javabytes

It's not a bad deal, but it's not an MR, which is expressly defined by the forum rules as "Airfare deals that offer uniquely high value in terms of either miles/points to $$ or expedited status" and further states "Certain Mileage Run fares which are non-standard (or not quite up to the usual 'value' or cost per mile, but still useful fares for somebody - and still accrue miles/status) should be posted to their respective 'mega thread'. Fares which require additional techniques to reduce costs should be posted to the Trick It thread. Fares which are not quite 'MR Deals worthy' in terms of cpm should go to the 'Good Deals... City Pairs' thread."

Sometimes it's enforced, sometimes it's not.

If the mega-threads are inadequate for the purposes of discussing fare deals that don't quite rise to the level of a mileage run, I'm okay giving them their own (sub-)forum, but despite the actions of two airlines, MRs are not dead and I oppose a name change that would further muddy up the MR forum.

CMK10

Based on the last two posts I am leaning towards no on voting on any forum name change. I do think the idea of a sub-forum for "Good Fare" might have some merit and I'd like to get some feedback on that.

MSPeconomist

Sub-thread or sub-forum? I'm confused. Isn't there already a (big) "good deals" thread?

tcook052

Sorry but to me creating another subforum would further muddy up the MR forum and would not be something I'd like to see. When it was decided to divide the former MR forum up into two separate forums one for deals & one for discussion it made sense to me but further subdivisions don't as it would increase the confusion factor without IMHO much gain.

CMK10

Maybe, I can agree with that. But at the same time, with UA and DL changing their program there may be more demand. I also think that with Wikis and Stickies and again good moderation, confusion could be cut down.

goalie

Agreed ^

GUWonder

I wouldn't fancy the creation of another sub forum. I would rather see an amendment to the name of the forum and/or a description/purpose amendment that keeps the MR name: "Mileage Runs and Other Great Fare Deals" or something like that.

MSPeconomist

"Mileage Runs and Fare Deals" for brevity perhaps?

exilencfc

I can certainly see the logic - good fares and good MRs are not always the same thing and the creation of a new sub-forum would recognise that. It would also allow a certain seperation of mileage running (which seems to be quite a specialised/involved business) from simple hunts for cheap travel. It might also help increase site traffic if FT became better known (at least to google) as a source of cheap airfares.

However i'm not sure if FT actually wants to attract large numbers of people who are solely interested in cheap fares - it seems a bit of a departure from FT's core purpose which is making the best use of loyalty programmes. I also can see the potential for considerable confusion and for posts/threads being shunted all over the place.

lo2e

I agree with this in principle, but there is already a "Hotel Deals" forum which frequently contains deals that don't involve loyalty programs, so unfortunately I think that ship has already sailed.

CMK10

True, though the game is definitely changing as of next year. A lot of Flyertalkers are talking about WN, kayaking, traveling less etc. We may have to face that there is a new way to make the best out of loyalty programs.

javabytes

This is exactly why I think a sub-forum could be a good idea. Mileage runs are very specific in their purpose. They present unique value, where it makes sense to fly solely because of the miles/EQMs one receives as a result of said flying.

This is distinct from "deal" fares, which are lower than one might normally see on a certain route, but not in any way useful for someone seeking a mileage run. Yes, these have their own mega-thread... but often when someone posts a "deal" fare in its own thread in the MR forum, and is chastised by other FT members for it not actually being MR-worthy, the response is usually one of dissatisfaction with the usefulness/usability of the deals mega thread. I can see how that might be the case - one giant thread, you don't know what's in it until you actually click into it, discussion of the various fares is all muddled together... that's where I think an actual Fare Deals forum or subforum would be more useful than a Fare Deals thread. No need to change the purpose, just the organization.

I can see how there is overlap - an MR-worthy fare is almost certainly also a "deal" fare. So I struggle a bit with how to structure it from a hierarchy perspective. Should Fare Deals be a subforum under Mileage Runs, or vice versa? Should there be a top level "Fare Deals" forum with no posts, just sub-forums - "Mileage Runs" and "Bargain Fares"? Not sure, but I feel it is still important to separate out the MR-worthy deals for easier access by those who visit the MR forums for that purpose.