9
Feb
“U.S. consumers are owed 14 trillion airline frequent-flier miles and need a way to cash in on the $480 billion worth that are owed by airlines, a state leader said Thursday. Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, argued at a House committee hearing in favor of a bill that would let (state of) Washington consumers sell hundreds of thousands of unused frequent-flier miles for cash.
Trading or selling them could give consumers about 0.2 cents per accumulated mile at current valuations.”Will the consumers receive what they paid for? Or was this just a slick game of three-card Monte?” Hurst said of the frequent-flier programs that sprang up in the 1980s but have mushroomed as credit-card companies and merchants have joined the parade of consumer rewards.
“This bill won’t cost the taxpayers or anyone any money,” added flier Brad Carey of Tahuya in Mason County. Carey and other consumers said it has become harder to cash in miles, and being able to sell or transfer them could benefit consumers. ” (via theolympian.com)
Pointswizard.com Spin: Click here to read the whole article
Print This Post
Upgrades and Downgrades — February 11, 2008 — Frequent flyer law, Delta’s business class upgrade, mergers and unionizations, and Air Gitmo » Upgrade: Travel Better said,
[...] Upgraded: Frequent flyer legislation Downgraded: The value of your miles Frequent flyer programs can be a byzantine maze. Above all, nearly everyone is cranky about being able to cash in their frequent flyer miles. I just tried winnowing down the uncomfortably large kitty of points for some Caribbean travel in May and was given the Heisman. But I’m not cheering on Washington state legislator Chris Hurst, who’s proposing a bill that would allow consumers to cash in their miles at 0.2 cents apiece. “Cash in” literally — for cash. House Bill 2707 is probably not going to go anywhere, but it’s meant as a shot across the bow of airlines whose point redemptions are increasingly stingy. Representative Hurst, call me when you start demanding 2 cents per mile or better. (via Pointswizard) [...]
hankjay said,
Better still why wouldn’t we also legally be allowed to buy sell or trade miles with each other.
Flyguy said,
“Better still why wouldn’t we also legally be allowed to buy sell or trade miles with each other”
Why???
Becuase technically, the miles belong to the airline…not the consumer. Read the airline’s fine print. It’s clearly spelled out when you signed up and agreed to the terms of their > frequent flyer program. (Theoretically, they don’t owe you a thing, other than the transportation you paid for. They are merely giving you “mileage credit” to be used for free travel as a loyalty reward.)
Rep. Hurst needs to start acting like a responsible legislator and get back to work on REAL state issues! With stunts like this, good luck getting re-elected!
FlyGuy said,
Too bad Carey just lost his court case against Alaska Airlines…this sets a HUGE precedent for the entire industry! I wonder how many other mileage brokers will now have to re-think their illegal activities-?
Add A Comment