FlyerTalk Rules
Welcome to FlyerTalk.

We want you to get the most from FlyerTalk. While we make every effort to ensure these forums are enjoyable and valuable, the ultimate responsibility rests with those who contribute. As with any community, FlyerTalk's standard of living depends on the goodwill and consideration of its citizens.

The rules are based on respect and good manners. FlyerTalk is a moderated board. Posts that don't comply with our rules will be removed, and members who violate the rules may be suspended or have their memberships revoked. Use common sense and you'll feel right at home. FlyerTalk Chat is subject to the same rules as the FlyerTalk forums.

Disclaimer - link to this guideline
NEVER rely on information or opinions posted on FlyerTalk to replace the information that you receive from your frequent traveler programs. While FlyerTalk is full of great information, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information provided on the boards.

FlyerTalk is founded on the principles of support, empowerment, information and entertainment. Use good judgment when considering how to use information derived from the forums and consult representatives from the appropriate programs before doing anything that might affect your travel or put your miles and points at risk. Remember that what's right for one person may not be right for you.

FlyerTalk is not liable for any loss or damage caused by information obtained through our forums.

Getting Started - link to this guideline
It might be intimidating at first to post a message or to join in a live chat. No problem. You're welcome to hang out and read posts until you feel comfortable. Of course, we encourage you to join the discussions. We have a very supportive community and we welcome your contributions.

Before you can post, you must register with FlyerTalk and establish a username. Your username is a unique and consistent identifier. Your username may not be a Web site or email address. If you register your username as such, your account will be closed, and you will need to reregister. If you have concerns that a new username is very close to your own, contact an administrator at admin@flyertalk.com.

Browse First - link to this guideline
Before you post, browse the board to become familiar with the community. Read the forum descriptions to determine where your post best belongs. Misplaced threads will be relocated by moderators.

Get to Know the Moderators - link to this guideline
Our volunteer moderators are responsible for welcoming new members and assisting all members. They have been screened and were selected to serve based on their judgment and ability to uphold the FlyerTalk rules. If you have questions, contact a moderator. The moderators for each forum are listed at the bottom of that forum. Moderators are also labeled as such under their usernames when they post, and a full list can be found here.

Moderators contribute to threads just as other members do. They are held to the same standards when posting as any other member.

They do moderate their forums and look for rule violations. They may delete and edit posts and close threads without notice. They may discipline and suspend members who fail to adhere to the rules (see Discipline and Appeal for more information).

Moderators understand that the various FlyerTalk forums have slightly different tones. What's acceptable in one forum may be considered out of line on another. Senior Moderators are available to handle problems in unmoderated forums.

Sometimes there are openings for new moderators. If you are interested, find out more about becoming a volunteer by clicking here.

Use the Search Feature - link to this guideline
Before starting a thread, use the search feature to see if there's a recent thread on your topic. Many questions come up repeatedly on FlyerTalk. If you're wondering about a specific Hilton property in Chicago, for example, there's a good chance a thread - or 10 - already exists. The search link is located in the navigation menu near the top of the Forums page. Keeping information on the same topic confined to as few threads as possible helps members quickly find the information they need.

Create Descriptive Titles - link to this guideline
Make thread titles as specific and descriptive as possible. Sometimes posters will start a thread with a very general title such as, "Guess what?" or "Strange airline policy". Be as helpful as possible in your thread titles, and if you want to improve or change your thread's title after you create it, ask a moderator in that forum for help.

Post Your Thread to Just One Forum - link to this guideline
Don't post the same thread more than once. Our members read many forums, and weeding through the same message in multiple forums can be frustrating. Duplicate threads will be deleted, combined or locked.

Stay on Topic - link to this guideline
Please keep your posts on topic. Posts that stray from the subject of the thread may be removed.

Welcome Newcomers - link to this guideline
FlyerTalk is friendly, informative, fun and thriving. When newcomers arrive, welcome them. By helping folks learn, you provide a shining example of what this community is about, and you help ensurethat FlyerTalk continues to flourish. New members may not understand FlyerTalk and its history as well as you do. Remember we were all newbies once.

