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Show TRAVEL EDITOR: GAYLQN GARBETT jPhrainibi Associated Press Writer Knight Ridder Newspaper Travelers who check the weekend fare specials offered by the airlines' online programs have found a new twist: Some airlines are combining discounted fares with frequent-flie- r mileage. The strategy is designed to get passengers to use up accumulated miles. Typical is a recent TWA weekender fare between Philadelphia and Detroit for $139 round trip, or $89 round trip if you also cash in 5,000 miles. American Airlines offered for $129, or $39 and 13,000 mileage points. Are these good deals? Often not, according to the January issue of Consumer Reports. The magazine examined 53 American and Continental Airlines specials one weekend in November and rated 96 percent of them a poor value. By comparing the cash price with the price, you can assess how much value you're getting for mile. In the each frequent-flie- r American Airlines example above, the value of each mileage point works out to s of a cent ($129 minus $39 equals $90; 90 divided by 13,000 is 0.70 cent). In the TWA example, the value of a mileage point works out to 1 cent ($139 minus $89 equals $50; 50 divided by 5,000 equals 1 cent per mile). Consumer Reports considers 1 cent per mileage point to be a reasonable value. But the magazine's research shows 1.7 cents per mile to be top value a " 4 t' high-tec- .vm in r:n.;j - it z 5 J' M f Lk x e g 941-122- , 252-884- top-lev- V h' 257-122- , n do says Dave Fox, chief operating officer of a Scottsdale healthcare company. "But Phoenix has grown up a. lot arid become a more cosmopolitan city." ovvs jwrc ,oye aaaK ! f- i 4 j v UP TO i I'-- l. 7 nights Outrigger VBage una omy wise -- IDB!,,' - -- . . TnkidmPrirjuKa idiv fT,,. PPDBL : . Aston 11 . Maui Banyan ri . ruJv., w MOIIB n ucuaiuiwi nvv u r AllltoUjJ Vmnirr rr off ratBS if"" a7 FROM SLC J lit J - SSJi eqaues Qne Earlv Admission to Dteneyland - m.m.m PWDBL From noway TjtoyalCaribbcan ylV 71?TtM TO HONOLULU Tuesday fhru Sntember 1999 ' T. m Uaiestv of ttw Seas ' - CrukMOiiry PMBIRWII tj;j AIR ONLY TUESOAY ONLY rnillSE 0 l PRINCESS CRUISES framS61800 "per persort landorty.-PPDB- . B...41.... retreat He and his aprjrentices RATES PER PERSON OFF BROCHURE JJUImmJ MAUI KAUAI al school and his own winter I) Co) CD aunspree n , wwi ' 5MlrishbialdastSDWl2nef PUERTO VAILAHXA IGSCABOS ATtOII Al HodJohnion-25,2n3rl- 6 daysffi nights deluxe acoorrniorJallons -919.31996 I ,SfJL n ourjBn b onr, . end Boyne vaoey Avondale House, Fwerscout Gardens, . . . IfM jnj 9 ip0 -- S 2$2NUnlnnlly 373-202225-760- 0 t TAUESEN WEST: Frank Lloyd Wright made a remote corner of desert that once lay far outside of Phoenix into an architectur-- J - SAVE Mir.uTC OUTRIGGER VILLAGE -- d ; 273-134- 1 See TRAVEL, E2 & l d than 1,300 animals, including 200 endangered or threatened birds, mammals and reptiles from around the world. (602) See PHOENIX, E2 e sw Lfg - i cactus-studde- ; PHOENIX ZOO: Home to more newly expanded mall is anchored by a Nordstrom' store. And the desert offers endless recreation long-awaite- 716-200- giant-scree-n www.azscience.org. hike down the trail from The Phoenix. in Peak mountains that ring Phoenix the top of Squaw have been designated a desert mountain preseve. Desert hike: Joel Berger makes his daily . cwnrrey tyow ue. vje mwe Press TONY BLE1 The Associated Phoenix has a symphony Trendy getaway Suburban Scottsdale, orchestra, decent theater, opera, renowned for its resorts, ballet, the Heard Museum renowned for its collections of restaurants and entertain American Indian artworks a ment, offers a shopper's parspiffy science center and one of adise with the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. The the country's better zoos. See NOTES, E2 -- J , Haven for sports Long-sufferin- 28-2- 9 . rvYtaroimeoeas iwf 7 Attractions in Phoenix The U.S. State Department is warning against nonessential travel to Yemen after the in incident Dec. which four of the hostages were killed. U.S. citizens in Yemen are urged to exercise a high I. 