British Airways is one of the few airlines that is notorious for having extremely low ‘earn rates’ for their discounted economy fares. I highlighted this in my article Fast Track to Elite Status. I actually earned 25% of actual miles flown as both redeemable miles (RDM) and Elite Status Miles (EQM) on an 15,000 mile round trip. This had made British Airways one of my least favorite airlines to fly. Now, don’t get me wrong, they are not alone. There are many airlines that even give zero miles for some …

So, whether I am looking for cheap flights to Alicante (ALC) for an exotic vacation to Spain or to Charlotte, NC (CLT) for a day trip for work, my first preference is to fly on United and if they do not fly there (like to Alicante), pick another Star Alliance carrier (Spanair flies to ALC) or if no Star Alliance carrier goes there, pick another United partner. … Have one Primary airline, which is a part of a Global Airline If I had to pay a nominal fee or tax to consolidate accounts, I would do it (or pray for a merger.

I have discussed the idea of having one primary airline you credit all your miles on in several previous articles. I have also discussed the importance of Airline Alliances and why the airline you choose should be a part of one of the three Global Alliances. As you go about picking your primary Airline and hence, primary alliance, one very important factor that needs to to be taken into consideration is that of hubs. Hubs form, there is no better way to put it, the hub of an Airline and …

In my last article, I did a review of Emirates airlines, their aircraft, their meals, their Flight Attendants and Dubai airport. In this article, I review Skywards, their Frequent Flier Program.
Emirates has built a Frequent Flier program outside of any major airline alliance. Very similar to Alaska Airlines, which I discussed in an earlier article, Emirates has built a global network of airline and other partners. The big difference here is the Emirates itself is a global airline with over 600 destinations in all six continents. Ok, there is only …

Alaska Airlines and its sister airline Horizon Air have been a standout in a world dominated by Airline Alliances. Alaska Airlines has ‘gone it alone’ (or with its one sibling) and built up a formidable network of airline partners. This network of domestic and international partners has given Alaska the international connections and access to international routes that typical domestic carriers lack. Other airlines with a primarily domestic network or a small international footprint, have to join an Alliance to get this kind of presence. US Airways is a prime …

The CEO of Continental called US Airways an Ugly Girl! As he was describing why his company jumped up to negotiate a merger with United Airlines, he said that they did so to ensure that United did not get married to the ‘Ugly Girl’ – US Airways, who United was in merger talks with. You can read more details of his statements and apology to US Airways in this article on The Wall Street Journal. (Note: I have no affiliation to WSJ).
So what happened to the Ugly Girl, left jilted …

On May 3rd of this year, Open Skies airlines started operating flights from Washington’s Dulles (IAD) airport to Paris Orly (ORY) airport. Open Skies is a new airline. It has been operation since June 2008, operating flights from New York area’s Newark Liberty (EWR) airport to Paris. Washington now becomes the second city in the US to be graced by Open Skies flights. There was a short lived New York to Amsterdam (AMS) route, but the addition of Washington is a bold new step for Open Skies.

A Unique Airline
Now, what …

In the first three parts of this series on the Economics of Airline Miles I discussed: The Value of Airline Miles (Part I), The Value of Elite Status (Part II) and How to Maximize Airline Miles Earnings (Part III). In this fourth part of this ongoing series, I will go into the topic of how to effectively redeem your airline miles. Once you have earned all the miles by focussing your earnings, the eventual goal is to redeem these miles for rewards and awards from the airlines.
Remember, at the end …

How to Maximize Airline Mile Earnings
In my previous articles in the series ‘Economics of Airline Miles’ I covered the Value of Airline Miles in part 1 and the Value of Elite Status in part 2. Continuing in the series, in this article I will discuss practical tips on how to maximize the airline miles you earn. As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, your airline miles are an asset. Treat your collection of airline mile accounts like a portfolio. To borrow a quote from the greatest portfolio owner …

Continental Airlines is leaving SkyTeam and joining Star Alliance. Virgin Atlantic is considering joining Star Alliance after resisting joining any alliance all these years. Russia’s S7 airlines is joining OneWorld. Airlines seem to make a big fuss of Airline Alliances. Should you care? If you want to maximize your earning of miles and attaining Elite status and maximize your ability of redeem your miles for awards, alliances are something you need to understand and leverage.

Airlines enter in partnerships with other airlines thru two means. The first is a bilateral agreement …