If you notice a poster, newcomer or not, asking a question that has been answered previously or is answered in the forum FAQs, please be patient. If you wish to reply, do so in a helpful manner, avoiding simply saying: "Do a search."

We suggest this form of reply and a template for it is here: "Your question arises from time-to-time in this forum. One thread which discusses it is here [INSERT LINK TO THREAD OR FORUM FAQ] and using FlyerTalk's advanced search feature to search this forum with the terms [insert relevant term(s)] will yield other threads. If you are finding difficulty using the search feature, please send a private message or email to a forum moderator for help."

Respect our Diversity - link to this guideline
FlyerTalk members come from all walks of life and all parts of the world. We are as diverse in our makeup as we are alike in our passion for frequent flyer programs. Because we all bring a unique perspective to the forum, our collective experience is broadened, and we gain new insights.

Our diversity demands that we respect each other. Due to the inherent constraints of the Internet, humor, sarcasm, language and slang can be easily misinterpreted - especially when crossing cultural boundaries.

When posting a message, pay extra care to how it might be interpreted. And when you come across a post that offends you, read it with an eye toward giving the poster the benefit of the doubt.

If you have an issue with a post, please contact the member privately or contact a moderator. Do not make a situation worse by publicly responding.

Guard Your Privacy - link to this guideline
Keep personal information personal. If you want to share your personal information with another member of the community, do so via e-mail or private message.

FlyerTalk respects members' privacy. None of your personal information will be posted on the forums unless you post it yourself.

Guard Others' Privacy - link to this guideline
With the exception of public figures, do not post names, addresses, phone numbers or e-mails of other FlyerTalk members. This information will be removed by moderators. Respect the privacy of non-management travel service employees by not referring to them by name.

Posts that ask members to submit personal information will be removed. This includes, but is not limited to, communications that ask for personal information submitted via e-mail, mail, telephone, surveys, or research studies unless this request is specifically asked for from a recognized administrator of FlyerTalk.

For more information, read FlyerTalk's Privacy Policy.

FlyerTalk Events - link to this guideline
Many FlyerTalk members get together socially, and there are often FlyerTalk events throughout the world. These events - often referred to as "Dos" - are listed in the CommunityBuzz Forum. Members may plan and announce events on that forum. Events announced on FlyerTalk must be open to all community members (no women-only events or gatherings limited to those under age 30, for example). FlyerTalk is not a dating service, and posts of that nature will be removed.

Commercial and Charitable Messages - link to this guideline
a. Commercial posts. Posts containing promotional messages for commercial products or services - including but not limited to Internet sites, business advertisements and solicitations to donate miles or points – are prohibited and will be removed. FlyerTalk is not a marketplace and nothing is to be offered for sale or conditioned on an exchange of money or barter. Nothing in this rule is intended to prohibit exchange of travel coupons as allowed by the rules of Coupon Connection. If you spot a commercial post, please report it.

b. Charitable posts. FlyerTalk supports a variety of charitable organizations through the FlyerTalk Cares program found here. Because charities vary widely as to suitability for our international and diverse membership, the organization must be approved by FlyerTalk's administrators before posts soliciting contributions may be placed on FlyerTalk. To request approval of a charitable solicitation, write to a href="mailto:admin@flyertalk.com">admin@flyertalk.com. Any posts soliciting charitable contributions made prior to receiving approval will be removed. We reserve the right to post announcements for donations of miles or points to recognized charities directly associated with various frequent flyer/guest programs.

How to Report Bad Posts - link to this guideline
Our volunteer moderators read as much as they can on FlyerTalk, but they can't get to every post so your help is appreciated in keeping FlyerTalk a polite community. If you see a post that does not comply with the rules, report the post by clicking on the report post icon, which looks like this and is at the bottom left corner of all posts. Your message will be sent to forum moderators who will review the post.

User's Grant of Limited License - link to this guideline
While members own the content and interest in their posts, posting on FlyerTalk grants FlyerTalk and its subsidiaries the right to reproduce the content in any medium without notification or compensation. Members' posts cannot be printed or duplicated in any way by a third party without the consent of the authors. Once you submit a post, FlyerTalk has no obligation to remove or edit that post's content.

