Hello fellow FT's!

I'm a new member who will be starting a new consulting job in Columbus OH. This of course will require constant travel (100-150k/year) hence my joining this group. I've been reading through many posts on this board and am quite impressed by the knowledge and insight that many of you display here.

So here are my questions to all you seasoned travel pros....

As CMH is serviced pretty equally by all the majors, which FF program shoid I join? (I currently have 22k on UA and 9k on AA) Should I choose one of these, or do other carriers offer a better overall program? I know I will be flying at least 100k per year, so my major concern will be upgrades and how easy it will be to actually get upgraded each time, etc.. Additionally, I've seen that AA has a fast track program to Gold or Platinum, does UA or others have something similar (also any hotel programs)??

Thanks in advance for your help and advice. I'm looking forward to becoming an active and particiapting member of the FlyerTalk community.

Best regards,
Gene

 

Join every airline and hotel program you can. If you are flying that much you will find great deals throughout the various programs and you never know when some miles will be beneficial. (Like the current AA 20K promo where a transfer of 10 orphan miles through Points.com from an airline frequent flyer account that you have never used, but received 500 miles for an e-mail address submission; suddenly those miles are worth 1000 miles in your AA account.)

Which program to maximize your miles in is a much more difficult decision.

 

if you know where you will be going, that could make a difference. if you don't join every program you fly on & let it evolve. in the meantime [greenwich, of course] use what is most convinient for you.

 

How to Choose a Frequent Flyer Program
http://www.frequentflier.com/ffp-006.htm

 

If you are in Columbus, you would be best to go with Continental. America West has a hub there and you have direct flights. You earn CO or NW miles on HP. Secondly, when you fly CO you could back track to Newark for transcontinental flights. Many of the big carriers otherwise have ATRs out of Columbus and NW has DC9s connecting in Detroit. Besides, CO has one of the best elite programs and very good bonus miles opportunities.

However, if you travel internationally like I do, you would be better off with AA. Their reach and global alliance is wonderful and easier to understand than UA and Star Alliance. Only familiar with AA Regional Jet service to DCA from Columbus.


------------------
"Fly me to the moon and let me earn alot of miles."

 

Now that I've attained Executive Platinum status with American Airlines, I'm batting almost 100% on sticker upgrades (confirmed 100 hours pre-flight, availability permitting), I love the VIPOWs for international upgrades (enough for four round-trips, inventory permitting), I accrue double miles for all of my flights, and the EXP desk takes great care of me. If the American Airlines/TWA network works for you, take a hard look at the AADvantage program.

 

They have RJ service to BOS and ORD also. BOS would be your best bet for Premium Transcons on AA and intl Flagship flights.

There's always the mainline service to DFW.

Your best bet is to surf the boards and take a couple of flights. Some of us people here are diehard FF program supporters. Find one that will fit you. Some of us have preferred carriers on the job and that chooses the airline for us.

Take me for an example. I'm EXP on AA and have been flying AA exclusively for the past 2.5 yrs. Now, the company won't let me fly AA anymore; have to fly UA now. I can't stand the service I get from UA, but they have some advantages for 1Ks that AA doesn't have for EXPs like quarterly SWUs. But, the 1K desk is nothing compared to the EXP desk.

UA and AA charge for upgrades; they only give you 4 free for every 10K. While on CO, you get free upgrades w/space available.

I can't tell you which way to go; you're just gonna have to try some out and find out which ones you like.

 

My advice --

If you're doing between 100-150k/year, concentrate IMMEDIATELY on one program and stick with it thru the end. At least for the two biggies -- AA/UA -- the top tier is almost like flying an entirely different airline in terms of the service you get.

As for which program you go with, you need to decide what's most important to you. Things to take into account --

(a) Route Network. How many places does the airline fly, and how many stops will it take you to get to them. As far as i know, CMH isn't a hub for any airline you'd want to fly on a regular basis, so no one has a decisive advantage here. But consider what cities each airline will have you connecting to.

(b) International travel. If you plan a lot of international travel, you'll probably want to stick with AA or UA, because of Star Alliance and One world. These two look similar at first blush, but there are a LOT of subtle differences. With AA/One World, you get your 100% mileage bonus on the partner airlines, while with UA/*A, you get the base miles, but not the bonus.

(c) Ease of domestic upgrades. At top tier US/CO/NW, you'll get unlimited domestic upgrades (availability permitting) without paying anything. At AA/UA, you get comped for 2,000 miles of travel for every 10,000 miles you fly. But it gets more interesting than that. DL, for instance, won't let you upgrade from their cheaper fares. AA and UA will let you confirm a companion upgrade at the sime time you are upgraded in advance of the flight, while CO/NW will do it only immediately before departure if there are still seats left. DL never lets you use your status to upgrade a companion.

