Today, AirTran, which also flies nonstop from Detroit to Orlando, released their flights for our travel dates. Delta, as I expected, modified their fares. The Delta flights initially cost more, but once you factored in the baggage fees ($20/bag each way on AirTran), the prices were almost identical. Which means Delta, which is where all my frequent flyer miles are, had the edge.

But there’s a problem. We’re all flying down together, but we’re not all flying back together. DW and I are coming home after a week, but son and family are staying a few extra days. So I called Delta to find out how to handle this.

The reservation agent told me there was nothing she could do. It had to be booked as two separate reservations, and the free bag perk only applies to the party that includes the cardholder. So only two out of six of us get to check our bags for free. Suddenly, the pricing is no longer competitive.

I booked our flights with AirTran. Not only was it cheaper, the flight times were better. (Our flight down leaves Detroit at 12:10, while the cheapest Delta flight doesn’t take off until 5:43.) Funny thing is, I still paid for the tickets with the Delta AmEx. I got it under a sign-up offer where I get 20K FF miles for my first purchase, and another 10K if I spend over $1000 in the first three months. So buying AirTran tickets is getting me 30K SkyMiles. Sheesh. ” (via tugbbs.com) by markbernstein

Pointswizard.com Spin: Click here to read the comments readers had about - Delta lost a sale but the customer got 30,000 miles.

Driving Every Loyal Traveller Away – the new Delta ( by Carolinian )

Book an Award Ticket by August 31 and travel between August 6 and September 30, 2009, and as a bonus, 20% of the miles you redeemed will be returned to your SkyMiles account after you travel…

Pointswizard.com Spin: Click here for Delta Airlines – 20% off miles needed for award ticket

Please fill out the information and you will be entered in delta sky magazine’s 25,000 mile sweepstakes.

Pointswizard.com Spin: Click here to enter to Win 25,000 Miles from Delta SkyMiles®

To his disbelief, by placing his miles in Delta Airlines Skymiles, he was able to get the flights on Continental Airlines that he needed.
Robert is rightfully pretty fed up with Continental Airlines.

Pointswizard.com Spin: Our reader ran into the same problem we have had in the last few years. Continental Airlines is very stingy with frequent flyer tickets. Although Continental Airlines releases statistics stating how many rewards it redeems – this is not reality based for the average traveler.
Maybe these redemptions are for trips going to Alaska in January?

We earned those miles through travel and credit card purchases. We should be able to redeem them even on good flights for example Florida in the winter or Europe in the May or June.

If you’ve spoken to people less than 40 years old you know a large number of them are also totally fed up with Continental Airlines. Therefore they are switching to JetBlue and Southwest. They switch because they can buy one-way fares and not be penalized and for easy frequent flyer reward redemption.

Continental Airlines may be losing customers in the same way as General Motors lost customers in the 70′s and 80′s.

Will they ever come back or will they stay away like GM customers have done?

Whether you need only a few more miles or you’ve just started earning, transferring your points to miles will get you that much closer to Award Travel. Register today to discover an entire world of opportunities. Call your nearest Priority Club Service Center to transfer points to miles. Please use Delta Reward code PCMLS YADLA when requesting the points-to-miles transfer.

Pointswizard.com Spin: here’s the link you need

In a sense, both sides are right. But this debate misses a fundamental change that has occurred in the economics of frequent flier programs in the last decade. What began 27 years ago as a way to win the loyalty of travelers has turned into a lucrative business for the airlines.

Many airlines now earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year by selling miles to partners like credit card companies and hotel chains. Those companies, in turn, give the miles to customers as sign-up bonuses or rewards for hotel stays. That revenue is critical for the airlines in an era of escalating fuel prices. But it has also changed frequent flier programs into more complex businesses, where fliers are just one of the constituencies carriers are trying to please.
“The real change over the years has been the evolution from being a loyalty program for the airline’s best customers to today being a currency program for anybody’s best customers,” said Randy Petersen, publisher of InsideFlyer.com, which tracks frequent flier programs.
The currency is measured in accumulated miles, which consumers value so highly that thousands of companies now purchase them at prices ranging from one to three cents a mile. (About half of all miles given out these days, in fact, do not involve flying.)

One way that carriers are trying to reduce the mileage backlog is by adopting stricter expiration policies. Miles now typically expire after 18 months or two years of account inactivity, instead of three years.
Airlines are also offering more ways for members to use their miles, like bidding for things like Broadway tickets at online auctions, trading miles for merchandise or using a combination of cash and miles for air travel. (via nytimes.com)

Pointswizard.com Spin: CLICK HERE to read the whole article. Thanks to our reader Rob F. for the tip.

Looking to plan that perfect vacation with a friend or family member? Then take advantage of Delta’s Buy and Gift Miles program today. You can purchase up to 50,000 miles and have them quickly deposited into either your or your chosen gift recipient’s SkyMiles account. 

Or maybe you would prefer to Transfer Miles from your account directly to a loved one so they can take that well deserved trip to one of Delta’s newest destinations in Mexico. You can transfer up to 150,000 miles per person to your family and friends, getting them all the more closer to their chosen Delta destination.Get those extra miles without going the extra mile

Pointswiward.com Spin: Click here to look over this offer

The Pointswizard.com Spin:
A great way to top off your account to get enough miles for a free trip.

Looking for a way to cover your college expenses that’s fast, simple and worry-free? Apply today for a Private Education Loan from Chase—a leader in educational funding—and get the money you need now, when you need it most.*

* Borrow as much as $35,000 per academic year
* Get approval in minutes
* No payments until after you graduate college
* Applying is quick and easy

Money for Books, Bills and More
A Private Education Loan can provide a check to help you cover ALL your bills.

* Tuition
* Housing and Living Expenses
* Computer
* Books, Supplies and More
* Even Past Bills

The Pointswizard.com Spin:
click blue line above to get started