How Much is the American Airlines Double Miles Promo Worth?
November 3, 2012
I'm sure there are 10+ mentions of this promo in the blogosphere, as there are for credit card changes and announcements. I encourage you to read my analysis in these situations even if you've read someone else's. I only write on a subject when I have something big to add--otherwise I'll just link to someone else's post.
American Airlines had an awful last few months.
Air Tahiti Nui,AAdvantage,Hawaiian Airlines
Getting to Tahiti with American Airlines Miles
October 23, 2012
Look for a post tomorrow on getting to French Polynesia with Delta miles, Hawaiian miles, and AMEX Membership Rewards.
This post will be about getting to French Polynesia--Tahiti, Bora Bora, and more--with frequent flier miles. This is an award I get asked to book frequently through my Award Booking Service, and I wanted to share some free tips.
French Polynesia is a French-speaking "overseas country" controlled by France. It is south of Hawaii and east of Australia. The main tourist spots are Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Mo'orea. People go to French Polynesia for the absolutely stunning beach-and-island landscape.
Cathay Pacific,AAdvantage,Anatomy of an Award
Anatomy of an Award: Routing West to India on an American Airlines Award
October 22, 2012
This is a guest post from Chase Tajima. Chase is a tax attorney in Honolulu--Aloha! He writes about Hawaii tax law at TheTaxTable.wordpress.com. Anyone is welcome to submit a guest Anatomy of an Award post, so we can all learn from interesting award bookings.
I started following MileValue because I wanted to find a cost effective way to get from Honolulu to Delhi, India to attend my college roommate's wedding. Roundtrip flights from from Honolulu to Delhi ranged from about $1,600 to $2,000+ in economy.
Rapid Rewards,SPG,Flying Blue,Free Giveaway,AAdvantage
Free Giveaway, 15 AA Miles per Dollar for Breast Cancer Donation, Always Get Southwest Group A
October 19, 2012
There are some great deals and tips kicking around the web that were already written up perfectly. I have added a few notes, and hopefully the aggregation will be useful.
1) Mile Nerd flags the opportunity to earn 15 American Airlines miles per dollar on donations during October--Breast Cancer Awareness Month--to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Donate through the link on this page. Full terms and conditions:
If you were already intending to donate, this is a great deal.
United,Hawaiian Airlines,US Airways,Delta,Alaska,AAdvantage
West Coast to Hawaii for under $300 Roundtrip All In
October 15, 2012
Delta is selling Alaska Airlines direct flights from San Diego to Maui roundtrip for $297. And American, United, and Delta are all getting in on the sub-$370 party from Los Angeles to Hawaii roundtrip.
There have recently been a ton of great deals to Hawaii. I'm not sure the cause of the sales--tourism to Hawaii is way up this year--but I've taken advantage and been trying to get everyone else to take advantage.
Best Of,US Airways,Delta,How to,United,AAdvantage
How to Avoid the Phone Fee on Award Bookings
October 12, 2012
The legacy carriers--United, US Airways, Delta, American--all charge a fee if you ticket your award by phone instead of online. Here's your guide to avoiding those phone fees:
United
United charges $25 per passenger if you book by phone. They will not waive this phone fee just because a booking could not be completed online. That's frustrating because many multi-city and free-oneway awards can't be booked online. They generate error messages despite being within the routing rules.
Here's how you avoid the phone fee with United:
First, search for and reserve any United flight.
United,US Airways,Citi,AAdvantage,Delta
Forum Buzz: 30k AA Miles, NYC Mileage Run, and United Holiday Cancellations
September 26, 2012
Here are some of the day's hot topics being discussed on the FlyerTalk and milepoint message boards.
Christmas Cutbacks from United and How to Deal With Them
The holidays are bringing some unfortunate consequences for people who book award flights on United around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, as seen in this FlyerTalk thread.
In January, I booked an award
Tricks to Avoid Hold Times with Airlines
August 27, 2012
Sometimes airlines have seemingly interminable hold times before you can talk to an agent. This mainly happens during disruptions to the normal routine like a big storm that is causing a ton of rebookings or the United/Continental merger.
Here are some tricks to lower or eliminate your hold times:
1) Call the highest tier elite line. Elite lines are answered immediately or with a much reduced wait time.
If you're a top-tier elite, I'm sure you're already doing this.