SAPMAN

Now that the dust has settled, or at least not quite as stirred up, I ask the question:


Would you do the LP bonus run again considering all the hassles and difficulties in dealing with the program? This is the true test as to if it was worthwhile.


Also, I remember many stating they found Central and South America interesting (first time travel there) and would be going back --- that LP carriers/countries would see more travel to the region due to the exposure. How many have or have firm plans to return?


As for me: Yes, I would do it again and although no FIRM plans to return, I do expect to do so in 2002.

[This message has been edited by SAPMAN (edited 04-07-2001).]

wormwood

yes, definitely, where else could you have gotten one-meeelun miles for 3 days flying and 3000 bucks?! Despite all the hassles (many of which were apparent beforehand) it was an astonishing deal, one for the ages

Flying Dutchman

The value of the time I've spent dealing with the mistakes of the LatinPass Service Center has far exceeded the value of the bonus miles.

Would I do it all again if given the chance? Definitely not.

JayJ

Yes, I would do it again. It is still a great deal. I just wish they would have published all of their current rules in January 2000 when they announced the bonus.

drtravels

Yes - What an adventure and the challenge of setting up the itinerary was fun. The conversion to Hilton is fine with me.

ejulber

Yes. Twenty years from now, I'll probably still be telling the story of 7 countries in 42 hours and the security in Bogota. The ability to tell the story is worth the $2300 invested in the 500K trip.

So far, I've:

1. Converted 90K to Marriott, ending up with a week in Hawaii and 120K UA miles (had to purchase 10K Marriott to get the 513 reward).

2. Flown FC on USAir SEA-DCA (both myself and 12 y.o. son).

3. Have sitting on my desk 3 FC via TWA PDX-MCO for October.

4. Converted 90K to Hilton and combined it with around 65K bonuses from Hilton (see the Hilton board) for a total of almost 250K HH points (equal to 2.5 weeks in Hawaii for HH Gold).

All in all, it's an adventure. Without the adventure of it, I doubt that spending $2300 and overall, five days flying would really make it worthwhile.

freeflyer

Sure I would, I had a great time traveling for two weeks through Guatamala, Ecuador, and Colombia. Spent $1100 on airfare and earned 500k. If I can get one free biz class ticket to Europe this fall then it will have been worth it. Plus I'm hoping my parents will be able to make use of some of the miles to visit Latin America on the LP member airlines.

Yes there have been hassles, but I've been too busy enjoying life to get worked up over it. The miles will be able to be used eventually on some future flights, and I'm sure I'll enjoy taking those trips when the time comes.

markschn

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SAPMAN:
[B]Now that the dust has settled, or at least not quite as stirred up, I ask the question:


Would you do the LP bonus run again considering all the hassles and difficulties in dealing with the program? This is the true test as to if it was worthwhile.

I would surely do the "Run" again, but I would do it differently, based on my experience. I would report it differently, based on my experience, and I would use, transfer and communicate with LP differently, based on my experience. Note that I am saying that I believe I learned from my experience of doing something for the first time. I would hope that LP has learned something too, I believe they have, and are better off for it too. That being said, I found everyone I dealt with at LP great to work with under their "inexperienced" system.

I have: Gone to Cairo FC (2) in January.
Converted many miles to Marriot
Converted miles to Hilton
Sent my secretary to Paris (coach)

Spent $2500 on tickets, etc
Spent $75.00 on flowers to the LP ladies
Spent several hours on the phone to LP getting things confirmed, booked and sent
Spent a lot more time on this BB reading rantings and ravings about LP!!

Phil

Yes, I would do it again. It's value is less than I thought it would be, and the process much more cumbersome than I expected. I did not get my miles soon enough to transfer many to Marriott. I gave up on TWA after a number of tries. But one set of tickets on LCASA has returned my "investment", and I hope now to see further value. This was not an "easy" promotion, and has required considerable time and effort. But, yes, worth it.

stephlac

Yes, I would do this promotion again. It took me until January of this year to get the points but I didn't waste very much energy following up with Latin Pass.

I'm sorry I missed the opportunity to transfer points to Marriott but all in all I learned a lot about frequent flyer programs from reading these boards, very much enjoyed the planning of the trip and the trip itself was excellent(I took a month to do the run).

I took the challenge because I plan to spend a lot of time in Latin America in the next few years. So in spite of some frustrations I feel that I will be able to make use of the miles.

naturalspringwater

I would do the mileage run again in a heartbeat. The story alone has been worth the money invested -- even if I only was to break even.

Viajero Joven

As a graduation gift to myself, I had wanted to visit Central and South America since a year before I found out about the LP promotion-- and tickets are so expensive for short flights in Latin America ($300 one way San Salvador--Managua) that only something extraordinary like the LP bonus would make the trip feasible.

Separately, I convinced a friend from Nicaragua to go. He will use miles for multiple US-Nicaragua trips to/from school until he graduates-- and still have some left over. It gives him an amazing level of comfort knowing he can go home for Christmas, Summer, or whenever without the cost constraint.

Given these factors, I would happily do it again. )

craz

SURE WOULD,only I'd probably be able to fill the planes with people who NO longer think it was nuts.
Id just redo it a little different.

toppshelff

For a total cost of flights of $1200, I got the million. Since then,
-240k Marriott points (to cash into 120k AA points and 7 free nights)
-240k HHonors points (free Callaway golf clubs)
-domestic trip home
-over 750k left to burn.

But, the real reason I'd do it again... To fly back on some of the best airlines in the world to see some of the most beautiful places in the world and meet some of my best new friends in the world. If I had never received my miles, I would still be happy.

rhinochaser

YEP, Would do it again. I had a great deal of fun in the planning of the trip, and my wife and I took 17 days to complete the requirements, so we had a great little vacation while doing it. We had never been to South or Central America, and although we had always planned to go eventually, this gave us an impetus to do a quick little survey tour, similar to the ones I did of Europe after college. We spent time in Peru and in Costa Rica and will definitely go back. We are also excited about exploring many of the places that we did not have time to visit. As mentioned before, the tales we have to tell have made the trip worthwhile if we never even got to use the miles. It has been one heck of a ride! There have been frustrations, but it has been sort of like a game. I sort of think about it as a hotel overselling its rooms for a night, and being a guest trying to make sure that I get one of the rooms.

Just remember, in all fairness, we were the ones that started trying to game the system, not LP. LP should have thought the rules of their promotion through more carefully, but if they had, most of us wouldn't have a Million Miles. For those of us who would do it again, we might want to view our glass more as being 7/8ths full, rather than as 1/8ths empty. Trust me, it will reduce your bloodpressure and hopefully make you a generally happier person.

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Happy Travels,

Rhinochaser

[This message has been edited by rhinochaser (edited 04-14-2001).]