(d) International Upgrades. Here there are a lot of differences. Different airlines each have different rules for which fares can and can not be upgraded. AA tends to be the most liberal (almost any fare, even some that won't earn you any miles), while DL is the most restrictive (only Y/B/M can be upgraded internationally). Everyone else falls inbetween AA and DL. But there are more differences, too. For instance, CO won't let you confirm an int'l upgrade until 30 days prior to departure.

(e) Bonus miles. At top tier, most airlines will give you 100% bonus miles. CO gives you 125% bonus miles.

(f) Top tier benefits. Most airlines offer an extra "kicker" on top of the incrimental benefits for their top tier fliers. On AA, the kickers are comped domestic upgrades on Y/B fares, access to the EXP desk (which can and does waive fees), and 8 VIPOW's (which can be used for a one-way upgrade systemwide on AA). At UA, you get 6 systemwide upgrades, and access to the 1K desk, which is nice, but isn't at the level of AA's EXP desk. At DL, you get unlimited domestic upgrades (except on L/U fares), and 6 SWU's per year, but you're handled by the same desk that handles the Gold Medallions, and you won't get fees waived. DL and CO will give you complimentary lounge access.

(g) Fleet. This can be a huge difference. AA flies tons of MD-80's, which a lot of people don't like. UA still has lots of crappy old 727's. CO flies their long-haul domestic flights in 737's. DL packs their new planes like sardines in coach.

(h) Premium Products. If your going to do int'l travel, and your company will pay for you to be in Biz Class, do you want to be able to upgrade to first? Among the domestic airlines, only AA and UA (and sometimes US) offer an int'l FC product. But DL and CO have them beat in when it comes to just Biz class, so if you'll be upgrading from Y to J, CO or DL might be a better choice.

There are a whole host of other considerations, but I hope this helps.

Good luck.

 

2 Many Miles,
Great post. How about a hotel comparison.

 

Wow! You guys are great, thanks for all the replies (especially 2_Many_Miles lots of good info )

I've flown AA 2 times this Spring (ORD-MIA, ORD-YUL) in coach, I was impressed by the space and the service was fairly good. However, I have been flying UA since I was 10, so I am a little partial to them. So it really comes down to a tough decision, between AA and UA I think I'm leaning towards joining AA.

Although, I'm still seriously considering CO or NW since I'd prefer to be able to fly business or first as much as possible. In terms of routing, most of my clients will be in the USA with a few internationally. I think most of the big domestic carriers should serve me pretty well.

Again, thanks for all the info folks. Is there any hotel program that stands out from the others?

Regards,
Gene

 

I used to live in Columbus and found that for the westerly travel that I tended to do, UA was the best. Plus it had better a/c than most of the other airlines (no MD-80s or DC-9s for me, thanks!)

Based on the current timetable, you can get to three UA hubs (ORD, DEN and IAD) a total of 19 times a day. To ORD, from whence you can connect to basically the entire country, you're looking at many flights on 757s, which are my favorite in economy (rows 8/9).

Plus UA has a strong Asian network, both on its own metal and on Star Alliance partners. Finally, if you have any faith whatsoever that the US merger will go through, you'll have access to probably the strongest network on the Eastern seaboard.

Mike

 

GeneCMH, you also asked about hotel programs. I think the same advice goes for them as for the airlines...you have to go with what works best for you. It doesn't matter if Chain A has the world's best program if you never go where they have properties.

Within that, I think you'll almost always find a choice among:
Hilton
Marriott
Starwood

These chains have properties all over the place, and you should be able to find something with them Also, their programs tend to be fairly highly rated, although NONE of them are perfect! I've also heard pretty good things about Hyatt, but they are more limited in scope than the "Big 3" so I never had much chance to be a frequent stayer.

Important thing with the hotel programs, though, is go for the top tier. Not just elite level, but top tier elite. Hilton is pretty good with their Gold level bennies, but with the other two, you need top level to get the best service.

Don't take the above as gospel, it's just my personal experience/opinion. In any case, best of luck and I hope it is an adventure, not a unwelcome drudgery to you!

-Harry

 

Forget it. It's IC, Starwood, Hilton in that order ( If I am correct )

 

If you are planing to fly 150,000 miles or more, I would suggest doing 100,000 on one airline (to reach top tier). Then once you have top tier, try to reach second tier on another airline. This way you could have a back up airline.

 

for anyone who doesn't fly very often, NW is the best option. their miles do NOT expire. of course, if you do fly frequently this will not apply to you. i really like their program.