Every airline that offers round-trip tickets within North America has candidates for "worst" if you use them inappropriately. I can burn 40,000 AA miles for the 95 miles between Boston and Portland, Maine, a trip that would probably take less time overall on a bus. That doesn't make AA's last-minute award "worst," though: for the same mileage I could get to Portland, Oregon without advance notice or capacity controls.

Unless CO's award is just for that fairly short route and doesn't let you make more effective use of it, I don't think it's a real candidate.

By the same token, you could use domestic last-minute F awards very poorly by picking, for example, short AA F100 segments. Doesn't make the award itself a bad offering...

For me, the last-minute coach award (40,000 miles) is one of the BEST awards out there because it's real cash back into my pocket. If there is a flight I need to be on, but the fares are high for all candidate flights, the miles are well-spent. I love using miles for int'l upgrades too, but I can't really put a good cash value on that because I wouldn't really buy those seats to begin with.

I would say that using 80,000 miles for a confirmed first class round trip award between Austin, TX and Dallas, TX is probably one of the worst awards imaginable.

Yes, you could use the AA domestic award poorly, but the award itself covers the continental US, so in itself, it isn't a bad award.

Some genius at AQ must have decided to set the cost of OAK/BUR-LAS award at parity with UA, considering that UA would treat it as a domestic award at 25k miles. Who in their right mind would ever redeem such an award when they can use walk-up fares from National and SWA at much better value, even with no mileage/status accumulation?

Or maybe, they just don't want to sell that award at all even though they advertise deep discounts on their once or twice a day OAK/BUR-LAS flights.

-David




[This message has been edited by LIH Prem (edited 10-30-2002).]

Actually, Aeroflot Bonus programs have improved dramatically. In fact, it is one of the best programs if you fly Business Class most of the time, you get free international upgrades in most cases, if you fly Economy on Aeroflot, its good for redeeming for upgrades to Business. In any event, their Business fares are good enough to use if you fly through/to Moscow

In these days, it's tough being a traveller. Although I have had a few "bothersome situations" with CO over the last few months, I still find it necessary to come to their defense. I have been a CO Elite Plat. for almost 10 consecutive years (well, Gold before Plat became the new tier.). When I fly, I have the following in mind....
The cost of the ticket, maintaining my platinum status, and MY FREE UPGRADE!!! It is rare that I am NOT upgraded on every CO Domestic flight I take... and I hope it stays that way. For me, I almost always have the advance purchase requirement met when I buy tickets. SO WHY WOULD I REDEEM 20K OR 30K OR 40, OR 50K miles for a free ticket that only cost 300 bucks, and forgo the elite miles that I earn by paying for the ticket, plus, not get upgraded on a free ticket??? I use my currently 800,000 miles for 2 things ONLY... International upgrades, and free International 1st class tickets for members of my family. I ALWAYS buy my ticket.. thats how I maintain my status. What dummy is going to redeem 25,000 miles for a ticket that only costs $200.00, regardless of if its LAX-LAS, or LAX-EWR? The only people that would do this are NOT frequent Flyers, for a FF would understand the stupidity of doing this. And by the way, I DID make a change to a ticket last week, and a sensible cust.serv rep WAIVED the fee!!!...perhaps because I am Plat, perhaps not...???...
And for a PLAT member, all I have to do is buy an eTicket on line, I get my 1000 mile bonus, plus my 125% bonus miles for the trip as a Plat member.
I have a Chase Card....
I get 2x miles for CO ticket purchases.
That means that all I need to do is buy 2 RT tickets for myself from EWR-LAX for maybe $350.00 each (or $179.00 as an eSaver this weekend!!!), and charge them. ONLY 2 TRIPS!!!!!! and I earn 25,000 miles. You know a better deal????.. a free ticket. How???
EWR-LAX.. 2454 miles= 4908 r/t with 125% bonus= 11,043 x 2 trips = 22,086, plus 1000 x 2 eticket bonus = 24,086, plus 350 per ticket x 2 = 700 x double miles on CC = 1400. Total.... 25,000 PLUS a few!I even have miles left over.
You gotta work the system.
Pick an airline.... it makes no difference which one.. pick the one you like best, and FLY IT RELIGIOULY!!! GET YOUR ELITE STATUS!!!
It will only happen for most people if you STICK TO 1 AIRLINE. Having 20,000 miles with 5 different ones will give you NADA...ZERO..ZIPPO...CRAPOLA!!! Get it?

Granted, almost 100% complementary upgrades are nice, as many top levels get on other airlines too. But, what does this all good, if you have such a hard time, cashing them in? I am especially referring to intercontinental flights; numerous stories abound here on FT.
Back when CO stepped into UAs position at ZRH/Switzerland I strongly considered to switch. Looking back, I am glad I did not.

http://www.bimanair.com/online/frequent_ff.html

What about this one

CO's program has its strengths and weaknesses. If you want to got to South America, it is only 35k to anywhere on the continent, tops in the industry. To the southern countries, AA is 40k, DL & UA are 50k or 60k. In 1999, I banked a trip to Chile for 25k on a promotion. I have had good luck with the program. I dont know that any other destination has the variance in mileage requirements as South America does - with UA and DL's requirements being a rip-off.

I dont know if it qualifies as a FF award, but about the worst overall program I think is Gold Points, you need like 4 or 5k of them for a mere 500 miles. I think the best value for the points to use them is TGIF appetizers. I would rather just not eat at Fridays.

Another bad deal: while HH's conversions are useful for orphaned miles (and the program overall is great, esp. point stretchers if you can find one available), the transfer of 5k AA --> 5k HH is a rip off especially when other airlines trade 1:2. HH also has some other bad deals with partners, like the one that gives you gambling chips for a casino in Vegas, the value is terrible.

PARTNER awards can be pretty bogus. For example, after you're told on CO that no Asia awards are available except 120K for EasyPass standard coach, you could try to book through EVA for a "bargain" 100K.

And then there are airlines like MS and KE that may be in partnerships but are very difficult to book because of lack of real-time computer interoperability. Those can be a real joke.

Though you must admit that it is a steal to fly intra-island in the Pacific on CO for 25K miles. I'd much rather spend my 25K miles on travelling between Manila and Yap than travelling between Burbank and Las Vegas.

Although I like CO�s service, their partner awards are very poor.

For example, Hawaii inter-island will cost 10,000 miles on CO Onepass miles while it costs only 5,000 miles using NW Worldperks, a CO partner.

The one really stinks is CO requires 200,000 miles for first class on Eva Airway between North American and North Asia. Delta only asks 140,000 miles to fly SQ F (although it's very hard to get).

The rules fit on less than half a page: that is at least one major advantage it has over the competition.

What about a first class on the same flight?? Easy Pass - 90,000 miles!!! Wonder if anyone has ever done that or what would Onepass say if you tried to book one??

Actually its a bus, not a plane.

No first class either