This just makes me shrill, I want to jump out of my (free upgraded) first class seat and throttle this travel industry icon:
I am a non-user of frequent flier miles. I stand firmly on her side — the debater who thought that there was a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. It was just too much trouble to add up these points and then get a flight that you need.
Of course he’s likely offered enough free travel for being Arthur Frommer that he doesn’t need to invest in paying attention in order to ‘add up these points’ (nevermind that plenty of online services like AwardWallet and MileageManager do it for you).
the Leona Helmsley of FFs
I used to read that kook’s blog regularly, but the things that end up on there now are just ridiculous.
More award availability for us 🙂
its people like that who leave more room upfront for us!
He reveals his own ignorance
I suspect that he pays for a seat up front. If so, then it’s people like that who subsidize the airlines for the rest of us. (Which I appreciate!) But that still puts him ahead of me in the line for a seat up front. I will at least be ahead of anyone that follows his opinion on the matter.
To say this on his radio show, though, leads me to believe that he’s out of touch with most of his audience. Pauline seemed to hold the same position. I didn’t transcribe the entire conversation.
Yes, it does take a bit of trouble to get those first class seats, but it is worth the effort to someone like me who otherwise wouldn’t be able to travel in the front.
Arthur Frommer was one of the many pioneers in the early days of the travel-guidance industry. For that, I give him credit. He even helped pave the way for the many shills who suck up free travel and then have the audacity to give ‘unpaid’ positive public attention to it (many of whom enjoy blogging nowadays)…which was long the perquisite of TAs everywhere.
But the comment about frequent flyer miles being too much trouble? My family has traveled to six continents on those troublesome frequent flyer miles. Clearly, the fella has lost whatever credibility he had.
This is another classic case of old media v. new media. See Chris Elliot discussion below.
Why would anyone bother listening to the old media when the new media is BETTER: aka, more knowledgable, better insight, etc.
I guess the gatekeepers of information (old media) get set in their ways and can’t innovate before time passes them by. The new media (bloggers) are hungrier, and people can immediately “vote with their feet” by reading them.
I do agree that it’s pretty sad that Arthur Frommer — who, for a generation, led the way for Americans to travel affordably overseas — can’t understand why a value conscious traveller should pay attention to frequent flyer programs. I guess he never got a credit card bonus. 🙂 I know I’ve taught many young 20-something travellers how to get to Europe or Asia for free on a credit card app. It’s like today’s equivalent of flying Freddy Laker. Too bad Frommer doesn’t get it.
What a maroon. Nay, an ultra-maroon.
Let Aruther Frommer be an idiot — if nobody actually pays for F or J anymore (because we’re all flying on miles) would there be any F or J left?
Now Now..lets let Arthur be Arthur….it just means MORE availability on those hard to get seats for us!….There is audience that listens to Frommers, and they will abide by everything he says….and they will abide by this as well. I myself think its worth it–get an $8,000 ticket for $175 (taxes)…is quite good.
Hey, why get angry about it? 🙂
This is why the system currently works in our favour. It is in essence a transfer of money from the uninformed and uninterested in frequent flier miles, to those of us who are informed and willing to spend some brainpower on it. If everyone used frequent flier miles intelligently they wouldn’t be nearly as generous as they are today. So Mr Frommer can spread as much misinformation as he wants, as far as I’m concerned.
Preach it brother! (From my free upgraded first class seat).
Yeah, because of all of the “trouble” of keeping up miles I earned 4 – 5 years ago on United, I now have a one way F ticket home for my wife after she drives my daughter out to the coast – for $5. Pretty sweet deal. I did not earn much on United, but I knew they would come in handy some day….
I enjoy your blog but this post is surprisingly uncivil. Arthur Frommer is far from an “idiot” and I know for a fact that he doesn’t accept free travel.
Frommer CREATED the whole category of bargain travel. Credit is due for all the benefit thousands if not millions of us have received since he wrote his first book in 1955.
I agree that he’s way off-base here, and it surprises me very much that he would take this position, but keep in mind that the man is in his 80s. You could have made your point in a much more respectful way.
@Mary well said
I agree with Mary too. Why does everyone have to be either a genious or an idiot to say two words in this society? Frommer deserves his due as a long-term travel advisor to millions. Your post is intemperate and revolting.
Idiot is a strong word, but he is a public figure and he does make his living on the value of his advise, so taking some shots is part of the game.
A revolting comment? Wasn’t someone just commenting about how sad it is that everything has to be considered one extreme or the other?
The guy writes books while the rest of us use tripadvisor and yelp. i mean, come on, what do you expect
Frommer is probably so rich FF miles would be like saving me Coke codes for a couple cents. And he probably gets comped most everything anyway, especially upgrades.
He’s wrong, of course, but so what? Half the country is wrong on just about every topic I follow.
The fault lies with the “reporter” interviewing some ancient guy instead of someone younger and with more energy.
As a avid FF collector I wonder if he is actually right. Given the time and effort to collect and mgn FF and the money that I could make not doing this…. I think that he is actually right. I mean look at Delta and now UA for instance, u think that with the few exceptions that they have not or will not close down this hobby is really worth it? I would rather hitch hike and couch surf on my next vacation than deal with the false promises of most of the airlines these days…
Feh. Arthur Frommer is a fantastic guy who has introduced more people to travel than this blog could ever possibly reach. He was a traveler when traveling was actually a challenge. He has a different lifestyle than you do and a different opinion. Get over yourself.
The only thing that makes the frequent flier game worthwhile for me is the high mile credit cards that throw down 75,000 or 100,000 miles a pop. I very rarely fly for business and don’t have the time (work and family) to fly as a hobby. While I do bank miles for all of my flights I’ve never actually used earned miles for a frequent flier ticket of any kind.
In many ways I’d like to be 35 again without children and a busy career and be able to zip off every weekend on cheap fares to collect miles (when I was that age I actually did much of my travelling — including Concorde — for free on courier flights; those were the days).
Not everyone is you. Someday soon, even you will no longer be you.
And I should add:
1. I’ve never used an Arthur Frommer guidebook in my life, I just respect the guy.
2. I’m would be willing to be cash money that a) Frommer has a written ethics (which I doubt this blog does) and b) that his ethics policy is tighter than any travel blog in existence.
whole heartily agree withpost of IAHPHX, old guard versus new guard!