MilesBuzz! - Earlier day of FFp's: remember when...

Remember when:

1) You earned miles based on the class you flew in rather than the fare basis of the ticket? I used to fly DL to Europe and upgrade. It was DL's policy to give me C miles!

2) Minimin miles were 1000 instead of 500 on most carriers.

3) Elite's weren't given upgrade coupons, but they were sold cheap upgrades at the gate, or opperationally upgraded more often.

4) When you could upgrade to from the US to Israel for 40,000 miles.

5. You had to put a sticker on your ticket, or fill out a form, every time you took a flight in order to earn the miles.

6. Pan Am, alone among the major airlines, charged $35 (the equivalent of about $55 today) to join their frequent flyer program, one of the many brilliant management moves that drove customers away and led to Pan Am's demise.

7. If memory serves, I believe it was USAir that held out for a long time against establishing a frequent flyer program. I have a vague memory of cursing out USAir because I had to choice but to fly their airline during that long drought.

For those of us up here in Canada:

1) When top tiers can upgrade at time of booking from any fare!

2) We get Class of Service bonus (which count towards status!) on Aeroplan even when we're on an upgraded ticket.

3) Mid tier members (Aeroplan Elite) have no capacity control claiming an award.

4) No change fees changing dates on an award ticket.

Many more...

(Continued)

8. When the "partner points" from hotels and rental cars were stickers you put on the form you used to report your flight (and frequently were a percentage of the miles on that flight - so you saved the sticker for the trans-continentals).

9. The Year of the Triple Miles http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Remember when CO went into chapter 11 and a year later gave their gold tier members a FREE ticket to ANYWHERE THEY FLEW!!!!
australia included.
yes they gave a free ticket from oz to ny!!!
Ill never forget it. it was amazing!!!

[This message has been edited by tinkybelle (edited 08-18-2002).]

10. When they first started switching to computer based systems, and the "hand-written forms" were also in use....

Plenty of double credited airmiles!!!!
(and oh, for the year of TRIPLE MILES)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Best wishes.

10a. When the FF systems and the reservation systems were not connected, so you'd get miles for award travel, even though it wasn't allowed, but since the systems didn't talk to each other, all you had to do was give your FF number at check-in...

What was the year of triple-miles mania?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">4) When you could upgrade to from the US to Israel for 40,000 miles.</font>

try:

4. When you could get a first class ticket to Israel (or anywhere on TWA's network) for 50,000 miles and a free upgrade from the cheapest coach to first for your companion or yourself later included!

add:

11. When all awards were anytime awards, with no seat limitations.

ff


[This message has been edited by freakflyer (edited 08-18-2002).]

12. When the programs just began, and some airlines (Western comes to mind) had a policy of moving their FF members to first class if they were overbooked. (Why would anyone want to get an advance seat assignment? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif My first FF trick!) And, as noted before, got FF miles when using a FF award ticket too.

Djlawman

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">What was the year of triple-miles mania? </font>

Was it '85?

During that year two cheap transcons gave me enough miles to fly first intl plus upgrade a companion to first for the lowest coach fare.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">What was the year of triple-miles mania? </font>

1988, if my memory serves me right. A Delta/Amex promotion started the boondoggle.

[This message has been edited by Craig6z (edited 08-18-2002).]

For the 3x miles, '88 seems to fit my memory, too. I graduated from law school, got my corporate Amex card, hit the ground (or air) running, and the miles started to pile up. Also, Delta still gave the miles for the class you flew, even on upgrades, as listed above - we called it "fusion miles" since you got more out of it than you put into it. I've rarely paid for a personal air ticket since.


[This message has been edited by fcrit (edited 08-18-2002).]

Yes, I think it was '88 not '85.

My husband was away at school and I used to fly and meet him on weekends different places during the triple miles year. I was thinking it was '85 because he was away then, but I forgot he was gone in '88 too.

Triple miles really added up when you also got the 'elite' bonuses tacked on .....and so a 1K earned 425% of base miles....and since upgrading was relatively easy then, and the computer didn't always "check" to see if you were paid F, instead of upgraded F....
You would very often get class of service bonuses as well!!!
It made ORD-MKE mileage runs worthwhile!!
Best wishes.

You could buy student tickets RT on Pan Am for $200 RT, being Platinum getting an upgrade confirmed in advance and then getting upped again at the airport to First!!.

