Complaints about FF miles
 

This is my first time posting and have not read everything posted regarding accumulating freq. flyer miles. However, from what I have read, there seems to be a lot of worrying about how soon one gets the miles registered, how quickly one should go from elite level to elite level, mileage transfer between partner airlines, use of miles/certificates, etc. etc. My question is: Have all of you who are complaining earned these miles by paying for your tickets yourself? Or is some company (read: consumer) paying for them? If you're not receiving pay when you're traveling, I could understand you receiving all the free miles? But if you're on business and receive pay, shouldn't the miles go to the company to use for future employee trips? Guess I've obviously never understood how employees get that particular benefit? And then are so possessive of them. Is that in the hiring "deal"? Or just an understood perk?

Slovak - not to speak for everybody, but my miles are a combination of business and personal trips. I suspect, most are this way, but how people acquire them run the gamut.

I have heard similiar sentiments as yours - why do we get this 'perk' of earning miles when your company is really paying for the tickets? Personally, there are many, many times that I would rather not travel and have a normal 9 to 5 job and be home to have a normal family / social life.

How many times have I woken up at 4am in the morning to catch that first flight so that I can be at customer's site in the morning, then to catch the last flight home and be back at home at midnight? And for this, I mght earn some miles. What is that worth?

I am not saying that I don't enjoy this, otherwise I wouldn't do this job. But, this is an extremely small compensation for the amount of traveling one has to do. What a lot of people do is to take those earned miles and use it for upgrades on their paid flights. That way, they can actually use their notebook computers comfortably on the flight, or get other work done, rather than being crammed in the back. Who benefits from this? One could argue that the employer is deriving some benefit from this as well.

Also, a happy employee is a good employee.

Oh you would have to get me started on this subject...

I work for an employer here in Australia (who shall remain nameless). Most of my points/miles are accrued from private travel and a very small number from business travel although it is likely I shall start to earn more points from business travel in the near future due to greater requirements in my new job.

My employer has a policy of not allowing employees to derive a benefit from their duties and this is interpreted as meaning that we cannot use points accrued from business travel for private purposes. My employer is also endeavouring to secure the use of staff's business accrued points for business travel in order to cut its travel bill.

At the same time statistics show that 85% of private sector employees are allowed to keep their frequent flyer points. Also per FCT v Payne, it has been held that the points however accrued, are the legal property of the employee.

A colleague of mine pointed out that the Australian constitution does not allow the
taking of an Australian's private property without due compensation.

I think any employer's attempts to secure the use of these points will prove to be a waste of time. Endeavouring to restrict the private use of business travel accrued points merely serves to alienate the employees.

Enlightened employers recognise the disruption to the employee's private life that occur as a result of business travel and allow the private use of these points as a form of recognition.

I take it that other readers are the beneficiaries of more lenient policies than myself.

cheers Peter



[This message has been edited by pberrett (edited 04-29-99).]

Most of my travel is paid for by ME. But, in either case, we have a right to complain if our miles are not posted. This is a service that I feel the airlines should work a little harder at. That is the only way that my particular airline(s) keep me as a customer. It is because of the miles perks. Otherwise, I would take a cheaper airline.

Anyway, my original thought on this matter. Some airlines offer incentives for the companies to use their airline. For example, NW offered one free ticket for every 10 purchased by our agency. That way, employees kept their miles and the agency was able to earn free tickets for future travel as well.

I am the employer in a very travel-intensive business. Here is how we work it, I pay for the ticket and get the credit card miles. My employees get their own flight miles. They register their airline preferences with our in-house flight scheduler. If she can get that airline at a reasonable price, she does so. If she can get a far better price on a non-specified airline (that doesn't have a miserable routing) that is what she does.

This rule goes for me too. (Except,of course, I get to upgrade more often. Rank has its privileges and all that jazz.)