US Airways is offering a PROMO: Spring 2010 Double Preferred Miles – Apr 13 to June 15, as many airlines in the United States offered last year. However, this year there is an added twist: not only do US Airways Dividend Miles members receive double elite qualification miles towards Preferred status for 2011, but they will also receive double Dividend Miles as well. Simply register, book a trip and travel between today and June 15, 2010 to be eligible for this promotion. Other terms and restrictions apply.

Will other airlines follow the lead of US Airways and match this promotion?

The New York Times reports that US Airways and United Airlines are currently in talks regarding the acquisition of — or merger with — United Airlines by US Airways. Could this dethrone Delta Air Lines during its nascent tenure as the largest commercial airline in the world?

The talk of this potential merger of two Star Alliance partners in the United States has already swept through FlyerTalk:

• News Alert: US Airways Said to Be in Talks to Buy United‏
• United and US Airways in merger talks
• Impact if US Airways Buys UA?!?
• Speculation: If (US+UA), will AA+CO be possible?

Yes, you read the title of that last link correctly: American Airlines merging with Continental Airlines? That would be hilarious, if only because Continental Airlines started off in the now-defunct Wings alliance, then joined the SkyTeam alliance, then moved on to Star Alliance, and then would complete the airline alliance tour with the oneworld alliance.

Anyway, speculation abounds wildly throughout FlyerTalk, and it will not stop anytime soon…

If you have been looking to share your US Airways Dividend Miles with someone, or if you would like someone to share them with you, now is the time to do so as US Airways is offering Double bonus for shared miles (Another round: Apr-May 2010), up to a limit of 50,000 Dividend Miles doubling to 100,000 Dividend Miles in 1,000-miles increments.

If you are a US Airways Dividend Miles Preferred member, the news is even better, as Preferred members qualify for an additional 25% Bonus.

The Gate recently received correspondence from a reader commenting on a change in the companion upgrade policy quietly implemented by US Airways:

Have you heard of the new HORRIBLE change in the companion policy for upgrades on US?  Their companion upgrade policy was one of the reasons we fly US as much as we do to get our kids/family travel companions upgraded one adult and one child upgraded per flight.  But on 3/4/10, they amended their policy, WITHOUT NOTIFYING ANYONE, to disallow companion upgrades if the travelers are not in the same record.  My husband is Chairman, I am Gold, and my two boys are Silver preferred, but we always travel in separate records because my husband has to come back earlier for work on most trips.  So now, due to logistics, and ONLY logistics of booking arrangements, we cannot upgrade our kids as early as ourselves.

What are your thoughts here?  I would LOVE to see the policy reverted back to how it was before.

Although some FlyerTalk members appear to be happy with this new policy, others seem to be as angry about the lack of announcement by US Airways pertaining to the change in the companion upgrade policy as they are regarding the policy itself. In fact, at least one FlyerTalk member has called for a Companion Upgrade Letter Writing Campaign – Action Needed.

Echoing the reader who wrote in to us, what are your thoughts? Please post your comments regarding this issue. Thank you in advance.

The following text is taken verbatim from an e-mail message received just moments ago:

Earn bonus miles every night you stay, and get rewarded faster!

Get an additional 200 miles for every qualifying night you stay from February 1 to April 30, 2010 – up to 4,000 miles with any hotel in the Priority Club® Rewards family of brands, InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® or Candlewood Suites® hotels worldwide. With over 4,300 hotels worldwide, it’s never been easier to earn bonus miles.

Details such as qualifying airlines and FlyerTalk member commentary can be found in the following threads:

• Priority Club Until April 30, 2010: Earn 200 Bonus SkyMiles Every Night You Stay
• Earn 200 Bonus Airline Miles Every Night You Stay Until April 30, 2010

The good news is that US Airways is offering Double bonus for purchased miles (Another round: Feb-March 2010).

The bad news is that not only can one not earn the bonus Dividend Miles by sharing them, but the cost of purchasing the miles has increased to 2.75¢ per mile from 2.5¢ per mile.

FlyerTalk members also speculate as to the reasons behind this latest offer by US Airways…

Diagram of a man wearing Tefillin and a yarmulke while praying

A Jewish teenager who reportedly had no time to put on tefillin and pray before his early morning flight on US Airways bound for Louisville from New York decided to be efficient with his time and pray while in flight. After all, there is no harm in praying on-board an aircraft while in flight — right?

The only problem is that he did not consider how other people on the aircraft might react to his putting on tefillin — a daily ritual practiced for thousands of years by those who adhere to the laws of Judaism — and the result was that the aircraft was diverted to Philadelphia.

Was the whole situation merely a fluke and a misunderstanding, or did the teenager do anything wrong or make a mistake?

Follow the details of the story — as well as reaction by FlyerTalk members — in the following threads:

• US Flight Diverted to PHL After Bomb Scare
• US 3079 LGA-SDF diverts, security concerns

The fact that Some gates in Terminal C closed at Reagan Airport due to Flooding actually has nothing to do with terrorism, as the flood is currently washing a ton of the airport near Washington, D.C. as information related to this story is still dripping out.

Water the cause for the closures? What is apparently forcing the suspension or cancellation of some US Airways flights is a pipe burst, and not a pipe bomb.

We will pipe down now…

There is a NEWS FLASH: New US Star Alliance/Partner Award Charts Released – Effective 1/6/10 and — for the most part — FlyerTalk members are breathing a sigh of relief that the increase in miles needed to redeem for award tickets on US Airways flights has not substantially increased and that the changes are not as bad as anticipated.

There is even a chart where a quick comparison between old and new mileage requirements for awards can easily be determined, where it appears that the percentages of the increase in miles required range between 7% and 29%, with one egregious increase at 50% and the other at 33%.

US Airways has announced Again for Nov & Dec: Buy/Gift/Share miles, receive 100% bonus, and this offer is effective immediately.

Additionally, FlyerTalk members reveal how to best take complete advantage of this offer to maximize the earning of US Airways Dividend Miles qs efficiently and effectively as possible for as low a cost as possible.

This offer ends December 31, 2009.