Being in a temporary (and planned) travel slump, I’ve been thinking of little things I could do to ensure that I don’t suddenly find myself statusless next year. I could try a couple of mileage runs, and there’s a good chance that I will, but I actually need to head down to North Carolina to check in on my Mom pretty soon. We only have one car, and Mrs MJ on Travel needs that on the weekends, so my choices are Amtrak, plane, or walk. You know which choice I picked.

I poked around the interweb earlier today for flights and prices. Unfortunately, DCA is out because of prices ($500 dollar range for a roundtrip), so I expanded my search to BWI departures. Both Southwest and Delta have nonstops from BWI to RDU, but who wants to do that when you need segments?! Not me. I found a reasonable fare on US Airways routing me BWI-PHL-RDU-CLT-BWI. I need to go to Raleigh, and I need to start working on qualifying for Dividend Miles Preferred status for next year, and I will qualify on segments. Problem solved. Now I need to figure out how I can do something like BWI-PHL-LAX-CLT-RDU-CLT-LAX-PHL-BWI for my next trip to Mom’s house. Not much time for that kind of thing right now, so this will suffice just fine.

I’ve been meaning to mention this, but it just kept slipping my mind. You might remember that I signed up for the Dividend Miles Trial Preferred program on the first day of the Grand Slam promotion back in September. My trial period ended on December 13th and a couple days later I received an email from US Airways, “Your Trial Preferred Status.”

“Congratulations, you’ve qualified for Silver Preferred! You’ll keep this status through February 28, 2013. Take a look at your Preferred benefits. And did you know you can buy up to Preferred to maintain or elevate your status? The cost depends on how many miles and segments you’ve flown in 2011.”

Of course, I’d already received my Silver Preferred membership card a couple weeks before which had a February 2013 expiration date. I mention all this because it confirms the answer to a question I’ve seen on some of the forums about how long your US trial preferred status is good for. Since I started in the second half of the year, my status was good for the remainder of 2011 and all of 2012. US Airways website was slightly confusing on the topic in that it only listed one date…. February of 2012 if you signed up for the program. I confirmed with a US Airways representative that the status would be good for all of 2012 before signing up for the program, and the membership card and email from US Airways confirm what I hoped I knew.

Living where I live, US Airways is a very useful airline, and I like having status on them even though I wish it was Gold status and not just Silver. We’ll see how this year goes. Now I just wish Dividend Miles offered one-way awards.

I was perusing around the interweb this morning and discovered this thread on FlyerTalk which points out that US Airways has loaded it’s first round of new schedules following the big slot swap with Delta. I only checked one route, DCA-FAY, which I might actually use, and it starts on 3/25/12. While I’m not surprised that things are majority RJ, I would hope that phase 2 of the expansion will include some additional mainline service to somewhere. The last thing US needs is a bevy of new 50 seat CRJs trying to fly in/out of the gate 35A charlie foxtrot at DCA. There’s a Milepoint thread on the same topic you can review here.

According to the poster on FT, here’s the first round of destinations:

I see Lucky already beat me to the punch with this, but hey…it’s holiday party season and I’ve been celebrating. I received an email this evening from US Airways entitled “Dividend Miles Program Changes” and thought “oh boy.” Honestly, the first thing I thought was they’ve probably dropped the 2 checked bag benefit for Silver members like United and Delta, and of course, that’s exactly what they did. But they also announced a change that I think was an honest to goodness enhancement.

Beginning February 15, 2012, US Airways is introducing a mileage-based Dividend Miles mileage upgrade scheme, and I think it’s a good thing. For as little as 5,000 miles, you can upgrade your flight to First Class, and better yet, Preferred Members are exempt from any co-pays for mileage funded upgrades. You can review the details of this change and others here. Of course, there’s one other thing. The bogus “quick ticketing” window for award travel is being pushed out from 14 to 21 days, so you’ll pay a fee of $75 dollars for ticketing an award trip within 3 weeks of travel unless you are at least a Gold Preferred member.

This makes me wonder if American will make changes to its baggage allowance for AAdvantage Gold members. I think there’s at least a chance that they don’t match while they’re in bankruptcy, but who knows. In truth, I rarely check bags, and if I do, it’s usually not more than one, so this really doesn’t impact me. And I’m happy to see the mileage-based upgrade awards. I think that’s a real enhancement….not an “enhancement.”

I recently received a question from Reader P who lives in Greensboro, North Carolina (GSO). He has started a new career that will have him in the air a bit, and he sought my advice on which airline and hotel programs to choose.

Reader P (Note: I’m editing several emails into one for clarity)

“I need to pick your brain about travel rewards and what you think I need to do to maximize my return.  Looks like I’ll be traveling quite a bit in 2012 and I want to get the most bang for my buck. I live in Greensboro, North Carolina and will be flying quite a bit more than I have in the past, with a focus in the south, east, and west. Further, I’ve never really paid much attention to hotel programs. Which one do you think is best? Also, what do you think of the Amex Platinum Card? Should I upgrade my Amex to Platinum?”

