It's a Big Wonderful World (And it's yours free) Well, almost . . .

The holidays are over, you’ve sobered up, the gift cards have been spent, and you’ve completed your holiday travel.  Well, if you’re planning on using frequent flyer miles for next year’s holiday travel, you’d better get on it now.

Most airline seats for booking are released 11 months and one day before the flight is scheduled to depart.  So, if you’re planning on award travel for Christmas it’s already time to get on it.  Here’s the rub: you won’t be able to book your complete itinerary if you are planning on returning after Christmas – it’s too early.  So, for those of you that are planning to return before Christmas, you’d better book away.  You may already be too late!

The Wall Street Journal has a good primer on what to do to maximize your odds of being able to book award travel.

Even though recession-weary consumers may want to cash in frequent-flier miles to get free trips and upgrades more than ever these days, it’s gotten harder to snare those awards. Even though recession-weary consumers may want to cash in frequent-flier miles to get free trips and upgrades more than ever these days, it’s gotten harder to snare those awards.

Read on →

If you haven’t booked an award travel for several years, be ready for a shock.  Airlines have increased the amount of miles you need from each seat.  In 2003 on-United Airlines, the required frequent flier miles, in economy, was 50,000 miles.  In 2010, the Saver Award in Economy is 55,000 miles and the Standard Award is 110,000 miles!

I’ve already booked my summer award travel to Europe.  I booked that travel last November and it was already slim pickings.  I didn’t get my ideal times and ideal cities.  I wasn’t able to book any first class seats (for 2, singles were available) and settled for business on a partnered airline.  Note: The intra-European flights are easy to book; the “over-the-water” flights are the problem.  There are only so many flights “over-the-water”.

I enjoy traveling during the December holidays and since I am unable to book the return portion of my trip (post Christmas) at this time, I have to be poised to jump on the seats for the date the moment they become available.  The problem I will find, by then, is that the departure seats will be slim pickings.

Be diligent and it will pay off.  Remember, to keep working hard and keenly to get those miles.  You deserve the flights you want for that dream holiday.

Happy Tripping,

Carter

Crammed in like sardines

Does the title tell you how mad I am?  And I know the ins and outs of the game.  I got a call from a good friend of mine asking about his seat selection for a flight he’s taking next week.  I told him to go on line to his airline’s website, enter in his Flight Confirmation Code, and change his seat.  He couldn’t do it!  The airline wouldn’t let him do it.  Three reasons:

Capacity - When your flight has reached 80% capacity all seat assignments defer to the airport check-in.  Even if you arrive very early, chances are the highly desirable seats won’t be available.   So, it is crucial you book the seats you want immediately when you book your flight.

Status – Your status with the airline is not high enough to allow you to make the changes.  Yesterday, I booked a trip to the East Coast and because of my status with the airline and my membership in the Mileage Program; I was assigned my seat preferences as default.  I prefer aisle seats so I can mover about the cabin easily and without disturbing anyone.  My seat preferences are in my profile with the airlines mileage program.  If you are traveling with someone who has a higher status and you book your travel together, you can tether to their status for better seat selection.

Revenue - Your Airlines hold back prime seating to SELL to passengers at the airport.  It’s come to the point where you have to pay through the nose for 5 MORE measly inches!  But to someone who’s overweight that could be the difference between agony and comfort.  If I had higher status with my airline I’m flying, I would have been defaulted to these seats at no extra charge.

All of this is a reminder for you to select your seating carefully when you book your flight – otherwise you can expect an elbow in both your sides or someone sleeping on your shoulder.

Seat Configuration Websites – Consult the following websites to help you with the process:

Seat Guru

Seat Expert

For more on an iPhone App to use as resource for seating information on-the-go.  CLICK HERE

Happy Tripping,
Carter

Hey Trippers,

(Disclaimer:  I am in no way endorsing any product below.  I am only using the products below as examples.)

