Just a reminder......
 

What airline runs the best frequent flyer program?

Continental has once again gotten best program at the Freddies!!!

Don't mean to rain on CO's parade but as I've said in other posts, CO has to be the worst program mileage wise flying on it's own planes(rather than cashing in m award for a tkt with a partners plane)bet the US & TLV nobody requires as much as they do. What I don't understand is why people fly them on that route? When AA&BA or BA(alone) 80,000 gets you a free bus all yr, at CO you get an off-peak coach for that.I know many people who would join CO in a minute if they were competive in that mkt, including myself since JFK is a 45 min trip while EWR is 13 min yet I'll go to JFK due to better mileage progs that I can get.

Is this previous statement an example of "sour grapes"?

Regardless of airline, I'm sure everyone would agree that any FF program could improve (nothing is perfect), but in comparing them....CO is on top!

------------------
CO757

Actually, while CO won the overall category, best single award (for its 25,000 to Tokyo), best elite levels and best web-site, it was Southwest that was very impressive this year, winning best customer service away from CO, as well as best award redemption and best bonus promotion.


This combined with Starwood's sweep of 5 freddies makes it was very clear that the direction these industries need to be going is is towards "awards as cash". With Southwest and Starwood your award miles/points are side by side with your dollars as you arange flights and/or rooms with ZERO capacity controls or blackouts.

If there's a seat on the plane, or a room in the hotel, it's yours.

Welcome to the future.....




[This message has been edited by NJDavid (edited 01-27-2000).]

I have to agree with CO757, there is a lot more to a frequent flyer program then awards to TLV. I have been a top level OnePass elite for the last 7 years because they treat me as though I was someone important. (usually)

There is more to a FF program than award travel to TLV! CO does quite well all-around, but it irks me that you cannot confirm upgrade awards to Hawaii and Europe until 30 days before departure. Overall award availability is also not as good as on other airlines. I used to throw a lot of my hotel and credit card miles in CO's direction but that has stopped. With 400K miles in my account I can travel the US quite well for awhile. In the meantime, I'm building my AA mileage balance. With better overall availability, no 30 day rule nonsense, the thought of lifetime Gold if I can collect 1 million miles, and no more mileage expiration this program rules.

Craz,

Do you want to back up your statement on CO's award to TLV? With their new chart, it is generally quite competitive than most airlines. Yes, AA's BA awards are very good, but remember you are comparing AA's business class service with a connection in LHR to non-stop on CO's Business First product.

Jeff

AA has some very nice international award levels which other airlines do not. Also they have generous rules about stopovers. I agree with MileKing's comments.

To support CO, I just had a very positive experience with CO yesterday. I was thinking of visiting a friend in MSP for the weekend (last minute), and wanted to redeem CO miles. Agent #1 found no flihts from BOS-MSP. Agent #2 tried flights out of PVD and MHT, and refused to give up until she had found award seat availability which matched my schedule without incurring a $75 charge for late-ticketing on NW.

I was very impressed that CO would be willing to redeem miles for next-day travel without a service charge, and also at how hard the agent worked to find suitable flights even on what was admittedly a last-minute request.

Let's see, TLV, one out of about 500 destinations that CO services themselves, more with partners. So, just taking the CO service by itself, that works out to two-tenths of 1 percent (.2%) of ALL award destinations. Now, down here in Texas, if the odds are 99.8% that I'm going to find oil when I punch the hole in the ground, I'm sure going to drill for that oil. Seems to me that the Freddie Award for CO was well-deserved.

I too agree with MK as he compliments the CO OP program and yet also notes some shortcomings that are a part of each of the programs.

BTW- If I'd have known about the lifetime AA Gold at 1 million miles previously, I'd more likely have stuck it out with them. This, IMHO, is a great perk!

While Southwest has the most liberal policies on capacity controls (there are none), it has the most restrictive policies on expiration (is it still expires in 12 months?). Their expiration policies have discouraged me from using them - I always prefered Reno or Shuttle to Southwest.

AA ALL THE WAY!!

1 million miles is program miles earned, not actual flown miles!!!

mileage upgrades on any int'l fare on aa operated flights - including internet specials

more airline partners than any other program.

status bonus miles on all 1w carrier eligible flights.

NOBODY ELSE even comes close!!!

[This message has been edited by lonman (edited 01-28-2000).]

David, don't forget those 2 major suprises at the Freddies:

Aeromexico getting one

and those

crazy guys from Flyertalk getting one http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

CO is good, and of course, there are shortcomings with any program. However, I wouldn't rate CO the best. Very good, but not great. Still significant drawbacks for me:

30 day window and certain fare basis for 'maybe' mileage upgrades for HNL and Intertnational BF (AA upgrades lower coach fares and other major carriers have no "maybe' 30-day window.

Often CO totally blocks out elite/mileage upgrades on certain domestic flights, esp. to/from EWR to West Coast (must wait until day of departure to release, if they haven't been purchased). NW opens all F seats and UA allocates a certain percentage of upgrades to each flight, released and ready for upgrade prior to day of departure.

Still have to call in at midnight for elite upgrades. NW is automatic and I believe there are options with other carriers.

If you want to use 10/20k miles for domestic upgrade, must pay $75 for expedite process if want to upgrade day of departure (UA takes the miles out of your account on the spot...no fee, certificate, or hassle).

No elite upgrades on award tickets. Gold/Plat can do so with NW.

Companions cannot be upgraded until 2hrs before departure. With UA (although must use certificates) you can upgrade companion at elite "window."

I would surmise that fflyer award availability is markedly less with CO, on the Saver Awards, esp. BFirst to international destinations, than with other carriers.