If you’re an elite member of a frequent flyer program and you’re looking for a status match at United, you may have a window of opportunity, thanks to the sad demise of Brazil’s Varig. Even if you’re not a traveler to Brazil, this might benefit you.

Varig went bankrupt and lost its membership the Star Alliance, so other Star Alliance members are jockeying to pick up the elite frequent flyers in the now-defunct Varig “Smiles” program. The Star Alliance webpage lists the different status match programs that are available to Smiles members until April 30, 2007. Air Canada, Lufthansa, South African, Swiss, and TAP are all granting status matches to Varig’s elites.

BUT: United goes one further. Their rules doesn’t specify that the status match is only open to Varig flyers, either on the Star Alliance site or on their own page. So this is where it gets interesting.

The offer on the United page reads:

We are pleased to offer you the opportunity to participate in our elite status match promotion, offering top-tier flyers with other airlines an equivalent* status in the Mileage Plus elite program. This offer is valid for status matches received between January 22 and April 30, 2007.

Emphasis added. No mention of Varig, though the address and fax number for sending in the documentation are in Brazil. (The asterisk in the quote above indicates that they will match to Premier or Premier Executive, but not to Premier Executive 1K.)

Worth a shot, and a fax to Sao Paulo.

Related:
- Debating the value of elite status

(via MilesLink)

Update: From recent comments, it seems that this offer has been pulled. Sorry to those who missed out.

United Airlines is playing Santa a little late. (Or maybe they’re tipping their hat to the Orthodox calendar?) United is making it ridiculously easy to obtain elite status.

For some time, American Airlines has offered their so-called “challenges,” whereby you obtain elite status for a full year by flying a fraction of those miles within 90 days. Most airlines have been loath to offer such shortcuts to elite status. (American’s challenges measure qualifying points, not just miles, so be sure to understand the rules. A basic overview is here. An old but generally still correct primer on the subject of AA challenges is here.)

Now United is following American’s lead and offering a similar program. This is different from United’s earlier “pre-paid” status. Last year, and perhaps earlier, United offered prepaid “gift cards” for $5,000, $10,000, or $20,000, that came with Premier, Premier Executive, or 1K benefits, respectively. But the airline’s adoption of fast-track challenges is new.

According to this thread on FlyerTalk, you’ll need to call the United Mileage Plus (1-800-421-4655) and ask to participate in the challenge. Mention offer code MPP557.

The terms: Pay $100 to participate. Then earn 6,250 elite-qualifying miles within 90 days of registering to earn Premier status. Earn 12,500 elite-qualifying miles on United within 90 days of registering to earn Premier Executive status (which gives Star Alliance Gold status). All paid United tickets qualify, and higher fare classes and premium cabins give a bonus. Only United/United Express/Ted flights count, so no codeshares or alliance flights. If you want to go all the way to 1K, however, there are two caveats: 1) You need to have been 1K in 2006 and failed to requalify for 2007, and 2) only tickets booked in the more expensive fare classes (F, A, P, C, D, Z, Y or B) will count for the challenge.

Status obtained through such a challenge will last through February 2008. Thereafter, you’ll have to earn it the hard way. Unless, of course, another challenge crops up…

If you’re going to be flying anyway, and you don’t already have the elite mojo, this might be worth your while. A mileage run (flying for the sake of miles) might be worth it, too, if the price is right. 12,500 elite-qualifying miles aren’t really that hard to obtain, and this is a really cheap route to elite status.

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Marilyn Adams of USA Today details the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General’s report on the state of the airlines. Mostly unsurprising: Airlines aren’t consistently following their own published rules and guidelines regarding such things like compensation for voluntarily being bumped for a flight.

Airlines? Inconsistent? Big shock.

But buried in the article, there was this nugget:

Passengers can’t make informed decisions about which frequent-flier plans to join because airlines don’t explain policies or report annual frequent-flier mile redemptions in a consistent way, the report says. It recommends DOT consider new rules to standardize airlines’ public reports of frequent-flier mileage redemptions.

Whoa, now! That would be news.

The rules of these programs are indeed often byzantine, but more importantly, it’s hard to know, just by looking at the rules, how easily you’ll actually get the goodies you’re hoping to receive. For some time, airlines have claimed that award redemptions are just peachy, and that everyone who wants a seat can get one. They generally haven’t revealed whether tickets were being redeemed at the normal “saver” level, or at the doubly expensive “anytime” award level.

It sounds as if the DOT is proposing a level of government oversight over frequent flyer programs similar to the SEC’s regulation of accounting for publicly-traded corporations. The devil is in the details, of course.

But perhaps the threat alone of such regulation will spur the airlines to be more forthcoming with the real nitty-gritty details of their programs.

Chase is offering an astronomical 25,000 bonus miles when you sign up for their United Airlines Mileage Plus Signature Visa and spend $250 on the card. There’s no annual fee in the first year. After a year they charge $60.

25,000 miles gets you a free domestic ticket.

The fine print says the offer is for new customers only, but it’s possible the bank might waive that requirement. (The link is handled by FirstUSA, which is a subsidiary of Chase, FYI.)

Via Gary Leff.

Tim Winship notes a change to United Airlines’ Economy Plus program. Getting a seat in the forward section of coach, which offers up to 5 inches more legroom than the rear of the plane, certainly has always been a great feature, especially since American eliminated their “More Room Throughout Coach.”