This is the second part of a multipart series breaking down the savings and lessons learned on the trip.

I wanted to talk about the air travel for my European trip.  Normally when I use air miles I book it well in advance.  In this instance, the flight I booked with award travel was with United Airlines.  As I mention in the Know Your Budget section on the Know Your Trip website, you should choose an airline and try to stick with it.  You should select an airline that not only services routes you take commonly but also has a broad international presence.   I chose United Airlines because they service my domestic needs and, generally, my international needs, thanks to the Star Alliance association they have with other international carriers.  I want to be clear I’m not endorsing United Airlines over another airline.  United Airlines happens to fit my needs at this time.

My upcoming December trip to Argentina was booked this past January – a full 11 months in advance.  It’s part of the importance of planning.  Still, I was unable to obtain business class seats!  I check back periodically to see if the airline has released more award seats for that destination.   Very often they trickle out.

My trip to Europe, that I originally booked last November (08), was to be to London/Rome and back home.  Because I decided to buy a car in Germany (more on that later), very last minute, I had to change my flights and therefore take what was available.  I was able to obtain United Airlines flights to London (First Class) but had to fly with Lufthansa Business Class (Star Alliance) the rest of the way.  I was using miles to fly First Class but had to downgrade to Business on Lufthansa because First Class was no longer available on every leg of my re-scheduled flights.  BTW, there is a big difference between First Class and Business Class!

To obtain enough miles to do these flights, I did the following:

Mileage Award Program - I joined a few mileage programs with airlines I fly.  In this example I’m using United Mileage Plus (Not an endorsement).

Mileage Award Credit Card – I Charge everything I can on my United Mileage Plus VISA Card (Not an endorsement).  If you can manage credit, you should obtain an airline credit card that corresponds to the airline you’ve chosen.  They award one mile for every dollar you spend.  I pay my bill in its entirety every month.  DO NOT charge anything you can’t afford to pay off on the next statement!  If you don’t do this, it doesn’t make financial sense because the interest charges are obscenely ridiculously high.  Most Mileage Credit Cards offer a bonus lump of miles for signing up – up to 30,000 miles (upon first purchase).  Some offer free companion airfares (of inflated price flights and/or black out dates) and it’s not a good deal.  Every card has a yearly fee.  If you fly enough with an airline, your status may wave the yearly fee.  Make sure you find out what it is before signing up AND get it in writing.  I have requested and received my yearly fee waived because I have high usage.  I also have had a Mileage Award Business Card and a Mileage Award Personal Credit Card.  Both cards award-signing-bonus went to my United Airlines Mileage account.  You can “work” this but you have to be sharp and aware of your spending amounts.

Mileage Award Dining Program – Dine at restaurants that are a part of the Mileage Plus Dining Program (Not an endorsement) whenever I can.  They award 10 miles per dollar you spend.  Occasionally, they have bonus programs like dining at a variety of restaurants within a period of time for extra miles.

Mileage Bonus for Car Rental – When renting a car, I use a rental company that awards bonus miles to Mileage Plus Program, if it makes sense financially.  I rarely pay a higher rate for extra miles unless it’s just a few dollars.  Now, some Rental Car companies charge higher rates for the points or have stopped the associations with mileage programs completely.

Join ALL Airfare Search Engines for notification – I plan my domestic travel in advance.  I monitor the fares with United Airlines AND all the other airlines that fly the same routes because United usually matches other airlines low fares.  I pay for these flights because I’m awarded “miles” for each mile flown AND I charge the flight on my United Airlines Credit Card to get the “miles” for each dollar spent.  I’m doubling up.  Make sure you are enrolled in all the airfare search engines for the latest notifications.  There a several dozen now.  Here’s a start.

Fly PAID FLIGHTS Off-Peak and Off-Season – Do your best to fly where you’re going “off season” or “off peak”.  You’ll get a lower airfare, flights times you want, and the seat selection you want.

