Travel plan idea blog

Trying to find that elusive frequent flyer seat

If you have tried to use your frequent flier miles recently, you’ll know how difficult it can be to try to cash them in. When American Airlines introduced the world’s first frequent flier program back in 1984, it had little idea how popular the innovative program would become.

The program became a victim of its own success – there were not enough ‘free’ seats for people, a problem which most of us are only too well aware still exists today. So here are a few tips for trying to get that elusive mileage seat...

Make sure you are talking to the right person! Most airlines have a specialized mileage reservations department – if you call to cash in your miles, or have general questions make sure you are speaking to that department. If you feel you aren’t getting good service, call back and speak to someone else.

Book early! Try to book as far ahead as you can; most airlines can book almost a year ahead. It’s almost impossible to get mileage seats to Europe during the summer or the Caribbean at Christmas unless you book a long way ahead. Consider booking dates that are close to those that you want - there’s usually no charge to make date changes to mileage tickets once booked. However, airlines are starting to use extra charges more often.

Try to be flexible with your dates and times; sometimes the least popular times of day may have mileage seats available. Mileage seats may be available on connecting flights – even if you have to change planes twice. You may want to also look at flying to an alternate destination; if flights to Los Angeles are full, try flying into Burbank or Long Beach. Try Oakland instead of San Francisco.

If all else fails, try calling the airline back in a few days – mileage availability can constantly change as airlines may make available more seats on a flight. You can also easily check mileage availability on line with most airlines.

Don’t forget to ask about using your miles on partner airlines. Most airlines also have mileage ‘partners’- for example if you have American frequent flier miles, you can also use those miles to fly on British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific and a dozen other major airlines. So if you have miles on a particular airline and they don’t fly where you want to fly – or they don’t have mileage seats – maybe they can get you there somehow.

Compare mileage programs, get tips and keep up with the latest news at http://www.frequentflier.com.

Finally, keep in mind that it doesn’t always pay to use your miles; you may want to compare it against the cost of the ticket. Many people accrue their miles over years (on JAL they expire after 2 years) and use them for a once in a lifetime trip overseas.

Guest article by Mancunian

Posted by James Trotta at June 10, 2007 5:30 AM