Reader David writes:
I was on an American flight this week and noticed that the theme for their annual Road Warrior issue is the James Bond inspired “Miles Are Forever.” I found that particularly amusing given the new 18 month mileage expiration, which doesn’t exactly seem like forever to me…
Ha, indeed! I guess “Miles are 18 Months” didn’t have the same cachet.
Every year, American Airlines runs a contest to name their “ultimate road warrior.” I have to admit, the 007-theme of this year’s contest is fun, and the styling is good, but the irony that the miles aren’t actually “forever” is dynamite.
Look on the bright side: You might not be able to keep the miles you earned forever, but they’ll never be able to take away the hours and hours you spent on the plane. Those, indeed, are yours forever.
(…And to ward off nitpicking: Yes, I know that you can extend the life of your miles another 18 months by flying more or redeeming miles, so the award winners won’t risk losing their miles anytime soon. But still.)
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January 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
‘For your miles only?’
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
“You Only Redeem Twice”
“Fly Another Day”
“The Miles are not Enough”
“Tomorrow Never Flies”
Stop me!
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Terrible, terrible puns. (Smiling.)
Just a note that might help people with expiring miles. To keep miles active, your account just needs activity. In addition to flying or redeeming miles, this can include gifting as few as 250 miles to charity or purchasing extra miles.
January 29th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Sofoflyer sounds like an American rep or PR person. Just look at the tone of the note.
Bottom line I quit using American after they canceled some of my miles with no warning due to inactivity. I now avoid them even though my company has a deal with them. My travel patterns change over time and they have missed out on a ton of my recent travel as a result - since now I have a client in one of their main markets. I just drive to Dulles and use United instead of DCA for American.
This whole policy change is just a way to get miles off their books - since people are earning way too many with the credit cards and other offers.