{"id":302,"date":"2008-08-08T14:02:58","date_gmt":"2008-08-08T19:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/frequent-flier-programs-offering-less-for-more\/"},"modified":"2016-12-17T17:44:53","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T23:44:53","slug":"frequent-flier-programs-offering-less-for-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/frequent-flier-programs-offering-less-for-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Frequent-flier programs offering less for more"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ontheroad\"<\/a>
\nByJoe Brancatelli<\/em><\/p>\n

The new reality — you’ll pay more and get less:<\/strong> The current airline crisis has led the carriers to reexamine their
\nfrequency programs and they’ve decided to charge us new fees and give
\nus fewer freebies. It’s the way of things, unfortunately. Two notable
\ndevaluations have come from Continental<\/a><\/strong> and Alaska Airlines<\/strong>. Effective
\nmid-August, Continental OnePass has increased fees, including those for
\naward changes and redeposits; awards claimed within 21 days of
\ndeparture; and the upgrade co-pay. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines announced
\nsubstantial changes to Mileage Plan beginning November 1. The basic
\naward will rise 5,000 miles to 25,000 miles and there will be a $25 fee
\nfor claiming an award on a partner airline. Most importantly, Alaska is
\nswitching to a three-tier award structure. The new top level, Full
\nFlex, will be unrestricted, but awards will require substantially more
\nmiles than ever before. And Northwest Airlines<\/a><\/strong> <\/strong> is adding a $25-$100 fee
\nfor the privilege of claiming a WorldPerks award. Northwest claims the
\nfees are a fuel surcharge and take effect with awards claimed beginning
\non September 15.<\/p>\n

AIRPORT REPORT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Big changes at the airline club lounges:<\/strong> United Airlines<\/strong> says it will shutter four more Red Carpet Clubs by
\nOctober 10. Gone will be the lounges in Atlanta, Baltimore\/Washington,
\nDallas\/Fort Worth and Minneapolis. Speaking of airport lounges, the
\nPriority Pass program has added two dozen more clubs, including three Delta<\/a><\/strong> Crown Rooms at New York\/Kennedy and one in Atlanta. Also new to
\nthe network: the American Admirals clubs in Honolulu; Santiago, Chile;
\nBogota, Colombia; and Panama. … British Airways<\/strong> says that its
\nremaining flights to London’s Heathrow Airport from North America will
\nswitch to Terminal 5 on October 22. The move from Terminal 4 affects
\nflights from Boston; Calgary; Denver; Montreal; and Seattle. …
\nAdvantage Rent A Car<\/strong> has opened a car rental<\/strong><\/a> location on West 63rd Street
\nnear Chicago’s Midway Airport. … JetBlue Airways<\/strong> says it will slash
\nits capacity by about 10 percent this fall and doesn’t expect to grow
\nat all next year. Most notable casualty: All of itsflights<\/strong><\/a> to Ontario,
\nCalifornia.<\/p>\n

NEED TO KNOW<\/strong><\/p>\n

On-the-road intelligence to help you travel smarter:<\/strong> The Big Six domestic airlines<\/strong><\/a> all own a piece of a new company
\ncalled Sojern. What’s it mean to you? Advertising on boarding passes
\nyou print. Delta is already using the system on some routes. Sojern
\nsays you’ll still be able to print your boarding pass on a single page
\nif you desire. … \u2026 Go!<\/strong>, the Hawaiian inter-island carrier owned by
\nMesa, now charges $10 to check a first bag. … Northwest Airlines<\/strong> is
\nalso piling on the new fees: It becomes the fourth of the Big Six to
\ncharge $15 for the first checked bag. Also upped: the change fee,which
\nis now $150 for domestic tickets. … Speaking of baggage charges,
\nDelta Air Lines said again late in July that it would not impose a
\nfirst-bag fee. … Egyptair<\/strong> has joined the Star Alliance. … US Airways<\/a><\/strong> says it will remove the in-flight entertainment units from its
\nlonger-haul domestic aircraft.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n