MJonTravel Responds

Living where you live, either US Airways or Delta will probably be your best bet. All things being equal, I’d rather fly Delta than US Airways, but all things aren’t equal. If you fly Delta, you have to go to Altanta. If you fly US, you have to go through Charlotte (or Philadelphia)….OR you can get in your car and drive to Charlotte if you need to. Either airline can fly you up and down the east coast, and to the west when you need to head that way.

As for the miles, in my opinion, US miles are better than Delta miles IF you intend to redeem your miles for international travel. If you are mainly going to redeem for domestic flights, then Delta will work just as well. US Airways is part of the Star Alliance, and that’s a better alliance than Delta’s SkyTeam. In either case, it’s always best to pick one airline mileage program and try to fly that one airline (or one of their alliance partners) as much as you possibly can. Not only will you build miles, you’ll be building “elite” miles and segments towards earning elite status…..and that’s what you want.

For hotels, if I ruled the world, I would only stay at Starwood hotels. But since I don’t, either Hilton HHonors or Marriott Rewards will probably serve you better. It’s a little easier to get to mid tier elite status with Hilton….16 stays or 28 nights will get you to Gold…..  making you eligible for room upgrades, and best of all, they give you free internet at all their hotels if you have Gold status. I’m always torn between Marriott and HIlton….on the whole, I like Marriott hotels better….but it can be more difficult to achieve and maintain elite status with them. Starwood’s points program is the best. The SPG Card from Amex is one of the most popular cards out there. SPG points transfer 1 to 1 to most airline programs including American AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles. The good thing about Marriott or Hilton is…that usually…no matter where you are going, they have some kind of hotel….whether it’s a Courtyard or a Fairfield Inn….or a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn with Hilton. With Starwood, they mainly have properties in your big cities in the US and around the world. Whichever you go with, my advice is the same, pick one program and stay in their hotels as much as possible. You want elite status.

I am a big fan of the Amex Platinum Card. It is not cheap, but if you get the business version, you might be able to write off the annual fee as a business expense? (Note: I’m not a tax professional, and the deductibility of business card annual fees is something you should consult your tax professional about.) It will get you into the airport lounges of US Airways, Delta, and American on the day of travel. Just hand them your card and a boarding pass for your flight. Heck, US Airways will even admit you with it whether you are flying them that day or not. US also happens to have a lounge in Greensboro. Between the lounge access and the Amex Cruise Privileges program, the card pays for itself as far as I’m concerned. You can read a few of my thoughts on Platinum here.

So….. Delta or US Airways, pick one and fly as much as you can with that program. If you decide to go US, you need to read this link and sign up for their Trial Preferred program. I don’t know if US flies to Colorado Springs (which I understand could be a frequent destination for you) or not. It might be cheaper to fly into DEN and drive down? Don’t know. If you wind up on United, you can credit your flight to your US Airways program and earn miles and elite miles/segments too!

What do you think of my advice to this reader? Are there other options that I’m not considering? Comment to the blog if you’d like to share your thoughts.

You might remember that I signed up for the US Airways Trial Preferred program back in September. My purpose was two-fold. One, I would get a hit in the Grand Slam promotion, and two, I was really interested in US Airways elite status since I live so close to DCA. I’ve been dithering with the idea of moving to Dividend Miles for a year or so rather than crediting my US Airways flights to Mileage Plus. In truth, the overwhelming majority of my flights are short hops up and down the east coast and I spent the majority of my time flying US Airways. I was missing out on upgrades (granted, to US First), and the pending US-DL slot swap at DCA just made the idea of going for elite with US too compelling. Here’s an update on how it’s going.

Upgrades

DCA-PHL, First Class

PHL-LAX, Coach

LAX-PHX, First Class

PHX-DCA, Coach

DCA-BOS, First Class

BOS-DCA, First Class

DCA-CLT, Coach

CLT-FLL, First Class (plus companion upgrade)

FLL-DCA, Coach

Success rate to date: 55 percent

Service

Let’s face it, US Airways is basic air transportation between points on a map, but the on-time rate for those 9 segments is 100 percent. I tend to travel light, so I don’t waste a lot of time at the counter checking bags. However, on the 2 segments that I have done so, the personnel assisting me have been polite and helpful. In all cases, the inflight service personnel have been at least pleasant, and some, downright nice. I know 9 segments does not make a trend, but so far I have been pleased. I’ve yet to need to call the 800 number about anything, so I am not able to speak to the performance of their reservations personnel.

Constructive Criticism

The 737s I’ve ridden on have had that long-in-tooth look about them, and the pitch seems tighter than others. The exit row seat on the 737-400 I took from FLL to DCA yesterday was supremely uncomfortable. The seat bottom cushion seemed “off” and I could not find a way to get comfortable. The other 737 coach seats I’ve ridden on have been comfortable enough, but lacking in pitch. The Airbus seats, are slightly wider and more comfortable, even the exit row seat I had in the A319 from PHX to DCA. The First Class seats I’ve tried have all been wide and comfortable, but some did look a little worn around the edges. My shorter flights have not included meals, so I can’t comment on that.

