approach has always been, it's free and you may never use it, but for the amount of time involved in setting it up, why not do it?" said Flanagan, a consultant for a major accounting firm.
With more than 90 frequent-flier programs, choosing one - or even several - may seem a daunting prospect. But experts say the time invested is well worth the benefits, as 67 million members of frequent-flier programs have learned.
Even those who don't fly often can find themselves qualifying for free travel or other giveaways.
But comparison shopping is in order, as some programs are more liberal than others. You should have a specific goal in mind - a free trip to Paris, say - and see how each prospect will help you achieve it.
Although they seem to have been around as long as the seat belt, frequent-flier programs are just 20 years old. Now there are companies that specialize in helping pax make the most of their miles, including Frequent Flyer Services, founded in 1986 by Randy Petersen, a former men's clothing salesman who became entranced by mileage programs.
The company, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., aims to assist travelers in collecting and tracking their miles with InsideFlyer magazine, the Official Frequent Flyer Guidebook and Web sites like www.insideflyer.com (http://www.insideflyer.com) and www.webflyer.com. (http://www.webflyer.com.)
He has managed to accumulate 10 million miles along the way.
Petersen said he's hardly alone. He calculates more than 107,000 people have earned at least 1 million miles each...
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/ web/vortex/display?slug=freqfly06&date=20010506&query=airlines (http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=freqfly06&date=20010506&query=airlines)
And another mention regarding getting perks, etc:
To make the most of frequent-flier miles: www.webflyer.com (http://www.webflyer.com)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42511-2001May4.html
[This message has been edited by doc (edited 05-07-2001).]