'its-?- . . 4 ' X Yemen warning iMal tares included ; Sports is a big attraction here. Phoenix is one of a few cities with every major profesbaseball sional sport (Arizona Diamondbacks), foot. ball (Arizona Cardinals), hockSi! basand Coyotes) (Phoenix ERIC RISBERG The Associated Press ey ketball (Phoenix Suns). HoHoKam to Park prior the spring training game Baseball town: Chicago Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa signs autographs for the fans at There's also the WNBA, the Chicago White Sox in Mesa, Ariz., in March. Seven major league baseball teams have their spring training camps in the Phoenix against Arizona Rattlers arena football team and minor league hockey. area, drawing visitors to the region. Phoenix International Raceway revs up with NASCAR, Sprint car and Indy car action. for any- DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN: Considered a must-seChicago Cubs one who wants to view and learn about the dizzying array of fans congregate at Hohokam cacti and other plants that make the Sonoran Desert so Park in Mesa every spring to unusual. Call (602) dream of a pennant. Six other teams baseball major league HEARD MUSEUM: Internationally famous for its collections of also have their spring training : American Indian artifacts and art, the Heard provides a look at the camps around the V"aileyu and lived. The museum also features Barry way the original Arizonans Arizona StateUniversity. in Goldwater's collection of Hopi kachina dolls. (602) colleoffers Tempe giate sporting events. PHOENIX ART MUSEUM: Features Western American, Latin Phoenix isn't on a cultural American, 14th to 20th century European, American and Asian v par with, say, a Boston or ' ' art. Tours daily. (602) .' Minneapolis, but it's no longer a backwater either. ARIZONA SCIENCE CENTER: Visitors old and young can learn "When I moved here 12 years from more than 350 hands-oexhibits, a planetarium and a ago, there really wasn't a lot to Web site; theater. (602) j. . . v h ' , i , . sixth-large- The magazine concludes that for reasonable value, you should use your miles for trips that cost more than $250, or that offer at least 1 cent per mile. The same frequent-flie- r formula can be applied to any frequent-flie- r deal, not just ' weekend specials. m - v.. g for mileage. iwy'sc w - PHOENIX Phoenix once had a reputation as Miami West, a refuge for old folks who hauled their aching joints off to suburban Sun City to retire in the warm sun and play golf and shuffleboard. Seniors and warmth-seekinNortherners still flock here every winter to soak up the sun, pumping more than $1 billion into the economy. But Phoenix is much more than just your grandparents' retirement home. Phoenix, population 1.2 mil lion, has quietly grown into the nation's city. Nearly 3 million people live in what locals refer to as the Valley, short for Valley of the Sun, and tens of thousands of newcomers are pouring in every year with no end in sight. The big draw is plentiful jobs. Phoenix fancies itself a Silicon Desert, with the likes of Motorola Inc., Intel Corp., AlliedSignal Corp. and other companies employing about 100,000 workers. seven-tenth- 1."' tontine ireftnireiniiiomil!: big By JERRY NACHTIGAL By DONALD D. GROFF 1 JM a DMDrit . SUNDAY. JANUARY 24, 1999 THE DAILY HERALD 344-25- Combined fare specials not always best deal Chicago-Philadelphi- El 1 0ptnttf toSt10to2 SeatakFoik WWIME 798-737- 1 1 m n u a I i ; . i |
