June 4, 2015: Everyone has frequent flyer miles – you fly to earn them or just use a credit card that matches purchases with earned miles—sure seems simple and at one time neat way to earn flights.
Well the airlines have now added so many requirements and mystery rules to their programs, use of miles for flights has become a full time accounting and hands on management project. And these programs are now a huge profit center for airlines with all the use fees as well as miles that can be earned by direct sale.
What bugs the Travel Curmudgeon is all the fees added on for your “free” ticket—most earned by the airlines’ most coveted and profitable heavy user business traveler—the ones that pay the high last minute fares for travel or for flight changes.
UAL a classic example of what’s gone wrong with the program – fees of more than $80 to use a free earned domestic mileage ticket – as well as their new trick in assigning you the dreaded middle seat when there are plenty of aisle seats available! For another $75 or more you can buy your way into an aisle seat – each way. So now your so-called “free earned ticket” has cost you over a $150 – and more if you want an aisle seat on the return!
Come on now. With airline profits at record levels – UAL can’t you show some respect and drop all the confusing rules and fees?