Industry Professionals - link to this guideline
Several airline and hotel chain professionals post or lurk on FlyerTalk. We welcome their participation, but be aware your posts may be read by representatives of various travel companies.

News Professionals - link to this guideline
Many news stories have been generated by reporters who read FlyerTalk. Reporters may contact members through private mail or e-mail, or they are welcome to contact FlyerTalk administrators for assistance. It's up to members whether or not they wish to respond.

Multiple Usernames - link to this guideline
Members are not allowed to have multiple FlyerTalk accounts or usernames. Multiple accounts will be closed and involved members can be subject to the disciplinary process.

Avoid Bumping Very Old Threads - link to this guideline
Unless there is a compelling reason, avoid bumping threads that are more than two years old. Often the information is out-dated and it clogs the forums, making it difficult to find current threads.

Posting About Tragedies - link to this guideline
FlyerTalk has had its share of tragedies, having lost several members to another world. We continue to celebrate their contributions through posts on FlyerTalk. These matters are always personal and should be treated with respect.

Signatures - link to this guideline
We do not wish to restrict your right to display personal views, ideology, etc. but do ask that you remain respectful of others in your signature lines.

Signatures, any links they contain and the content of the linked site are subject to the FlyerTalk content standards concerning decency, obscenity, the furthering of illegal activities and offensive language. As with any postings on FT, personal attacks are never permitted. Note that this list is not exhaustive and that the ultimate decision on the permissibility of a signature rests with the administrators.

To be eligible to display a signature with each post, you must be a member of FlyerTalk for at least 90 days and have contributed 90 posts to the community. "Post padding" or other methods to artificially inflate a post count in order to add a signature are a violation of the ToS and will result in disciplinary action.

The following rules also apply to signatures:

• Use the normal posting font size.
• Limit your signature to two lines.
• Text should comply with our regular posting rules. No all-caps, no alternating caps, etc.
• Do not make your signature too long or obtrusive through overly creative use of punctuation, color, etc.
• Avoid putting your username in your signature as it's already on the top of each of your posts.
• Do not post or embed external images in your signature.
• Signatures must be written in English.

Examples of Actions That Will Lead to Disciplinary Action - link to this guideline

• Deliberately misquoting other members
  
• Using more than one FT account to mislead posters
  
• Using FlyerTalk for commercial purposes
  
• Posting private emails and messages without the author's permission
  
• Attempting to defraud any member
  
• Discussing specific moderator actions
  
• Personal attacks or threats on other members or groups
  
• Obscene or offensive language/material
  
• Furthering illegal activity
  
• Invasion of another's privacy
  
• Posting copyrighted material
  
• Padding post counts
  
• Post stalking
  
• Repeated posting of disruptive posts
  
• Abuse of private messaging and emails obtained through Flyertalk
  

Deliberately Misquoting Other Posters - link to this guideline
You may use the quote feature to respond to specific posts from other members. However, changing the meaning or words of a quote while still attributing it to the other member is a violation of FlyerTalk's rules. Anyone doing so will be subject to the disciplinary process. (The use of ellipses to show a quote was abbreviated is allowed, so long as the original meaning is not lost.)

Using Multiple FlyerTalk Accounts to Mislead Posters - link to this guideline
Members are allowed one FlyerTalk account. In the past some members used multiple handles to harass other members. Multiple accounts will be closed and involved members will be subject to the disciplinary process.

Using FlyerTalk for Commercial Purposes - link to this guideline
FlyerTalk prohibits advertising, commercial sales and solicitations through posts, private messages or emails accessed through FlyerTalk. Anyone using FlyerTalk for commercial purposes will be subject to the disciplinary process.

Posting Private Emails and Messages Without the Author's Permission - link to this guideline
This is an invasion of privacy, possibly unlawful, and members who violate this will be subject to the disciplinary process.

Attempting to Defraud any Member - link to this guideline
Anyone who uses FlyerTalk in an attempt to defraud a member will have his or her membership revoked.

Discussing Specific Moderator Actions - link to this guideline
On-board discussion of moderator decisions - including post deletions and member discipline - is not allowed and will be removed. Members will also be subject to disciplinary action. Similarly, posts announcing a member's return to FlyerTalk after a suspension or ban are not allowed. If you have a question about a moderator action, contact the moderator directly or Randy Petersen.