$39 RT to SFO from LAX on PSA, free champ, even in coach, Stews in shorts, smoking in the back with face to face seating (like SW, without the smoking)

Gold medalions, 3X miles, meat for breakfast in coach, steak and eggs for breakfast in 1st, free booze in all of the cabin, steak Diane for dinner in 1st, cruises on Holland America for miles (150,000 for two and we got a suite), wine, beer and Vodka drinks in club free, yes AS!!!!!!!!! Still one of the best for the size. OH, yes a very liberal upgrade certificate progarm. AS, Avis and Hyatt all provided points for my AS account as will as Hyatt. Flights out of LB, ah!!! Lots of choices to SEATAC.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Craig6z:
What was the year of triple-miles mania? </font>

1988, if my memory serves me right. A Delta/Amex promotion started the boondoggle.

[This message has been edited by Craig6z (edited 08-18-2002).]


Completely agree... 1988. I remember an EA segment from SJU to STT, about a 50 mile flight, and that flight earned 3000 base miles as EA had a minimum credit of 1000 miles perflight.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BBRebozo:
5. You had to put a sticker on your ticket, or fill out a form, every time you took a flight in order to earn the miles.</font>

I vaguely remeber a time clock type card that you punched on the Jetway ? - Loose the card loose the miles

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Craig6z:
What was the year of triple-miles mania? </font>

1988, if my memory serves me right. A Delta/Amex promotion started the boondoggle.



That's my recollection (1987 - 1988) also - 3X miles for tickets purchased on AMEX the rest lined up behind like lambs to slaughter

Does anyone remember the TWA award that was probably the best award ever? (Randy Peterson has mentioned it numerous times.) Anyway, for 50,000 miles, you received a free First Class roundtrip to Europe PLUS an upgrade from the lowest coach fare to First Class. The upgrade could either be used by a companion or by yourself on a future flight.
Personally, I lost count of the number of these awards which I claimed. (I believe it was six of them.) Yes, those were the days!



[This message has been edited by Neal (edited 08-18-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Does anyone remember the TWA award that was probably the best award ever? ... for 50,000 miles, you received a free First Class roundtrip to Europe PLUS an upgrade from the lowest coach fare to First Class. The upgrade could either be used by a companion or by yourself on a future flight.</font>

Yes, that was terrific and the one I referred to above. What was great too is when they took that award away, they grandfathered you in if you had miles in the program before that, so I redeemed one of those as late as about five years ago.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by FC_Dave:
I vaguely remeber a time clock type card that you punched on the Jetway ? - Loose the card loose the miles

</font>

I remember when Ramada had a "punch card" system; ten punches = ten stays = elite status in the frequent stayer program. On my second stay, I reached behind the counter and "borrowed" the puncher while the clerk was distracted with another customer, punched out my card, and achieved instant elite status!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BBRebozo:
I remember when Ramada had a "punch card" system; ten punches = ten stays = elite status in the frequent stayer program. On my second stay, I reached behind the counter and "borrowed" the puncher while the clerk was distracted with another customer, punched out my card, and achieved instant elite status!</font>

Is that something you are proud of?

Ahhhh, 1988...the reason I'm here right now!

The number of miles compiled with trips to HKG,SEL,MNL,BKK, etc. was obscene. And the partner bonuses were even more icing. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Does anyone remember the TWA award that was probably the best award ever? ... for 50,000 miles, you received a free First Class roundtrip to Europe PLUS an upgrade from the lowest coach fare to First Class. The upgrade could either be used by a companion or by yourself on a future flight.

Yeah, similar award to Hawaii which we used too, forget but I think it was 40,000 miles, and got a first class ticket plus upgraded a companion from cheapest coach. Used it in 1985 for a great trip to Hawaii.

Djlawman

Neal,

I actually used one of those awards as late as last year (50,000 for a first class trip to Paris plus an upgrade to first). I had it ticked on TWA, but eventually AA picked up those routes so had a great flight SFO-JFK-CDG all in first class with TWA miles earned back in 1989 (many on the SJC-SFO route!). They also had a 90,000 mileage award for two first class international tickets.

CO had a similar BF award awhile back (free first class tickets with no blackouts). That same award just cost me 200,000 miles. Ouch!

ff

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by freakflyer:
They also had a 90,000 mileage award for two first class international tickets.</font>

Yes, and earlier this year I used the second of the pair of tickets on AA.

Trip report here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/002843.html