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Show The Park Record Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, June 17-20, 2006 B-15 Frequentfliermiles cause rumblings or not they are going to give you flight for the next 20 months. obtain a seat. By JOEL J. SMITH Adding to the hassles, many "We do our best to establish a ticket. That's not right." MediaNews Group Wire Service airlines are curtailing the num- realistic expectations for our Few travelers realize it, but Every year airline passengers ber of daily flights, leaving fewer customers," Bagdade said. every time they use credit cards rack up trillions of frequent flier empty seats for frequent fliers. David Castelvcter, a that earn them frequent flier miles that should allow them to And cash-starved airlines are spokesman for the Air Transport miles, the bank pays the airline crisscross the globe, but increas- reluctant to give away tickets Association that represents the at least a penny per mile. That ingly, travelers can't use them to they can sell, experts say. U.S. airline industry, said allo- means that the credit card comgo where they want, when they To top it off, more travelers cating the proper number of fre- pany can pay the airline $250 or want. are earning more frequent flier quent flier scats is a demanding more for the 25,000 miles accuIndustrywide, about one out points through novel approaches job for any airline. The carriers mulated by the customer. It's of every two frequent fliers such as credit card purchases, car try to strike a balance between profitable for the airlines - could redeem miles for a chosen rentals, telephone use, Lasik eye revenue tickets and frequent money paid up front and before flight and destination in 2005, surgery and window replace- flier tickets. a ticket is ever issued - if at all. according to a survey of Insider ments, diluting the value of the "You will never keep everyIt's a delicate balancing act. Flyer Magazine's 175,000 sub- mileage programs. Only 43 per- body happy. But it's an issue for The airlines don't want the cred1 scribers. cent of frequent flier miles are the airlines," Castelvcter said. it card companies to get upset Although airlines officials say actually earned by flying. "Customers that are loyal to because travelers can't use the they're doing their best to "It's no longer a frequent flier their product expect something mileage for tickets, but they accommodate frequent fliers, program," said Terry Trippler, in return - the ability to use would rather sell the seats to complaints about mileage clubs an airline analyst with their miles. The unfortunate cash customers than give them are soaring. CheapSeats.com in Minneapolis. reality of that is carriers can't away. And, with airlines facing the "It's a frequent spender pro- operate empty planes in antici"They give away as little as busiest summer in air travel his- gram. They have created a mon- pation of frequent fliers wanting they possibly can to keep the custory, the problem is expected to ster and have no idea how to to go somewhere. tomers just happy enough to worsen. keep customers happy. "If a carrier filled every seat come back," Winship said. "It's a "This summer should be the "It's now become a trading with frequent fliers, it wouldn't dicey game they are playing." most difficult time to use the stamp program simply without be operating very much longer." Flying Northwest from New (frequent flier) awards in the the trading stamps and often Many travel experts believe York City to Phoenix this month, past five years," said Randy without the rewards." the frequent flier programs have Lisa Smith bought a $550 ticket, Peterson, founder of Inside Frequent flier programs are run amok with no federal over- even though she has more than Flyer Magazine in Colorado big business. Northwest has 30 sight to protect or assist travel- 50,000 frequent flier miles. Springs, Colo. "The complaints I million registered members; ers. "I would love to use my have been hearing are the high- American Airlines. 52 million; "Unfortunately, nobody is mileage, but nothing is ever est in memory." Delta Airlines, 38 million; and keeping score on how well they available," Smith said, while Customers complain the air- United Airlines, 40 million. are doing," said Tim Winship, waiting for a connecting flight in lines often ignore them when In 2005, the airlines awarded founder of FrequentFlyer.com in Detroit. "It's frustrating. If I they try to redeem miles for free 2.7 trillion miles, but redeemed Los Angeles. "Right now, it's can't use them, then why fly tickets. They also grumble about only about 895 billion miles. totally up to the airlines whether Northwest anymore?" having to cough up more earned And the unredeemed miles have miles for a ticket, fly when they climbed exorbitantly since the don't want to and fly to destina- frequent flier program was tions that are not their first launched in 1981 by American choice. Airlines. "You are supposed to get a Northwest, one of the worst free ticket for (every) 25,000 culprits among major airlines, miles," said Joe Elliott, a suppli- admits it's tough to get free ticker quality engineer for General ets to its WorldPerks program. Motors Corp. who has accumu- In 2005, Northwest awarded 1.49 lated a whopping one million million frequent flier tickets - frequent flier miles. "They tell new tickets and upgrades - you there are no seats available, about one-third of those requestbut if you are willing to double ed. the miles, suddenly a seat Northwest spokeswoman becomes available. It upsets me. Jennifer Bagdade said the carriNo, it ticks me off." er warns customers that frequent Fliers' inability to use their flier tickets are limited and can miles shows up in another statis- be difficult to obtain at peak tic: Frequent fliers traveling free times. Availability, she said, is on domestic flights have based on passenger demands for dropped from 9 percent of all a particular flight, time and desticketed passengers in 1995 to tination. Calling in advance 6.2 percent in 2005, according to doesn't guarantee a free ticket Back Aviation Solutions. because some scats don't Frequent flier programs arc become available until close to so popular - growing at 14 per- the departure date, she said. cent a year - travelers are sitThe carrier also juggles ting on 14.2 trillion unredeemed whether the frequent flier ticket miles or the equivalent of 568 will require the standard 25,000 million round-trip tickets at miles or become a 25,000 miles each. 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