Personal Attacks - link to this guideline
We encourage a healthy exchange of opinions. If you disagree with another member, challenge the opinion or idea - not the person. Personal attacks, insults and "flaming" will not be tolerated and will be removed, and the violator will be subject to disciplinary action. You may challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully. Attacks against groups or classes of job holders (such as Transportation Security Administration employees) will not be tolerated.

Do not retaliate or respond to a personal attack. Too often, when an initial attack is made, others join the fray and, instead of becoming part of the solution, become part of the problem. Do not accuse others of being trolls. Should there be members whose posts you don't care to read, you can put them on your ignore list. To do that, click on MyFlyerTalk and then on Buddy/Ignore Lists in the Miscellaneous section on the left-hand side of the page. Enter the name of a FlyerTalk member in one of the fields under Ignore List and click the Update Ignore List button.

If you feel that you are being attacked or harassed, contact a moderator.

Obscene or Offensive Language/Material - link to this guideline
Any posts containing communications or hyperlinks that are knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, obscene, profane, threatening, harassing, offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or bashing - especially those aimed at sexual orientation, gender, race, color, religious views, political orientation, national origin, or disability - will not be tolerated and will be removed. Individuals who post offensive material or links to such will be subject to disciplinary action.

There is no public list of prohibited words; if you believe a word is questionable, don't use it. If you find a questionable message in any of the forums, contact a moderator who will determine whether the message meets our objective of offering a friendly and flame-free community for frequent travelers. Using spaces, symbols, acronyms and other methods to express vulgarities while avoiding FlyerTalk's censors is still a violation.

Posting to FlyerTalk is a privilege, not a right.

Furthering Illegal Activity - link to this guideline
Posts that further illegal activity (i.e., buying and selling of awards, direct fraud upon any program) will be removed without notice and posting members' FlyerTalk accounts subjected to revocation.

Invasion of Privacy - link to this guideline
Members posting another user's private information, including but not limited to phone number, address, name or frequent flier number, will be subject to disciplinary action.

Posting Copyrighted Material - link to this guideline
Information copyrighted or owned by any individual or entity other than the person posting should not be posted on the forums without the consent of the owner. If such an event occurs, the individual posting the information shall be held solely responsible. FlyerTalk shall not be held responsible for information posted by a member that may violate copyright law. If there is a news article or other piece of information you'd like to share from the web, credit the source of the information and/or give a brief two- to three- paragraph recap of the news and provide the appropriate link to the source.

Padding Post Counts - link to this guideline
Posting meaningless information in an effort to increase one's post count is not permitted. Posts will be removed and the post count reset. Members who engage in this are subject to disciplinary action.

Post Stalking - link to this guideline
A few members have in the past followed others around the board and posted sarcastic or hurtful comments in response to many of their posts. We consider this harassment, and will delete such posts. Anyone engaging in this activity will be subject to disciplinary action. If you suspect you're being stalked in this way, contact a moderator.

Repeated Posting of Disruptive Posts - link to this guideline
Posters who repeatedly post items that create disruption within forums will be subject to disciplinary action.

Abuse of Private Messaging and FT E-mails - link to this guideline
Flyertalk's private messaging and e-mails obtained through FlyerTalk while "private", still fall under the rules established here. They should not be used for commercial purposes, to send spam, to solicit cash payments for travel awards and points, or to threaten or harass members, moderators or administrators. Members who use them to circumvent the rules of the community will be subject to disciplinary action. If you receive this type of communication, report it immediately. Do not publish it on the board.

Communications of FlyerTalk members to FlyerTalk moderators are subject to review by other moderators and FlyerTalk administrators at the discretion of the moderator recipient when deemed necessary for consultative purposes. Moderators reserve the right to share such private messages with other moderators and/or the staff, administrators and owners of FlyerTalk at any time.

