I didn't know where else to post this because it's really general question about any (domestic) carrier's FF program.

If I am booking a trip to, say, Hawaii, for myself, spouse and 2 children - can I accrue all of the miles onto my single FF account - or do I need to create accounts for my children? What about my spouse? Is there a way to combine those miles back into a single account? What is the fee (generally) for combining miles?

It seems silly that if I am the sole purchaser of X number of tickets for me and my family that those mile would have to be distributed to those family members that are flying and not the person paying for those miles; but I understand that this is the case. Is this true for all (U.S.) domestic carriers?

Lisa

Each person must have their own FF account, and no matter who booked and paid for the ticket, each person would get the miles they flew. AFAIK, this is true for all domestic carriers in the US.

I am not well versed on each domestic carrier's policies, but with UA, you can transfer up to 15,000 miles total each year into your account from another person's account. You can go to their webpage to see the fees for this.

Another option, if a family member has accrued enough miles, is to book an award ticket for yourself, using the miles in their account.

Every Pax needs his or her own FF account.

Some foreign airlines have family programs where one person can pool miles into one account. Aeromexico has a family program.

If you have a Citi Premier Pass Elite credit card you can earn thank you points for the cost of your wife's ticket + the total miles travelled.......A $500 ticket for 5000 miles total you would get 5,500 thank you points. The thank you points are not worth what they were but it gets you something for booking her ticket....ps...she would still earn ff miles on her own account

Also, if you travel a lot some airlines let you set up business accounts (AA and AS are two that have this) where you earn miles for the purchase in addition to the individual FF miles. But yes, each family member needs their own FF#, you can't dump all of the miles into your account.

CO and DL have small business programs, too.

Doesn't BA still let you set up family accounts? Each traveler still has an individual account and apply to each person's individual status, however if they are family all residing at the same address, they can be combined for redemption. At least that's how it used to be on BA, and of course AA being OW partner would earn BA miles.

If you booked a ticket for someone and add your FF number this miles would just get credited to your account correct? This could be done correct as long as you are not flying also on the same flight?

No. The name on the ticket and the FF account must be the same. The only way to pool miles into one account is if two people have the same name and do not use Sr. or Jr. This, however, is against the rules. If the airline finds out about it, the account will be closed and other problems could arise.

Don't do BA. Most domestic airlines give you 100% miles for any ticket bought on the airline or partner. BA gives you a % of miles, so you may get 50% or nothing for some asian carriers. The family account is nice only if you travel a lot internationally as a family on OW and still you have to get a certain class of fare which often is much more expensive.

Business - If I remember, the firstclass flyer.com site compared business accounts and found the best bang for buck with NW and DL.

Best is to fly and once you get to 5k for the kids combine their miles with yours. The airlines charge 1c / mile to transfer and add a fee. Watch for the times during the holiday season when you can do it fee free. Think of it as buying miles for half price. usual limit 15k united, no limit US (had 40% bonus last year), 150k for DL (they often have 100% bonus as well)

Hawaiian Airlines let you transfer a certain number of miles to one account if you had their credit card. Not sure if you still can but I did approx a year and a half ago.