With all the talk about American and US Airlines merging, I started thinking about airlines and frequent fliers. Loyal frequent fliers can be an airline’s best asset, and there are so many ways to treat them well. I’m just curious—if you had to pick the top three things, which are the most important?  Is it boarding first, loyalty programs, comfy seats, lounges, fly-by lanes, or something else?

In my opinion, the loyalty program, availability of upgrades, and comfortable seats are the things I value in an airline. The loyalty program is a no brainer. Upgrades are great—I’d rather sit in first class than just about anything else. But of course I won’t get upgraded every time, so it’s important to have comfortable seats in coach too. In fact, I think I would rank comfortable seats as second most important after the loyalty program.

Readers, what do you think?

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Recently, a friend said that a road warrior is anyone who travels for business on a regular basis, even if that’s only once a quarter. It got me thinking—is there a threshold? How often do you have to travel to be considered a road warrior? There are people who travel Sunday-Thursday, every week, and people who travel three or four times a year. And of course, people in the middle who travel a couple of times a month. So Readers, what do you think?

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Boarding Area is giving away two seats on the upcoming Star MegaDO 4. And not just any two seats, but two seats next to the original frequent flier, Randy Petersen! Randy is the founder of FlyerTalk, InsideFlyer, MilePoint, and of course, BoardingArea. This is the ultimate trip for frequent flier junkies! For info on the event, check out the official page here, and the MilePoint MegaDO forum here.

The prize:

A reserved aisle or window seat next to Randy Petersen on the upcoming StarMegaDo 2012, hotel accommodations, and $250 for personal expenses!

To enter, write a comment answering the following question: What’s your best advice for someone just starting to chase miles and points? The Road Warriorette winner will be selected at random and will then be part of the Boarding Area wide-contest.

• You can also enter the on any of the participating blogs, listed here.
• You must include a valid email address.
• Open to everyone 18 and older.
• You can submit one entry per blog.
• Contest comments entry period ends 11:59:59 pm MT October 7, 2012.
• Winner Selection: Two (2) winners will be chosen in a random drawing on Monday, October 8, 2012 from all eligible entries received during the Giveaway Period, as posted in the comments section of participating BoardingArea.com partnering blogs. The random drawing will be conducted by Randy Petersen, whose decision is final and binding in all respects. The winner will be notified via email within two (2) days after the selection is made. Each winner will have five (5) business days to reply confirming his/her acceptance of the giveaway seat. Failure to reply in the indicated time frame will declare that the seat has been refused and forfeited for all time and the first alternative entry will be chosen in random drawings as outlined above and provided the opportunity to claim the seat giveaway.

Read the entire list of contest rules here.

Good luck!

I love perks. Of course, who doesn’t? I collect them as much as possible—from airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and anyone else who will pass them out. Not only are they a nice little reward for all the time and money I spend on their services, they make travel that much nicer. Since I travel so much, I am constantly striving to make every trip as easy and streamlined as possible, and am always on the lookout for perks to make that happen. Here are a few of my favorites.

Executive lounges in hotels. I have enjoyed the lounges on executive floors in Hilton and Marriott hotels, and think they are well worth the higher room cost. I usually make the extra cost back by enjoying the breakfast offerings. It is also very nice to have a hotel employee nearby, dedicated to helping business travelers. My best experience with a hotel lounge was the Edsa Shangri-La Garden Wing in Manila. Not only was there a fantastic breakfast and happy hour spread, guests in the Garden Wing had expedited check in and check out, a back door entrance, and fast and easy money exchange. I will always, always stay there when traveling to Manila in the future. (I’ve also noticed on Executive floors the toiletries are often upgraded, which I love.)

Priority security line at airports. Going through the priority security line by having a first class ticket or having elite status with an airline loyalty program is the biggest time saver. I have seen airports (I’m thinking specifically of Chicago Midway, although this has happened all over the place) where the  normal security line is backed up all the way to the entrance, and there are fewer than five people in the priority line. If I ever lost status this is the perk I would miss the most, even over boarding first.

First class upgrades. The other great thing about elite status with an airline is getting upgraded to first class on a regular basis. The extra room alone makes it wonderful, but of course the extra attention and free drinks don’t hurt!

No check in when renting cars. Many car rental companies don’t make their frequent renters check in, therefore avoiding long lines. This is a huge time saver, allowing me to simply walk from the airport gate to my car, and go.

Points. Of course, points. Who would pass up free stays in hotels, free flights, and free car rentals? I make sure I am registered for the loyalty program for all airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies I use. I also keep an eye out for double points or other promotions, to make sure I maximize my points.

Readers, what perks make travel easier for you? What are your favorite travel perks?

For those of us who travel all the time, picking your seat online is a must-do before any upcoming trip. But for those of you who haven’t traveled in a while, or who are looking at your first business trip, you may not know that you have this option.You are not at the mercy of online booking tools or phone agents any longer! At least, as far as your seat is concerned.

The process is similar on most airlines. Once you have made your reservation, go to the airline’s website and log in with your frequent flier number. Find the upcoming reservations section, select your flight, and choose your seat.  If you don’t have a frequent flier number, you can often select something like “View your reservation” and put in your confirmation code to find your flight.

For example, on the American Airlines site, log in at the bottom of the home page; select “Reservations” on the left hand side, and then “My Reservations” when the drop down menu appears. Find your upcoming flight, then click “Select” next to it. Then, when your flight comes up, under “Seats”, click “Select” again. Finally you get to select your seats. Click “Submit” at the top when you are done. And voila! You won’t be stuck in the middle seat back in row 31 for your next flight.