Stefan Daystrom

1) I don't understand the word "pick" here. Just look at people TODAY who don't care [enough] about frequent flyer programs. They hunt for the lowest price on each flight combined with most convenient schedule/airport, with no regards to whether it's the same airline as they flew on any previous flight. I have a neighbor (here in L A), for example, who flew Frontier to DCA, one of the majors (forget which) to SFO, Southwest to Phoenix, one of the Mexican airlines to Mexico, etc. I don't know if she's ever flown the same airline twice to date. One reason: She prefers convenient airports to the VERY lowest fare (so won't choose a Southwest airport like BWI over DCA or OAK over SFO it's not THAT BIG a savings).

And I did the same thing before I started flying a lot in the mid 90s. Before that, I flew once or twice each on Northwest, TWA, Continental, People Express, AA, etc.

2) If these airlines changed so much that they dropped (your implication implies much more than standard "devaluation") their FF programs, why would you assume that the "experience quality" of these airlines would still be the same as it is now? (I mean, haven't the inflight services, for example, been changing radically enough in the past year or so with their yet being an abandonment of FF programs? So wouldn't you expect even more radical changes to service if it got to the point where the airlines no longer found FF programs to make sense for them?)

3) More likely than the FF programs disappearing I would think would be the complete disappearnce of one or more of the airlines from your limited (no low-fare airlines like Southwest or JetBlue, no region-specific airlines like Alaska) list. Which makes answering your question (while sticking to the list you gave) additionally nonsensical in my opinion.

4) If you chose the airlines you did on your list because they include international flights, there's yet another change more likely than FF programs completely disappearing: Loosing of restrictions of airlines flying WITHIN continents other than their own. But without knowing which cities/countries which airlines will serve in the future, how can we answer a question now whether we'd use BA or Emirates for intra-US travel?


[This message has been edited by Stefan Daystrom (edited 08-09-2003).]

divaof travel

I agree with a previous post that it depends mainly on your home airport. I have achieved seniority in the United program, but they are still the best scheduling choice for me out of San Diego.

But I am curious what you mean by all FF programs ceasing in their current form? I think the consensus is that all airlines view the programs as "necessary evils."

Until such a time when they do cease or change completely, there are abundant opportunities for frre travel. I would add that the quality of service you may recieve can be as dynamic as the award programs.