Midway double miles promo exists w/ NW, as well; expiration date for both promos is 6/30/01.


As an addendum, note that--importantly--when it comes to upgrades, & if an elite member & upgrades matter to you (it does to many of us), NW gate agents will NOT expend effort to upgrade you once you've boarded--but CO gate agents will. This becomes a frequent "issue" as NW often will not release FC seats until after general boarding has commenced, & sometimes not until after the standby list has cleared(worst case = not releasing seats until just minutes prior to the door getting closed)--w/ NW, you are thus faced w/ frequently having to choose between being able to use overhead bin space & getting an upgrade, which is ridiculous.

I realize that the majority of your flights may be w/ Midway, & thus upgrades on CO or NW may potentially only apply to award flights (& even then, FYI, it's my understanding that CO doesn't allow [free] elite upgrades on award flights, but NW does [if this is incorrect, someone please clarify]).

If you fly enough w/ Midway to garner elite status, note also that whether your miles are w/ CO or NW, each allows reciprocal use of miles for awards (e.g. you can use NW miles to book an award flight w/ CO, & CO miles for booking an award w/ NW)--given what is printed on the Midway web site, it appears that the partner-based reciprocity re: mileage redemption for award flights extends to use of NW & CO miles for award flights w/ Midway.

With THAT said...the nwa.com club offers reduced mileage requirements for award flights (2,000 miles less - which, for off-peak travel [= ~9 months of the year], equates to only 18,000 miles needed for RT flight w/i continental 48). FYI, nwa.com club membership is currently $35, & enrollment will likely open up again around October (the anniversary of a round of enrollment from last year). The 2,000 mile "discount" can be used 2 times, for up to 2 reservations per--i.e. one can book a total of 4 flights w/ 2,000 miles saved for each. Important caveat: award redemption w/ nwa.com club discount requires that the award flight(s) be booked online--& you cannot use miles from a non-NW acct to book award travel online (but can via phone [for the record, award flights on Alaska & Hawaiian Airlines must be made via phone, regardless]).


Given your circumstance, & given that your point of departure is of the proximity it is to 3 of CO's hubs & 2 of NW's, & is essentially midway ( ) btwn the northern & southern "halves" of the continental 48--& that (1) any of your destinations w/ Midway out of ILM will involve a connection through RDU -&- (2) nearly all of your destinations out of RDU if flown w/ either CO or NW will often involve a connection -&- (3) given that every ILM-RDU segment is just over 100 actual flown miles but will earn 500 flight miles w/ both CO & NW...you have segments galore you can milk for both status & bonus miles (not only if you garner elite status, but if the bonus mile opportunities of late continue w/ CO, you can be in a major win-win when it comes to the earning opportunity [i.e. whether segment or flight mile-based])--& you have the reciprocity among Midway, NW, & CO which you can avail yourself of when it comes to booking an award flight.

It's just my opinion, but I'd focus on earning OnePass miles...if elite status is an option (I don't know how frequently you fly, or if there's a typical destination, etc.), you'd not only have the segment-based option for earning it if OnePass was your primary FF acct, but you'd still have the opportunity & associated flexibility of booking with either NW or CO (i.e. if going to a destination to which Midway isn't a carrier), yet still have the chance to fly on another carrier.

A review of flight schedules out of RDU indicates that both NW & CO have selections for morning, mid-day, & late afternoon (& some evening) departures (both non-stop & connecting) & arrivals to & from their various respective hubs.

FWIW, despite the fact that I recommend having OnePass as the primary acct, for one of your first flights (if you will not be flying some other time before 7/31/01, then this would have to refer to your first flight [next week]), I'd consider obtaining WorldPerks miles (depending on your itinerary [e.g. if it is not mileage or segment rich])--here's why:

1) if you create a WorldPerks acct w/ the ADVO promo/source code, you obtain an immediate deposit of 2,500 miles in your acct

2) if you then fly your first credited-to-Worldperks acct flight by 7/31/01, that same promo earns you another 2,500 mile bonus

3) you would earn a minimum of 1,000 miles for the round trip flight

The result is that you would have an easy 6,000 miles, which gets you 1/3 of the way to a free off-peak flight (if booked w/ the nwa.com club 2,000 mile discount [oh, FYI, the latest nwa.com club sign-ups included 2,000 bonus miles])...it also equates to more than enough for an inter-island RT flight w/ Hawaiian Airlines (interestingly, it requires double the # of miles if using Hawaiian Airlines miles [per the HA web site, @ least]). If you were to book a NW flight online (& earn WorldPerks flight miles w/ it), you could get another 4,000 bonus miles (first time booking bonus), bringing you to 10,000 miles (enough for a 1-way domestic FC upgrade [which can be used on NW, CO, or partner flights]). There are many ways to top that off for a free flight. All of this is just something to consider...if it would result in "cutting it close" re: earning elite status w/ CO (given that you have only 6 months in which to do so), then obviously the potential to compromise such is something to seriously consider.

Note that you have some interesting itinerary options when it comes to flying from RDU to various NW & CO hubs--not only do you technically have the option of flying directly to one of CO's hubs (EWR) via Midway, but depending on whose metal you'd be flying (of either NW or CO), you could choose to fly to one of the hubs via the other carrier--& through their hub (e.g. flying from RDU to IAH, connecting through DTW [bumping up the # of flight miles, as well as the segment count] [cost can increase w/ such @ times, of course, but it all depends]).

If you enroll an eligible AmEx card in the AmEx Membership Rewards program, you can earn CO miles & various CO travel certs w/ such (but not NW miles or travel certs, unfortunately [though remember, you can use CO miles to book award flights w/ NW]).

Both CO & NW have mileage-earning credit cards.

Both CO & NW accept ClickRewards ClickMiles on a 1:1 basis...& miles can be converted from both Starwood & Diners Club into CO & NW miles...


The bottom line is that there are mileage-earning opportunities w/ both CO & NW, but your overall best strategy may be that of earning status & flight bonus miles in the OnePass program (& there have been beaucoup flight bonus mile offers w/ OnePass), & keeping your eye on bonus mile opportunities involving the WorldPerks program, as well.

Oh, & even if you don't decide to have OnePass as your primary program, you may want to seriously consider purchasing a CO Privilege Pack (there are many threads pertaining to it in the CO forum).

Lastly, note that if you obtain a lounge club membership for either the CO Presidents Club or NW WorldClub lounges, either will get you into the other program's lounges (& FYI, even if you don't get a lounge club membership, but find a need for occasional use of either a CO or NW lounge, it seems to be easier to come by Presidents Club lounge passes).

[This message has been edited by ILTE_Miles (edited 06-08-2001).]