Originally Posted by
stevento
I find that incredible. Sure, this year was the first time I paid cash for international flights, because the rates were so absurdly low, miles wouldn't give much value.
But domestic awards values are usually horrible... and local flights abroad are often on non-alliance airlines.
And hotels...if you only stay in big cities with big chain hotel presence, I get that. But there are no chain hotels or AirBnB in the African bush, S.American rainforest, or SE Asian jungle.
We always planned 9-12 months ahead, and generally could find awards we were looking for (for 4 people, on same flight, during school holidays, always J or F). It required having 2M miles across different alliances at all times, for max flexibility. But I've never in my life spent as much on travel as now when I travel for free. Before, taking a 30 hr flight would give me pause ... in J or F, who cares how long the flight is if champagne is flowing... But even if the flight is free... top non-corporate lodges are not...
I got a chuckle out of this. We, too, have never spent so much on travel as we do now that it's free.
The game has changed, but with so much of the airline income based upon selling miles to banks, they can't make it too impossible to redeem them. On the other hand, my newbie friends are thrilled to combine miles and cash for r/t for 2 in coach to New Zealand for only $700-1000. They are excited to go and save a little money getting there. I don't burst their bubble.