New Board Game Puts Fun in Frequent Flying

Many transportation-based board games are built around creating networks to transport freight. A new game focuses on the fun of collecting frequent flyer miles, with the goal of being the first to visit 20 cities in the United States. The board game Frequent Flyer is now available for purchase online.

For many FlyerTalkers, the habit of collecting points and miles is much more than a lifestyle – it is a real-life game of collecting the most currency and using them for incredible travel experiences. A new board game is taking the same idea and making it accessible for everyone without the need to visit an airport or apply for a credit card. Frequent Flyer is the new game about traveling the United States and collecting miles along the way and is now available on their website and Amazon.com.

Frequent Flyer: A Game to Accumulate (And Use) All Your Miles

The game comes from the imagination of creator David Horowitz, who was inspired by the frequent business travel from his day job. With over 15 years of experience in the business world and traveling over 30 nights every year, his new game brings the real-life experience of playing the points and miles game to travelers of all ages.

“I love games, and I think it’s a game,” Horowitz explained in an interview with FlyerTalk. “It’s a game on how to accumulate all your miles. “I think at some point I put the two together. This really is a game, so why isn’t it a board game?”

The goal of the game for up to four players is to be the first to visit 20 U.S. cities and return to your home airport. Each traveler starts by picking their home airport and rolling a 20-sided dice to determine their first destination. During each trip, travelers will face random challenges by landing on select spots. While those flying in the regular cabin have higher odds of facing a pitfall, those who upgrade to first class often get better outcomes.

Photo submitted

Along the way, each flyer will collect miles which can be used for upgrades to first class, or free flights direct to the next city they need to visit. Strategizing where and how to use the mileage balance is a key part of successfully traveling across the United States.

“Just like in real life, you may have this great mileage balance, but it doesn’t help if you don’t use it,” said Horowitz. “Eventually you want to use your miles, but how do you want to use them? That’s where the strategy part comes in.”

Game Serves as Educational Tool on Several Levels: Geography, Math and Frequent Flyer Programs

Being successful in the game requires players to understand basic math skills and geography. As an educational tool, these two skills reinforce the key part of the game: understanding how and when to use frequent flyer miles for the best results.

“In real life, you have the same travel issue: I want to go to this city, I have this many miles – what do I do?” said Horowitz. “That real life piece was really important to me, because I felt like it was going to make it.”

For the creator, finishing the game became a labor of love for his teenage children. After several prototype rounds, Horowitz says his family and his children’s friends enjoyed it so much, they began asking when they could buy their own copy. While the future could bring an international version to life, this game is about creating a fun family experience.

“People who enjoy family board games are saying this is great fun,” said Horowitz. “So that’s the focus right now.”

Frequent Flyer is available for purchase at www.frequentflyergame.com.  FlyerTalkers can get a 10% discount when using the code “FLYERTALK” at checkout on the Frequent Flyer Game website. The game is also available for sale on Amazon.

In the spirit of full disclosure: A free copy of the game was provided to the author for review and evaluation. However, it did not influence the final contents of this article.