Not the biggest problem, but a major gripe is certainly getting award certificates (e.g. Fly 3 Fly Free etc) that have an enormous number of blackout dates (almost all of certain months!)

[QUOTE=777 global mile hound #1 United has shifted the lions share of saver to standard award whatever the reason I'm in AAs metal now
UA inventory is starting to resemble Continental in places
Though it still isn't that bad yet.
Though for that matter it doesn't have much further to go
[/QUOTE]

Here are my views on award availability:

There is no way UA saver award availability is anything close to CO. CO has the worst availability of any airline program and it has been that way for years. Like most programs, UA has tightened up some, but their economy award availability is still fairly good. Better than CO, DL, and NW. Business/First on UA is another story....much tighter award inventory now.

AA appears to have tightened up some too, but is still the best in my book.

DL availability is terrible. I never thought it was that great, but it seems to have sunk even further. I can't understand how it continues to shine in the InsideFlyer redemption survey each month. I find the survey closely matches my experiences for all airlines with the exception of DL. Wonder what is going on there?

NW used to have decent award availability, but it too has sunk. Not quite as low as CO or DL, but it is on its way.

Surprisingly, even though in bankruptcy and with a run to cash in miles, US continues to provide good availability. Probably would rank third behind AA and UA....maybe even ahead of UA.

Not much experience with Alaska, but all indications are they right up there with AA.

Two of the most oft-occurring problems in this thread are miles never posting as promised by airline business partners ("we don't show this in your signup with MCI") and different answers given by telephone reps to the same question. It's a law of nature that nothing said by a big company to a consumer is true unless it's in writing.

The miles for online shopping almost always get paid eventually, after much longer than they promise. The real problem is non-credits for big miles after telephone deals for internet service, banking, telephone service etc., plus conflicting info from airline reps.

After getting burned a few times I now solve such problems by preventing them. Start a phone conversation by telling what deal you're interested in, and ask will confirmation be sent immediately after by email or fax including the miles obligation. If the reply is "we don't do that") -- why the hell not? -- then say you will 2-way record the rest of the conversation and push the record button. The company is probably recording it, and you are legally entitled to do the same as long as you let them know in advance. Their only choices are to agree to this level playing field, or hang up and lose your business.

It works.

#1 Introducing massive anything-they-can-think-of surcharges so as to erode the value of the points and make you pay a lot for the "free" ticket.

(This is a Qantas speciality)

oh so well put!!

I also just love it how they pass the buck when they cannot know the answer and then say, "dont shoot the messeger" and then, when you ask them who CAN help us, they won't tell you!

So how do you expect people not to get mad if you won't even disclose who I can talk to???

also, when a thing cannot get solved by even the supervisor of some department (say, missing United Mall miles) "it's not my department, sir" becomes the norm and you have to either call another extension because they cannot transfer you or you have to wait 45 mins to get thru to someome else who tells you the same thing. Then explain it again, and still get nowhere because, even if the person agrees with you, there is policy to follow! (how stuipid. What is this, the medical industry or something? these are freakin' MILES!!! get a life!)

I especially love it when airline personnel are convinced all miles we have are FREE and that credit card ones are somehow considered lesser earned than flying ones... And yet, their airlines marketed these to us and we DO pay in many other ways! AGHAAG!

MM