Bravo to all you responders. Some folks wouldn't have replied with such helpful, well thought out advice, or would have told our friend to surf and search. My hat's off to you all.

My $.02.

Follow pgary's advice on http://www.freefrequentflyermiles.com/index.htm.
Get a std united bankone card with a 15,000 bonus. Later get more miles for card upgrade. Get annual fee renewal miles. Get the credit protection; wait for a small protection charge then cancel it. Then, try to get a 2nd card and repeat. Pay $50 and get 5,000 miles for transferring $10K to yourself.

I'm on my 3rd citi card for AA miles--super when one is the 6mos free kind.

Idine from AA. Idine from UAL.

Buy through UAL shopping portal. Get FTD bonuses. Gift Cert dot com.

Donate 120 boxes of Kellogg's cereal bought at a overstock store and keep the AA coupons for 5,000 miles.

An old ME chapel in Elkridge has a stained glass window with an ancestor's name in it (and Disney's and Earps in the cemetary.)