Shop retailers that offer Mileage Points - I belong to the Mileage Plus Mall.  If you’re going to send flowers anyway, why not send it through the on-line mall.  The stores in the on-line mall offer more “miles” per dollar you spend.  Example (not an endorsement) – Safeway Grocery Store Chain awards United Air Miles for using the Safeway Club Card when making purchases.  You can acquire 125 miles for every $250.00 you spend.  Pay with your Mileage VISA card and “double dip”!

My European airfare would have been $3500.00 in Business Class and over $15,000.00 in First class.  All I paid for my award ticket was $125.00 in taxes and airport departure fees.  Since I used miles, it was 120,000 for first or 80,000 for business.  As you know mine was split.  Ask me what I paid in miles in an e-mail and I’ll explain the complexity.   It has to do with, yet another subject, airline “status”.

Yes, it takes diligence and some focus, but it is worth it.  Make your search a priority by having an e-mail notification sent to you with the latest fare reductions.  You have to act quickly because they get snapped up.

Go to the Know Your Trip Website and download “Know Your Budget” PDF because it has a list of most of the Airfare Search Engines (new ones are added on the web regularly) as well as a wealth of other information to help your plan your dream trip on a budget.  Look for Part 3; Hotel Strategy.  A discussion of purchasing a new car in Europe to save money on your trip is coming . . . .

Happy Tripping,

Carter

Hey Trippers,

Having just returned from a good ole winter airline travel experience, I decided I needed to write about this subject again – Airline status.

Having status with an airline can be a big asset to negotiating all the peaks and valleys of a trip.  Without my airline status I would not have made it to our destination – period.  Because of my status I was offered another earlier flight when my original flight was delayed and threatened with cancellation.  Due to the horrendous weather I decided to arrive at the airport 4 hours early which opened up my opportunity.  The flight had a long list of standbys but because of my status, I was bumped ahead of most people.  I was able to get on the flight and out of town.

At my next connection, Chicago, O’Hare, always a nightmare during perfect weather, I had a long wait for my original connection.  I requested an earlier flight that was scheduled.  Due to my status, I was bumped to the top of the standby list.  Tragic thing is I still arrived at my final destination an hour and a half later than my original itinerary despite arriving at my first flight 4 hours early and leaving from my connection on an earlier “scheduled” flight.

The final flight ended up being delayed for two hours because their flight attendant couldn’t make it to the flight!  They threatened to cancel the flight outright because of this.

Also, these flights are all packed and overbooked.  So, with my status I’m allowed to board earlier than others.  Why is this important?  Because then I have overhead bin luggage storage space available – by my seat.  This helps me to efficiently depart the plane rather than wait for others to exit while I wait for access to my baggage in a bin above a seat down the aisle. also given preferential booking for seating.  My status enables me to access my exit row aisle seat (a must for me) with more leg room.

When I call the airline to book, I am given a separate phone number to call for assistance and don’t have to queue with the general public.

Airlines want your regular business and they value your repeat business.

In order to acquire enough miles to attain status, I would pick a major airline than have a wide variety of destinations and partnerships with other airlines to fill in the gap.  Here is a list of advantages you may have access to when joining a mileage program with an airline and gaining status:

(Note: it varies from airline to airline and may depend on the level of status you attain)

• When booking a flight you get a priority telephone number

• Access to additional award travel inventory

• Access to preferred seating; exit rows

• Priority Check In Service

• Waived Baggage Fees

• Streamlined Security Clearance

• Boarding priority

• Access to on board storage bins sooner

• Priority Stand By Wait listing

• If your flight is canceled or delayed you get priority clearance on another flight

• Free airline travel once you accrue enough miles

All of the above is why I encourage you to try to stick with a single airline for your travel.  I will even pay a few dollars more, over the cheapest fare I find, to book on my priority airline.  It pays off in the actual enjoyment of your air travel.  Vow to join at least two mileage programs in 2009 – it’s free!

Happy Tripping in 2009,

Carter