So why the fee?...

Here it goes (and this has 2 parts that maybe a real airline employee on here might know):

My wife said to me, “Hey let’s go to Florida THIS WEEKEND—using miles!”

In the old days, I recall being able to do things like walking up to a desk agent and get on any plane that had a seat. BUT NO, today, things are quite different.

Now I know that one needs to book most trips including the awards well in advance to get what you want. I also know that there are fees for such things as booking award tickets at the last minute, but I still ask you all WHY? Honestly, what on earth justifies these fees? $75 just for using your award when you want to! Humbug!

We actually found the flights we wanted and it was even the times and airports we wanted. Usually you’ve got to do that like 800 days in advance when planning award travel. But $75 each person to use an award on US AIR because we were NOT doing the booking 3 or 7 or 14 whatever days out?... That’s kind of harsh, considering the flights I found would only have cost about $250+/- RT, BOS-FLL or MIA.

Needless to say, I decided to go with my AA awards for only a $50 fee each, but then we decided to bag it all together and no now airline gets our business this weekend. Boo hoo. As a wise man once said, their rule becomes their loss.

Part 2: Does anybody know if there are still airlines that let you take some award you have (say you ask them to mail you a certificate for your award to use within one year or something) and do it like the old days? Can you still ever walk up to a desk agent with your miles award and get on any plane that has a seat available anymore?

Thanks for all your thoughts!

[Oh, and though many of my posts are often long, and I am no English major, I try to say things nicely and put a creative spin on it. I like opinions that theorize on mile ideas and that save myself and YOU some $ in the process. My goal in the FT is to have fun, ask, learn, give ideas and get miles. I think I speak for most of us when I say: “If you can’t say something nice in response, then kindly say nothing at all” Well, back to the 2 questions, but with a positive spin on it, OK? Thanks.]

Delta does.

Oh I don't know... They thwarted you from using miles for a FREE ticket when it would have been convenient for you. By making it inconvenient they postponed having to pay up their part of the deal. In a very minor sense it's similar to cash flow management - Postpone all your payments until the last minute while expediting all that is due you. They have very slightly increased the probability that they won't ever have to give you a free ticket.

On the other hand, outstanding miles are an airlines liability - what they owe. If a plane is taking off with empty seats anyway, what advantage is that?

------------------
Ms.DtG

Northwest does (or atleast they did in May)

On Southwest Airlines you can. Except for a very few blackout dates, your Rapid Rewards voucher is the equivalent of two one-way full-fare tickets. And you can earn the free ticket with 4 cheap round-trips booked on-line.

northwest does. I think United does too.

Hi there,
United is still pretty reasonable with award tickets. Buried in the terms and conditions of their Star Award details http://www.ual.com/ual/asset/MP_Star_Awards.pdf
it says that for a UA only fligt you need to ticket 2 hours ahead of departure and 24 hours if using a partner. There is no booking fee payable for short notice travel.

This is one area where I think UA is signifcantly better than the other major airlines in the USA.

Jason

In answer to your first question: "So why the fee?" I currently have four award tickets from NW to go from Bend, Oregon, to Seattle, then to Honolulu and Kona, and open jaw return from Maui. Total fees for four was $92.80. In the left hand corner of each ticket it broke down the tax fee for each ticket as $13.20 and $10.00. The $13.00 is probably for segment charges on the itinerary and the $10.00 is for the security tax. So I'm getting a nice award from NW. Why should NW pay for my tax fee charges that are going to the government? I'll gladly pay those fees any time.

I concur: United gets props for its last-minute award rules. Sometimes there is no availability, but you can always spend 40,000 miles to get where you need to go - even if you have to leave today - and not have to pay any extra.

In general, I tend to praise most things about AA and be critical of most things about UA. This is a big exception.

The most offensive part about AA's fee is that they call them "expedite" fees. THEY AREN'T EXPEDITING ANYTHING!! I fully understand if I have to cough up 40,000 miles to get the last seat in the back of the bus, but spare me the bogus fee!

I sort of see the point about AA using the fees to avoid giving you a free seat. But it seems to me that they are already doing that with capacity controls. You want a seat on a full flight? It'll cost you 40K instead of 25K. And - I'll give AA credit here - they are fairly reasonable with availability and award ticket rules elsewhere in their program (i.e., they let me upgrade almost any paid fare, they actually have reasonable Europe/Hawaii availability, etc.). So they WILL let you use your miles. I guess they really just don't want you using them at the last minute.

To echo an earlier poster: why do they want an empty seat on an off-peak flight if they can fill the seat and wipe 40,000 miles off their books? Perhaps an airline economist can enlighten me...

Because they can and they need money since they refuse to fix the current fare system which is broken.

I went DFW - ORD - NRT - SIN for $ 651.80 20,800 miles last weekend on AA and today priced DFW to Kansas City at $ 735.00 returning in 2 days 922 miles. I understand why the business traveller is tired of this nonsense.

The airlines really do not care if you ever use miles for tickets as they prefer cash

People talk about liability of the airlines regarding miles outstanding, but if they are not used, it is like Third World debt which will never be repaid.

Every month the changes to programs make the miles worth less and less and they make all the rules on how we use the miles.

Those of you who are carrying 1,000,000 miles in accounts planning to use these 3 - 5 years down the road are likely to be surprised by what it will take to use award tickets including fees.

Plan ahead and use them every chance you get if it makes sense.

They still do... as a goof, talking to my friend on the phone yesterday and we were joking about her flying from NRT to see me today. Punched up NWA.com, and GUESS WHAT, they had seats available at STANDARD rates leaving today and getting back on monday. I was shocked to say the least and no "extra/expedited" charges, just taxes.

thanks for the many tips on other carriers.
I do have awards on a few and so I will have to use the USAIR ones for pre-planned gigs. They told me in a call i just made to them about something else that no, they do not have any certs for being able to walk in. You have to plan it.

Oh well, like I said, NEXT airline!
thanks again.

------------------
If speed is not your thing, distance may as well be. Enjoy and embrace it all!

AS waives the express fee for its own awards (not partner awards) if you book online. And they waive ALL fees for their top tier elites.

Considering the difference in fare you'd pay for a last minute ticket as opposed to one you purchased 21 days out, $75 doesnt seem all that bad.

It doesn't seem bad, except the cost of issuing an e-ticket 2 days in advance isn't any higher than 100 days in advance. In fact, the cost of the reard ticket 2 days in advance is probably less, because it's much less likely to change.

I'm all for people paying more for convenience on a revenue ticket. On a reward ticket, if it doesn't cost the airline any more money, it shouldn't cost me any more money.