Originally Posted by
resingl
I suppose this has been policy for quite some time, but I didn't realize I had to pay $75 per ticket when using miles less than 14 days before travel.
Seriously? What possible difference does it make to the airline? I grumbled about paying for sodas and bag fees (before I made Preferred), but could at least understand some connection (extra cost = extra fee).
I guess I've always known airline miles are a huge scam as it's really hard to redeem them for anything decent, but to pay extra for the privledge seems ridiculous.
Resingl --
Almost all the USA airlines have this type of fee these days. I'm sure nobody likes it, but it makes tons of sense for an airline. Airlines make their money selling more-expensive last minute fares to biz travellers. So if you happen to need a ticket at the last minute, it's likely to be very expensive. Using your miles is often a great alternative -- even if you have to pay $75 for the privilege.
I would also note that it could be a significant revenue loss for an airline not to charge this fee, as biz travellers would be more inclined to redeem mileage for such trips than pay the higher fares.
Obviously, for most leisure travellers, it's really easy to plan 2 weeks ahead of time. And if you can't, $75 seems like a modest extra amount to pay. Of all the annoying airline fees out there, this one seems among the least objectionable.