Discipline Purposes - link to this guideline
The purpose of discipline for violating the rules is not to punish members, but to protect FlyerTalk users and to facilitate effective discussion in FlyerTalk forums. Moderators and administrators may consider all relevant facts before imposing discipline, including the likely effect of the member's conduct on the forum, the experience of the member, the nature of the violation and the history of discussion in the forum. Discipline may be imposed even if the member did not intend to violate the rules or even if similar conduct was tolerated earlier in the same or other forums.

Types of Discipline - Progressive Discipline - link to this guideline
If a moderator or administrator deems it effective, progressive discipline may be imposed for a rules violation. In general, progressive discipline has the following levels and each level need not be used if the moderator or administrator deems the violation to call for a different progression:

1. Warning. The moderator or administrator identifies the member's improper conduct and notifies the member that future violations of that or other rules will result in suspension or revocation of membership.
   
2. Suspension for one week. The moderator or administrator suspends a member violating the rules for one week and notifies the member that future violations of that or other rules will result in suspension for one month or revocation of membership.
   
3. Suspension for one month. The moderator or administrator suspends a member violating the rules for one month and notifies the member that future violations of that or other rules will result in revocation of membership.
   
4. Revocation of membership. The moderator or administrator revokes membership privileges for repeated or serious violations of the rules.
   

Types of Discipline - Summary Revocation - link to this guideline
A moderator or administrator may revoke membership privileges as a first discipline if deemed reasonably necessary to prevent immediate and serious disruption in one or more forums. Examples of rules violations which may result in summary revocation are: posts from members which constitute "spam" or unbridled commercial posting, repeated cross-posting to multiple forums or posting obscene, fradulent or defamatory material.

Appeal - link to this guideline
Discipline imposed by an administrator shall be final when imposed. If discipline was imposed by a volunteer moderator, the disciplined member may appeal to the administrator within 20 days of imposition. The appeal shall set forth the details of the discipline imposed, including the moderator's stated reasons for it and a concise statement of basis of the member's appeal. To request an appeal, submit an email via the Contact Us page, and select "Appeal Suspension" from the pull down menu. The administrator's decision on the appeal shall be final when communicated to the member.

Reinstatement - link to this guideline
Not less than six months after revocation of membership, the former member may request reinstatement. The member shall address that request to the administrator at admin@flyertalk.com and set forth a concise statement identifying fairly the date and grounds of revocation and the basis for seeking reinstatement. If the request is denied, a later request for reinstatement may not be made until at least one additional year has passed, unless the decision denying reinstatement sets forth a shorter time period.

FlyerTalk Rights - link to this guideline
FlyerTalk reserves the right to remove any content posted on our site at any time for any reason and to organize topical forums in order to best serve the majority of our visitors and members. FlyerTalk reserves the right to revoke members' accounts. Decisions as to whether content violates our rules will be made by moderators and administrators.

FlyerTalk reserves the right to delete messages that violate applicable laws or that may be harmful to others. FlyerTalk does not have the ability to restrict conduct or communications that might violate our rules prior to transmission on the Internet, nor can we ensure prompt removal of offending forum posts.

FlyerTalk reserves the right to limit access to specific forums to members who meet experience requirements or other criteria and to change those requirements at any time.

The content of messages does not constitute approval or necessarily reflect the views of FlyerTalk. You participate at your own risk on the forums, in chat and in e-mail. You take responsibility for postings under your identification and use the information provided here at your own risk. FlyerTalk takes no responsibility for the content or opinions posted here.

FlyerTalk reserves the right to makes changes to the rules without notice. As it's impossible to address every issue that could arise on these forums, just because an issue is not covered in these rules, does not mean it will or will not be allowed.

By posting to a forum or chat on FlyerTalk, you agree to abide by our rules.

Posting of Images - link to this guideline
FlyerTalk welcomes members to embed non-animated images in certain forums. All images must meet community standards, must convey relevant on-topic information and are allowed only in posts and not in signature lines. Images should be as small as needed to get the point across without being overbearing. Images that are offensive, irrelevant or violate the TOS will be removed and posters of such images may be subject to disciplinary action including, but not limited to, loss of image-posting privileges in one or more forums. Posters are responsible for the content of images embedded in their posts whether it is the image intended to be and/or originally posted or not.

If you still have questions about behavior on FlyerTalk, contact us.

Otherwise, head over to the Forums and start talking!