Originally Posted by
aaupgrade
Wrong. With the prices of airline tickets going up the return on using points is that much more appealing even if you have to pay a fee. Some ballpark examples: DCA to CDG/LHR in Y $800-1600 used to be $350-900; BWI to HNL $1000-1300 used to be $500-800; Hawaii YUP $2200+ used to be $1100-1300; WAS to SYD in F $26000 used to be $16000, in J $20000 used to be $12000.
Last week, we "bought" (a total $120.38 in taxes) two DL Business Elites, DFW/JFK/BUD and PRG/ATL/DFW, for 90,000 Skymiles each. That's 180,000 FF miles for tickets which "shopping" priced between $5,500 and $12,000 (Well, obviously, a unlikely purchase!) with DL somewhere in between. Using a $6,000 number, that made my Skymiles worth $.0334 each, obviously "up-valued" by the "Saver" search. Some of my "miles" came from AMEX "Rewards", an immediate and cost-free transfer, and I can't complain.
I suspect that the future holds pretty much what the past hath wrought, airlines hoping to build customer loyalty and patronage by using miles for seats unlikely to be sold (or if sold, at modest revenue levels). I'll be interested to see who flies in the front with me on the DL 367s in both directions.
There's an additional benefit built in, being able to avoid LHR, in my eyes the MIA of the English-speaking world.