Of course, the lack of in-seat power, wi-fi (only available on A321 aircraft), and inflight entertainment are common complaints that I will agree with, especially on transcon flights. Since most of my flights are shorter, these aren’t big complaints for me, but nonetheless are things that I think the airline needs to reconsider its approach to going forward.

Summary

So far, so good with my switch. Like I said, US Airways is basic transportation. They happen to provide a lot of it to the places I want to go fairly reliably. Their membership in Star Alliance seals the deal. I don’t regret making the move, but will keep you posted over the next few months.

Previously posted, but just a reminder since they’ve extended the offer. If you carry the US Airways Dividend Miles MasterCard, you can earn an extra 1,000 Dividend Miles when you pay for US Airways tickets with your card through November 14th. Details here.

If there was ever week that I needed to be in the office every possible minute, it’s this one. Lots to do when you’re getting ready to go away for two weeks, ya’ know? But it’s not to be. I’m departing tomorrow afternoon for a 2-night business trip to Boston. I’ll be flying the US Airways Shuttle from DCA to Boston and back. My upgrade tomorrow has already cleared, and I’m ready to go. Staying at the Doubletree Boston Downtown, which I’ll be sure to post a review about at my earliest opportunity.

Short business trips to great cities are always good, but the big focus this week is on getting enough loose ends tied up to leave on a 2-week vacation aboard the largest cruise ship in the world, Allure of the Seas. Allure sails 7-night eastern and western Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, and we are doing both cruises back to back (B2B). This is actually our second B2B cruise, but that was just practice for this one! I will be blogging regularly from Allure of the Seas beginning when we set sail on October 23rd all the way through the last day of our second cruise on November 6th. My camera is charged and I’m eager to share the details of such an enormous ship with you. We leave for Fort Lauderdale Saturday afternoon, again, on US Airways via Charlotte since US axed our originally booked afternoon nonstop to Fort Lauderdale on Saturdays for the fall. Oh well, I think Charlotte is a great place to change planes if you can’t take a nonstop flight.

You may recall reading a couple of posts about the debate I was having with myself regarding sticking with MileagePlus and United as my “focus” program or switching to US Airways and Dividend Miles which happens to have a small hublet at DCA, a mere 15 to 20 minutes from my door steps. Back on day of of the great US Airways Grand Slam promo, I decided to purchase Trial Preferred Silver status with US Airways and go for the switch. I thought I’d update you on my progress.

Trial Preferred status is good for 90 days, and to maintain Silver Preferred for next year, I will need to fly 7,500 Preferred Qualifying Miles (PQMs) on US Airways or fly 10 Preferred Qualifying Segments (PQSs). Beginning today through November 6th, I have 7 segments booked on US Airways. Today, I’m flying 4 segments, and Monday I have a 3-day business trip to Boston. One week from today, I leave for Fort Lauderdale with a connection in Charlotte. On today’s flights, I cleared into First Class on 2 of 4 segments, and my upgrade to Boston from DCA on Monday cleared at the 2-day window, which happens to be today. Granted today’s flights are on a Saturday, but I think that’s a pretty good record of upgrades as only a Silver Preferred. The important test will be whether MrsMJonTravel and I both clear for out flights to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.  While I rarely interact with counter and gate personnel, those that I have come into contact with have been perfectly pleasant. Same goes for cabin crews. And for those who are curious, pre-departure beverages were offered in First Class on my first flight this morning. US Airways’ website has mostly worked for me as well.

I’m writing this post from a Gogo equipped US Airways A321. I’m glad there’s wi-fi because even on this 5 hour transcon flight, you won’t find anything else resembling inflight entertainment, a big drawback to flying US Airways on longer flights in my book. But hey…I’ve got wi-fi and a MacBook Air loaded with movies. Furthermore, I’m seated in the rear exit row at 22D. Very comfortable accommodations actually. The slightly extra fuselage width of the Airbus family really makes a difference. The same type of exit row seat in a Boeing narrowbody with the tray tables in the armrests is noticeably more narrow and less comfortable.

In summary, so far, so good with US Airways. I’ll keep you posted on my experiences as I fly through my 90 day challenge. Now to decide whether I want to keep flying for Gold status next year. I think that’s gonna be a yes.

I logged into my Dividend Miles account this morning to see that the bonus miles had posted for my 12th Grand Slam “hit.” Always nice to see an extra 5,000 miles in your account. I’ve already “swung” at my 13th through 16th hits and assuming they post in time, the next Grand Slam sweep should earn me an additional 10,000 miles, and 2,000 Preferred Qualifying Miles (PQMs). Sweet! Next week, hits 17 and 18 will roll in, and to tell you the truth, I haven’t even tried very hard yet. I’ve still got a little time to get serious, and I’m thinking at least a little of my time on my weekend mileage run will be spent figuring out how to go for home with this great promo!

I logged into my Dividend Miles account today to find that 7,000 additional miles had posted. That’s a total of 10,000 miles for 8 hits. Hopefully, the next posting will reflect my 12th and possibly 16th hits for an additional 5,000 or even 10,000 more on top of that, including 2,000 Preferred Qualifying Miles. How’s your Grand Slam promo going?