“Honestly, I’d rather not talk about airfares this week. It’s tough in the airline business these days, with oil approaching $100 per barrel.
Of course, most travelers have little sympathy for airlines. It seems that the carriers want to take it out on the passengers at every turn: the reservation process, the dreaded in-flight experience, and the never-ending wait at baggage claim. Never mind the whole security mess. That’s a completely different story.
On top of that, airlines always are tweaking and dumbing-down their frequent-flier programs. Delta recently announced it was blacking out peak travel dates — even from its “premium” award levels. And Alaska Airlines announced that yes, miles would expire after a couple of years of inactivity.
Most frequent travelers play the mileage game with their favorite airline. There are several Web sites devoted to the subject of miles and points, including flyertalk.com. Flyertalk’s frequent-flier guru, Randy Petersen, is an expert in the whole game of frequent-flier plans. He takes it to a new level; not only does he have frequent-flier points with the airlines, he also accumulates points at hotels.
In fact, many smart travelers are converting at least part of their loyalty to the hotels. How does it work? Well, if you’re on the road quite a bit, chances are good you’re staying a hotel.
Br>If you’re traveling around the country, you might have developed a good relationship with one or more hotel chains. Almost every chain has a loyalty program these days. Most are linked at some level with the airline programs. But here’s the important point: take a look at your total travel bill. Chances are good that your hotel costs were more than the charge for your airline ticket.
So the question is this: how can you leverage your hotel cost for discounts and freebies in the future?” (via adn.com)
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