InsideFlyer researching the Best/Worst features of each program
 

In an upcoming story, we've been putting together a list of the absolute best feature of each frequent traveler and a list of the absolute worst feature of each program. Any of you care to comment on the best/worst features of each of your programs to compare with others?

I'll start: among the best features of the Mileage Plus program is the fact they don't charge you express redemption fees for awards like it seems all the other programs do. Forget that $35-75 stuff.

My fellow AA FTers: I've created this thread to help consolidate our comments on AAdvantage.

FewMiles..

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Southwest Rapid Rewards

Best: Double credit for Internet bookings, no capacity controls, ability to use half an award ticket for one-way travel

Worst: No Hawaii or international destinations, 12-month expiration of unused credits

I think the best part of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is the wide variety of partners on which to accrue and redeem miles. Alaska is a great program to 'link' between airlines like NW/CO and, say, AA. As I fly a little bit on CO each year, a little more on AA and NW, and a lot on AS, I get to accumulate miles for all those flights in one program. Then I can go and redeem those miles on the above mentioned airlines or on Qantas, British, Lan Chile or Hawaiian.

Wow this is going to be tough. There's so many! Well, the HoKeY fares on Continental and LUser fares on Delta immediately jump to mind as being contenders for WORST features of each of those programs. HoKeY and LUser refer to restrictions on what fares are upgradeable (H, K, and Y = international upgradeable on CO, L and U = not upgradeable on Delta).

Randy, your question reminds me of a thread on United from a few months back where a person was trying to decide between UA and CO, and in the response was given top 10 reasons why CO is better, and top 10 reasons why UA is better. I thought that the "top 10 reasons" was a great way of directly comparing two programs and gave a great deal of information. You can check that thread out at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum50/HTML/007783.html

(Edited to fix link)

[This message has been edited by anthonyanthony (edited 12-06-2001).]

I'll chime in with Continental:

Best: unlimited domestic upgrades (with no restriction based on fare paid)

Worst: the absolute worst has to be the new HoKeY rule for international upgrades - only the most expensive fares put you into a lottery for using miles to upgrade.


PS. Anthonyanthony beat me to the punch, he snuck in his post just as I was hitting "submit now" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by jetsetter777 (edited 12-06-2001).]

Delta Skymiles

Best : CRC membership for PMs
Worst : LUser fares

Northwest WorldPerks

Best : Unlimited automated upgrades for all elites
Worst : No segment qualification

Similarly, I've started this thread to consolidate United MP comments.

LH miles&more:

+++ high mileage credits, counting as status miles too, for paid flight-class and for status (already for only having FrequentFlier status) making it 125% credits eco / 250% business and 375% first for flights with all Starcarriers.
++ status validity: always at least 24 months (in the first year a maximum of 35 months and 30 days if you qualify per march-1 ...; first-time-qualification and renewing based on any 12 subsequent months not calendar year)
+ one-class upgrades worldwide with miles or vouchers on any (paid) fare
--- the high amount of miles needed for one-way upgrades (European members).
-- extra miles needed for award ticket- (or upgrade-) connections Germany - Rest of Europe.
- high amount of status miles for one international upgrade voucher (100'000 status miles needed)

Adding on to the Delta list:

Best: Unlimited domestic upgrades for PMs (barring the LUser fare of course).
Upgrade at the time of booking for PMs.

Worst: Restricted upgrades on International flights (Y, B and M only).

Best features of NW WorldPerks: unlimited domestic US upgrades

Worst features of NW WorldPerks: dealing with NW

best features of AA: upgrade any published fare, international or national.

worst features of AA: mucho dinero for expediting or chaning award tix

worst feature of NW World Perks
no mileage credit for CyberSavers

Frontier's Best: Award ticket for only 15,000 miles.

Frontier's Worst: No affinity credit card other than Diners.

I want to 2nd the following

CO: Three things stand out for me with One Pass: 1) Best Unlimited Upgrades for domestic service 2) 75K threshold for the top tier,and 3) the numerous OP mile bonus' that they consistantly offer
CO: Worst: HoKeY fares for upgrade lottery. Its the lottery part that I find are the worst, not so much the higher fares to u/g

DL: Best: Two things Plats getting Free CRC and ease which I've been able to redeem Free travel awards

DL Worst: far and away not being able to up grade on L/U fares (this was one of the main factors for me switching to CO)