Now, the zone is reserved for elites in United’s Mileage Plus program, and those who pay to upgrade their legroom. (If a flight is booked solid, you can get lucky and get seats in the E+ zone, too.)

The change to the policy is subtle, if you’re not looking for it. (I sure wasn’t.) Two categories of United customers are no longer given access to Economy Plus: passengers on expensive/full-fare tickets, and elites on other Star Alliance airlines.

While it may make it easier for United elites (myself included) to find a seat in the more spacious Economy Plus section, I don’t agree with Tim that this is a good thing. For starters, the people on the expensive tickets are subsidizing everyone else. Throw them a bone, for God’s sake. That way they’ll come BACK.

And the elites on other Star Alliance airlines now have little reason to choose United for their travels. If you’re hooked on a Star Alliance frequent flyer program, you can earn miles on any of the member airlines. Why give United your cash, when, as an elite, you can get an exit row seat on US Airways?

Maybe United thinks that more people will pay to upgrade their seats, but I have my doubts. If anything, I imagine that this could reduce revenue for the airline.

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If you’ve traveled to a major hub airport, you’ve probably seen (or used) separate “elite” security lines. Two weeks ago, the Washington post offered an editorial opposing the existence of these separate lines. On Tuesday, USA Today picked up the thread. The WaPo summarized the argument against the VIP lines in the context of the new security rules:

Most air travelers took the beefed-up security — and the occasionally interminable waits that followed — in stride. First- and business-class passengers in most airports, on the other hand, didn’t have to. As usual, higher-class passengers skipped most of the security queues at hubs such as Dulles and Los Angeles international airports. That’s hardly fair.
We understand why travelers in first class and business get preferential treatment in airline baggage lines; it’s one of the perks they pay for. Checked baggage handling is a service that airlines elect to provide, and they can administer it however they see fit. But does the same logic extend to an official public service? When security alerts [...] bring hassle and delay, it shouldn’t be only the travelers with coach seats who have to sacrifice their time to ensure the safety of American aviation.

The argument that essential government-provided services shouldn’t be doled out by class is a powerful one. But while I think of myself as a pretty egalitarian guy, I’m going on record in defense of elitism in this case. Hear me out.

For starters, the TSA is not to blame for this. It’s the airlines and the airports that control who gets in line, and how. Once they reach the front of the line, the government’s screeners take over. So the government absolves itself of responsiblity. The question remains if airports and airlines should divide the lines into elites and non-elites. I say yes.

For starters, it’s not just business and first class passengers who use the elite lines, when these lines even exist. (Not all airports have them; USA Today listed most American airports with the lines at the bottom of their article.) It’s predominantly the airlines’ most frequent flyers — the people flying 25,000 or more miles per year — who use these lines. Sometimes on cheap fares. They might be flying in first, sure, but they’re very, very often in coach. More importantly, most people in the elite line have had their butts in seats a lot more than the occasional traveler. They tend to be business travelers who have to fly, not leisure travelers who want to fly. The line is a perk, but it’s a perk that’s earned by spending a lot more time walking through magnetometers.

Having such lines is a smart business decision, not a matter of security. These passengers are the airlines’ best customers, and they’re rewarded with the option of special lines. Like a bank that offers a line for business clients, or the Home Depot with its contractors-only line, airlines want to make sure the best customers get the least hassle. Keeping these passengers happy (or at least happier) keeps airlines in business for the rest of the traveling public. Tick frequent flyers off enough, and they’ll do what they can to avoid traveling. (Online meetings, driving, etc.)

Once they’re in the TSA’s hands, elites aren’t hassled less, frisked more gently, or allowed any latitude in security. No. The best they get is a shorter wait for the same exact security treatment.

And elite lines aren’t even always the shortest lines. At O’Hare’s Terminal 1, where I have the privilege of using one such elite line, I often opt to use the smaller security checkpoint near the hallway connecting to Terminal 2. It’s often got no line at all, and it’s open to everyone, elite or not. (See here for a partial list of similar security checkpoint shortcuts.) And if the elite line is empty, “regular” passengers fill the gap.

This sort of predisposition toward elites at airports isn’t limited to the United States. In fact, in some cases overseas the frequent flyers in coach are screwed, too, and it’s truly just a matter of first class getting the royal treatment: At London’s Heathrow Airport, passengers in business or first class get a “Fast Track” golden ticket that lets you cut the line for passport controls.

Other airports are introducing automated traveler registries, like “Privium” at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. A retinal scan confirms your identity, no further questions are asked, and off you go. But you still pass through metal detectors, and your luggage is scanned.

Critics of a class division in America’s airports might consider reserving their ire for TSA’s Registered Traveler Program. Orlando’s airport offers one such program, called “Clear,” which gives you faster access to the TSA’s metal detectors, in exchange for a background check and fingerprinting. No one gets a free pass through security, either, just a shorter line. But the program is approved by the TSA: in this instance, the government IS offering faster access to security for those who pay for it.

(Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t really get the appeal of the Registered Travel Program. Since the program is aimed at people who fly a lot, and those are usually elite-level frequent flyers, isn’t a program like “Clear” redundant if an airport already has an elite line for security?)

In any case, Tim Winship is right that the far more important issue is getting the speed and efficacy of airport security fixed — for everyone.

But until then, elite lines are fine with me.

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