on 7 February 2004 : 17:37, Liz sez:
Thanks for the tips, I found them useful. I'm planning on a trip to LA in March, to stay with a friend. This free advice is just in time for me.
on 7 February 2004 : 18:37, wendy sez:
on 7 February 2004 : 20:05, qualler sez:
man, that was a great read. i'm ready to get the hell of this arctic cold asap! thanks for the tips.
on 7 February 2004 : 21:41, Damanda sez:
I travel a LOT for fun and have learned to work the system mostly from the web site "Flyer Talk" that justin mentions. I learned, for example, how to fast track to elite status on American Airlines with only two flights to NY in a 3 month period. After achieving elite (Platinum) status on American I earn a 100% mileage bonus (double miles) on all flights and check in daily for super cheap fares on various websites. I once flew roundtrip to London for $207 dollars on American (crazy low fare), which after my 100% mileage bonus netted me nearly 30,000 FF miles... enough for a free plan ahead ticket off season to South America! They were having a reduced mileage award special that month which I learned about from reading the bulletin boards on Flyer Talk. The CURRENT promotion which AA is running that I'm very excited about is the Fly roundtrip twice to either New York or Boston from either LAX or SFO on American before 4/15/04(flights are $181.00 now and you need to do a Saturday stay)OR from Boston or JFK to SFO or LAX and get a free ticket ANYWHERE American flies. ANYWHERE meaning Tokyo, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Germany etc etc! I already have my tickets and am planning to use my Award ticket to visit Brazil for the first time since those tickets rarely are less than $800 and usually are closer to $1200 for coach. A great place to find cheap Domestic fares is a site that's updated daily with the absolute lowest fare to each city from YOUR city. If you aren't an advanced web travel sleuth, you might want to mark the fare code and call the airlines to ask them how to book a flight at that fare. (www.air-fare.com) There are even crazy people that do "mileage runs" simply to qualify for elite status in one trip and there's a whole message board on the Flyer Talk flight where travelers help each other out by posting crazy cheap fares to faraway destinations and help you map out as many indirect connections as possible to rack up those miles. Having elite status on an airline will also automatically move you into an elite tier on the hotel frequent stay programs. My personal favorite is Hilton. At hilton.com you can often find incredibly cheap hotel rooms in London for $60.00 a night which is UNHEARD of and then you get a free upgrade to a suite, making your stay if you're sharing as cheap as staying in a youth hostel. I-Dine offered in conjunction with most frequent flyer programs can help you earn 10 miles per dollar spent at tons of participating bars and restaurants in most major cities. All you have to do is register your credit card and when you pay for your meal on that credit card, you automatically get, for example 700 miles deposited to your frequent flyer account if you spend $70.00 in the restaurant or bar. I'd start by reading the Flyer Talk bulletin boards to get started on your education as a super saavy cheapy traveler!
Good luck!
on 8 February 2004 : 10:41, Aled sez:
Pretty much agree with all of the above. Do all of your flying and staying with the same airline group or same hotel group and rack up the points is the best way to do it. Plan your trip to maximize the number of points and stays so that you get into preferred customer zones quickly. That way you can get cheap rooms and flights, then use your points to move up a class or get a bigger room.
Another good tip is to get a credit card that rewards you miles or points on either your hotel, although the rates of interest tend to be bad on these so make sure to clear it on a regular basis. If you have a corporate card make sure that you sign up for their rewards points scheme so you can transfer any points earned there to bump up your account.
on 8 February 2004 : 10:42, Howard sez:
You fly Jetblue? Are you aware that they provided private data about you to the Feds without your permission?
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,60456,00.html
on 8 February 2004 : 13:24, misuba sez:
You say there are two currencies, time and money. But then you go on about a third currency: comfort - one you seem unwilling to spend.
It's fun to game the frequent flyer system, but have you really sat down to do the math and compare its cost with the cost of being an infrequent flyer?
on 9 February 2004 : 14:00, Damanda sez:
I think the point is that if you LOVE to travel, then you should do all the traveling you can afford to do. I don't think I'd like to die without having left the continent, although many people are completely happy to do so. I'VE done the frequent flyer math and I know that I'm getting to see faraway friends more often and see wondrous things and meet people more than most people and that, to me, is priceless.
on 10 February 2004 : 09:55, Jason sez:
I found that if you purchase your flight around 2 months ahead of time that you will get the cheapest fare. I going to go to Japan again in August, and plan to purchase the tickets in June. The ticket should be anywhere from $700 to $850, and most likely will be through Delta.
I'm not really sure to why this is, but if anyone knows, please explain.
on 16 February 2004 : 12:31, squeek sez: