1. The fact that elite AA members can sit in business class seats with coach tickets (and coach service) on certain routes (mostly out of SFO and between hubs). I've planned travel around this several times.

2. The amazing details of AA's VIP2 systemwide upgrades. Knowing them spurred me to make mileage runs to achieve Executive Platinum.

Wow. Where to start?
1. The amazing Latin Pass adventure. My wife and I did a 500,000 mile journey, visiting Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Just hoping the miles can be used now. Just sent in a request for an April trip to Europe for the 4 of us.

2. The Delta AMEX 50,000 mile bonus for the first 10,000 to sign up. Signed up, and am counting on it.

3. The Starwood Win-The-World contest. Both my wife and I won trips to San Francisco, although we could only keep one. But I learned about he contest here on FT. Thanks.

4. A late but good one. Saving 5K on Delta awards, posted only recently. Ordered 4 awards at 20K each, instead of 25K, saving a total of 20K miles.

For these and lots of other reasons, this is a great board! Everyone deserves thanks.

Djlawman

The Baht Run to get 1K status. I just started flying UA at the end of Sept 2000, but I am now a 1K. thanks OZStamps, Trvl4free.

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For me, my 1st year at FT provided lots of good tips and feedback from fellow posters, even though some of the topics are, naturaly, geared towards travel to/from or within the US.
One aberrant positive thing:
In early spring one thread described NW offering Platinum status via a targeted mailing. Even though NW doesn't allow foreigners to become members, I copied the scanned image.
Upon arriving at the gate at MEM for my AMS flight in Y on KLM, I presented the facsimilie, said that it wasn't processed yet, and WHOOPS: Before I knew it I was upfront in WBC! And economy wasn't even full! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Too many things learned to count. For a newbie to frequent flyer travel the tips for the little things often add up to less stress, more benefits

Too many things learned to count. For a newbie to frequent flyer travel the tips for the little things often add up to less stress, more benefits

I learned not to hit the submit button twice.

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Happy new year all.

I learned that too.

FewMiles..

I learned that too.

FewMiles..

First of all I learned about the generosity of strangers. Some of these may go back to 1999 but these are the ones that mattered to me. Specific "best deals"

1. Double miles with the AA click card
2. The value of elite statis.
3. Clickrewards 2 for 1 to Starwoods - along with a great bonus for a donation to WWF. $500 deductible donation to a cause I support anyway, netted 20,000 click rewards. 10,000 of those transferred to Starwoods which became 20,000, and those 20,000 became 25,000 AA miles. I still have 10,000 at clickrewards hoping for another similar promo.
4. The Starwoods program (transfers between spouses) and the free AMEX card
5. MCI 25,000 mile promo
6. Delta AMEX -first year free and 10,000 miles. First year paid and 20,000 miles. Did both.
7. Bonus offers on AA to Europe.
8. Being alerted to double mile promos on specific routes. I began looking at the AA site for double mile promos before booking tickets to see if non direct flights increase miles substantially. Happened a few times.
9. Health Choice promo and double mile coupon - some kind people sent me coupons in time to get double the miles.
10. Greenpoint promos - especially purchases through sparks which had bonus gift certificates for buying gift certificates AND clickrewards to boot! Got lots of Blockbuster giftcards and Borders gift certificates for buying Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, etc. It was such a good deal they stopped it. Points from greenpoints then got meAA certs.
11. Volumebuy -discounted certs for AA travel.
12. Chase Travelers Checks with Credit Card on-line.
13. Buying savings bonds with a credit card (don't know if I saw it here, or shared it here after seeing it in the newspaper).
14. The platinum challenge with AA
15. That there is such a thing as lifetime GOLD with AA. It gave me a goal and I'm almost there.
16. Opening an account at Bank One and being able to charge it to a credit card.
17. How to convert earned upgrades with AA to miles.
18. BECOMING A VERY SAVVY FREQUENT FLYER.
Thank you

------------------
DtG

[This message has been edited by dgordon (edited 01-02-2001).]

I didn't arrive until late in the year, but probably the most valuable thing was learning that there are other people just as dysfunctional as I am about miles, flying, free trips, etc., if not more so. So now I no longer wonder if I'm the only one.

1 I have met really cool FTers such as Rudi

2 I found out about promotions that I would have missed if not for FT

3 Starwood Gold

1. the best thing i found out about was the aa ttbns posting. i'm in ny so, i would have been ool.
2. rtw trip pricing. biz class rtw with 20-smoething stops for the same as a rt biz class from ny to europe is unbelievable. before this i wouldn't ever spend more than $700 on any airline ticket. come on 1w, give me a reason to do this again!!
3. mexicana hilton deal. i never maximize opportunities in hotel programs, so this seems like a good conversion deal. this may actually allow me to start flying *a again.

and in the best deals i knew of but never took advantage of...

tll-syd for $300 or cns-gum-lax for $400. this was way too many q-miles to fool around with, and i fooled around long enough not to get either of them.

1. PremEx's tip for 6 SWU for 1K qualifiers in 2000 wins my award. Posting of the scanned 1K materials was super -- Thanks!
2. Getting around USAirway's Saturday stay award requirement (with 2 trips that can then be changed) was a nice tip.
3. ClickRewards' Starwood 2 for 1 was great.

Here's to a great 2001!

The best I learned: Latin Pass Promo:
Worst thing I learned: Latin Pass Promo:
still in evaluation period but certainly experienced much fustration. Would I do it again. Probably, but many question my sanity.