Some help from the veterans...
 

As a rookie in the travel game, I'm seeking a little general advice from the more seasoned masters of this game.

I will be traveling weekly, and have considerable leeway in my choice of airlines and hotels. So far, I have decided on AA and Marriott. Does anyone have any opinions on the merit of Marriott vs. Hyatt or AA vs. UA, from a program standpoint?

Welcome Aboard, CaptainB. You will get a LOT
of information from the "veterans" up here!
(veterans of all ages, careers, locations,
interests, etc.)

Some basic rules:

*Everyone has their own system. Develop the one that works for YOU (because Catman's system will not work for Rudi and his will not necessarily work for you.)

*Find the program that best works for you (airline: flights, ff program, services.. hotel: locations, services also.)
*Then get ELITE status in the program of your choice as early as possible. That opens up a world of even more opportunities.
*Concentrate on one airline/hotel/car prog and have a backup... but this is MY system.

I would suggest that if you have an hour or two some weekend go to the U-A, AA, Marriott
and Hyatt forums and read through the past postings from us to get a relative good comparison.

As you travel if you have questions just post them here. Someone will answer. GOod luck
and HAPPY & SAFE FLYING!! CATMAN

Hey CaptainB, Welcome aboard the flight of your life-FlyerTalk. The Catman gives great advice, so pay close attention to the items he mentioned. Then, if you ever have any doubt about what Catman says, you can just e-mail Ol' JAWs, and it'll be corrected.

See ya in the clouds.

Welcome CaptainB:

If you're going to be flying a lot, you'll get the really major benefits by concentrating on one FF program.

Your profile says your from New York, so you'll have choices in Airlines.

I'd suggest getting a copy of the airline
schedules for AA and UA. And check it against the cities that you'll be going to.

Also, webflyer has summeries for the various programs. Estimate how many miles and/or segments you'll be flying and compare the elite levels for each program.

Another thing thats major for me, is how many direct flights does the airline offer for my trips. I fly a good number of NYC-STL trips a year which helped me choose
Continental as my primary airline.

Another big issue is partner's. Look at each Airlines partner list. AA has an alliance with US air. UA is alligned with Delta.

Catman's suggestion of going thru the posts in the different forums is a great one. I did that when I first came to webflyer.

Another thought for you, Captain, is to have your goals in mind now, before you travel. Are you looking for miles primarily to upgrade and make your flight more enjoyable? Are you going to use miles for free trips in the future? If so, not only consider which airline(s) fly to the destinations you have to fly to now, but which ones fly to the ones you WANT to fly to once you earn tickets. If there are discrepancies in the number of miles you will need for particular awards, that might be something that would influence your decision.
As to the hotel programs, don't count out Hilton. Their Double Dip program (allowing you to earn both airline miles and miles in their Hilton Honors program) makes them a worthwhile candidate.
Finally, as we will all tell you, make sure you are making full use of charging all of your purchases to an airline affinity credit card which will allow you to earn miles (or to something like AMEX for the membership rewards).
Welcome aboard! Djlawman.

I'll second the Double-Dipping advantages of Hilton. Also, I generally find Hilton to be more within my budget (with their Value rate weekend specials). Car rental (and I'll get flamed for this), my preference is Thrifty (1000+ miles on TWA, AA if you pay with the right credit card and the car rental doesn't have to be in conjunction with a flight on that airline). Air travel, IMHO, nothing beats the mileage earning power of United (with the Star Alliance). United also flies to all three airports in NY which is very convenient to me. (I don't know if AA also flies to all 3 as well ?).

While double dipping sounds good consider that the Hilton program requires significantly more points for a US domestic ticket than does Marriott. So while you may be getting miles and points, when it comes time to redeem, the advantages of double dipping may be negated (in some cases).

Another good suggestion: Order the Official Frequent FLyer GUidebook (yes, it sounds like a commercial) But it includes some basic rules to follow about frequent flyer travel as well as outlines ALL the programs with the latest info.

Inside FLyer is a great magazine available by subscription and on the web. You can get some great point and mile earning tips there.

This ends this commercial announcement. Have a MEOWY day! CATMAN

I am very happy with the Marriott Rewards Program. This gives you points for some pretty cool hotel stays and other desirable things, like trips on the Concorde, rather than their miles program which just gives more miles. Flying every week I just don't need more miles, but it is nice to take the family for a free at a Marriott resort from time to time. Also get pretty nice hotel privileges at Platinum level. Check it out. Combined with Gold level airline status it can make travelling a lot more comfy.

DJlawman makes an excellent argument: know your travel goals before deciding which programs you want to sign up with. Maybe keep it on a piece of paper )that's my system: my short list includes: Upgrades, upgrades upgrades, elite as high as possible on U-A and free nights at hotels far from Jersey city.) Then you can work a program to suit you needs.

Let us know what you decide to do. CATMAN