The TalkBoard of FlyerTalk approved a thread to be posted which lists all of the charities approved to be posted on FlyerTalk.

• If you find yourself in a giving mood, approved means that you can trust the charities listed in the FlyerTalkCares – our members’ efforts thread.
• If you have a charity that has already been approved by FlyerTalk, please post it in the FlyerTalkCares – our members’ efforts thread.
• If you support a charity and would like for it to be approved by FlyerTalk, details and more information can be found in the FlyerTalkCares – our members’ efforts thread.

According to this thread, both American and United have increased minimum stay requirements on many round trip fares.  This has implications for many FTers.

I had the pleasure of being a passenger on the inaugural flight of OpenSkies, a separate subsidiary of British Airways.

The Prem+ “coach” cabin on this Boeing 757 aircraft surpassed what many airlines call business class in a number of ways. I had the filet of beef for dinner, which was very good. The flight attendants offered great service. The seats were quite comfortable. The in-flight entertainment consisted of an independent device on which one may play games, listen to music, watch movies or watch television shows.

Strangely enough, there was no special celebration or commemorative items such as a certificate regarding the recognition of OpenSkies flight EC002 from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Orly Airport in Paris on June 19, 2008 – at least, not for the passengers aboard the flight.

FlyerTalk member and founder Randy Petersen wandered around the aircraft, ensuring that he met every FlyerTalk member on the flight.

As I type this from Le Grande Intercontinental Hotel in Paris, FlyerTalk member and fellow BoardingArea blogger lucky9876coins is sitting next to me to my right, writing the latest installment to his weblog One Mile At A Time.

I intend to report more about this flight in further detail. In the meantime, you may want to peruse the OpenSkies/Paris Do, June 19-22 Planning Thread!

FlyerTalk member magiciansampras asks: why don’t airlines stop their mileage programs?

Think about it: fees are increasing, whether they are fuel surcharges, taxes or administrative fees. Increasingly, the combination of these fees are approaching the cost of a regular airfare, potentially diminishing the value of frequent flier miles, which used to be redeemed for a flight absolutely cost-free.

Combine that with the fact that airlines have been paring down benefits associated with frequent flier programs, plus the advent of the Clear program in the United States which allegedly threatens the existence of elite security lines at airports, and one has to wonder: why bother participating in a frequent flier program after all?

Of course, the answer depends on your travel habits and the rules and policies of the frequent flier program of each airline. Still, the overall trend is still cutting benefits and increasing fees.

Christopher Elliott, a columnist for MSNBC, writes the following in his June 16, 2008 column titled Frequent criers: Elite fliers are ruining air travel regarding what he calls “the ‘rules-are-for-the-little-people’ attitude that can infect groups of elite-level frequent fliers”:

“If you want to witness a more common but no less disturbing variety firsthand, just visit one of the discussion forums for frequent fliers, like FlyerTalk. Or read one of the columnists often quoted on these forums, who, in a perversion of reality, seem convinced that elite-level frequent fliers are actually victims.”

Is he correct?

Some FlyerTalk members are outraged, as witnessed in the following FlyerTalk threads:

• Chris Elliott: “Elites ruining air travel”/Uses FT as example
• Frequent criers: Elite fliers are ruining air travel

Mr. Elliott has been called names, his journalistic style has been criticized, and his travel experiences and information has been questioned. Then again, there are some FlyerTalk members who agree with what he wrote, but they are clearly in the minority.

You will find the link to the MSNBC column of Mr. Elliott in both FlyerTalk threads linked above. After reading it, think about whether or not you agree with what he wrote.

No, the Design pet peeves thread is not a discussion pertaining to the design of pets.

It is a thread in which you may reveal poor design that you encounter when you travel.

For example, the thread provided an outlet for FlyerTalk member gj83, who complained about…what else…electrical outlets.

Whether you sink your teeth into how the faucets are designed in hotel bathroom sinks, or if a discussion about cupholders (or the lack thereof) is your cup of tea, or if you tend to swing towards how close bathroom doors swing near the toilet, or if you are alarmed about how difficult it is to operate hotel room alarm clocks properly, or if you just want to run away from the view of viewing aircraft on the runway, this thread will provide you with some good reading – and an outlet to vent your frustrations at bad design whenever you travel.

The following threads have been posted in their respective airline forums throughout FlyerTalk in response to what many FlyerTalk members perceive as drastic measures being implemented by US Airways:

• Will AA eliminate ALL elite bonus miles like US Airways did today?
• Will CO Copy US Airways and Charge for Soft Drinks, Eliminate Elite Mileage Bonuses?
• Will Delta Drop Elite Bonus Miles?
• What would you do if United stopped giving bonus RDMs to Mileage Plus elite members?
• US Airways to charge for drinks.

Read the above FlyerTalk threads to gauge the reaction by FlyerTalk members of other airline frequent flier programs pertaining to the latest policies and measures to be implemented by US Airways. The speculation abounds throughout much of FlyerTalk.

What started as a discussion about motion detectors in hotel room thermostats and the problems they cause overnight, has expanded into a wider discussion of how to bypass hotel systems to keep the air-con/fridge/etc going while you are not in the room.  Check it out here.

US$19,002.43 is what FlyerTalk member N808DE reports the airfare allegedly costs for an M-class ticket on Delta Air Lines from Dublin to Los Angeles on the outbound flight and from Las Vegas to Dublin on the return flight.

M class is a coach class ticket on Delta Air Lines. It is not a business class or first class ticket. It is not for a last-minute ticket, as the flights are in December and N808DE asked um… $19,000 ??? is something wrong w/ DL website in June.

What are the facts behind this story, what is the truth, and what do FlyerTalk members speculate?

I rarely post two consecutive items from the same FlyerTalk forum here in The Gate, but the news coming from US Airways recently has been quite shocking to some FlyerTalk members.

What used to be free is no longer free: on top of the fees and surcharges one already is required to pay when redeeming a Dividend Miles award ticket, one also must pay up to an additional US$50.00 just for the privilege of redeeming an award ticket.

Obviously, FlyerTalk members in the US Airways forum are in an uproar, to say the least. Many are threatening to leave the Dividend Miles program altogether.

There is more news: if you want a drink on US Airways – even a bottle of water – the charge is US$2.oo. Alcoholic beverages increase to US$7.00 from US$5.00.

More details and reaction from FlyerTalk members can be found in the 6/12 US Airways Updates: Fees, Charges for drinks, Ends bonus miles (Merged Threads) thread.