It’s commonplace to read that airlines will bend over backward for their most loyal customers. There was in fact an article in the NYT this week arguing just that point. But if you waver in your loyalty in any way, or for any reason, you’ll likely see that bending-over-backward ending really quickly. Timely, then, that reader J.R. writes in with a tale of frustration with the policies and practices of frequent flier program elite membership. He wrote to US Airways:

I have been Chairman’s [Preferred, the top tier of elite status on US Airways] for many years. My wife is expecting our first during the fourth quarter and this will stop my travel for a period of about 3-4 months. I am hoping to retain Chairman’s status but am afraid that with the lack of 4th quarter travel, I will come short. Is
it possible to have this waived to continue my status which I have held for many years due to this circumstance? Thank you for the consideration.

Here is the airline’s response:

Mr. ******,
Thank you for contacting US Airways.
We can certainly understand your desire to maintain your status at this level. We do not make exceptions to Preferred levels in fairness to
those who have worked hard to reach the requirements. We encourage you to do all possible to meet the Preferred criteria before the end of the qualification year on December 31st.
We do allow former Chairman’s Preferred members to cover the difference in their Preferred mileage and segments with a purchase option, however, since you are already a Chairman’s Member, you would have to wait until your current Chairman’s membership expires and at that point we would be able to advise the fee to retain your status.
Thank you for your continued patronage of US Airways.
Molly H.
Club Services

By the book, the airline is absolutely right. He’s not meeting the required mileage cutoff for Chairman’s membership. So he doesn’t get it.

Looking forward, though, they’ve shot themselves in the foot with this customer, a top-tier, 100,000-miles-per-year elite flier for 8 years. As J.R. writes, the lack of flexibility feels like betrayal:

Never felt that I got kicked so hard in the teeth after all the revenue I gave them for so long. If they had someone with an MBA or basic business sense enough to do a forward looking cost-benefit analysis, they would likely see things differently. As it turns out, I will be looking for another airline.

So what’s an airline to do? Bend the rules for big money fliers and keep to-the-book to the run-of-the-mill traveler? Doesn’t seem fair to the lower-tier traveler.

The real solution is to keep some flexibility in an elite scheme. One way to ensure that, in my opinion, is multi-year membership. Lufthansa does this: Top-tier “HON Circle” membership in their Miles & More program is measured based on 600,000 miles (!) earned over two years. Low earnings in one year can be made up in the second.

Alternatively, much like “rollover minutes” on wireless plans, airlines could allow miles over a tier cutoff to go toward the next year. (Delta recently introduced this.) It may mean more top-tier elites than now, which could mean a battle for upgrades. But recognizing longevity of loyalty, and not just short-term loyalty, could still pay off for the airline.

But what do you think? Does J.R. deserve some flexibility after eight years of loyalty? Is US Airways being stupid, or fair, in denying his request? What’s the best way to keep rewarding long-term loyalty without harming your business?

Take the poll, and hit the comments.

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(Reading this via a feed reader or otherwise can’t vote in the poll? Click here to visit the site to vote and leave comments.)

Several readers have sent in e-mails, informing me of airfare deals they’ve gotten in recent days. They’re good, especially to Europe. A few examples:

Reader Diane found a deal from Denver to Amsterdam on US Airways in July: $2068.32 for a family of three, including all taxes and even travel insurance.

Reader Frank is taking his family of four to Paris in June. He’s leaving from the New York area — going over on Open Skies, coming back on L’Avion. It’s costing him more than it cost Diane, but it’s still a decent deal: $1479 per person for a cradle seat, booked on the L’Avion site. (As an aside, I don’t think L’Avion should be calling their product “business class” anymore, especially given that their corporate sister, Open Skies, is categorizing an equivalent seat as premium economy, err, “Prem+.”)

If you’re looking for some off-season discounts to Europe (say, February), and coach class is more your speed, then check Air France. $350 base fare ($490 all-in) from New York to Dublin, for example.

Finally, reader Aurelio booked a sweet spring break fare from Chicago to Last Vegas on United for $119, all-in, round-trip. Those are 2003 prices! Crazy-cheap!

To book some of these deals, you may need to be flexible with your dates or your connections. And be sure to comparison shop. Sites to consider as springboards include FareCompare, Kayak.com, and ITA Software, for starters.

Have you scoped out any good deals of late? Hit the comments with your savvy savings, especially if they might still be available for others to book!

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Reader Tom K. asks:

The US Airways landing in the Hudson was amazing. Thank God (and the captain) for such a great outcome. I’m curious, what happens to the luggage that people left behind? I assume they’re not getting any of it back. What’s the compensation they receive for it?

I suppose that luggage is not at the top of your list if you’ve survived a crash. But perhaps, once the euphoria of survival wears off, passengers’ thoughts will turn to the stuff they left behind, both in the overhead bins and the cargo hold. The answers are in the contract of carriage (PDF), the rules governing the ticket.

The contract states the limits of the airline’s liability. From the contract:

Total liability for provable direct or consequential damages resulting from the loss, delay, or damage to baggage in US Airways’ custody is limited as follows:

A. for travel wholly between U.S. points, to $3300 per customer

B. for most international travel (including domestic portions of international journeys), to $9.07 per pound ($20 per kilo) for checked baggage and $400 per customer for unchecked baggage in the custody/control of the carrier.

Since this was a domestic flight, the “A” rules will likely apply to most passengers — $3300 per passenger maximum. That’s not a guaranteed payout (though, under the circumstances, the airline might just go ahead and cut checks in that amount…) Internationally-connecting passengers would be subject to “B.”

That’s not the end of the rules:

Unless protection is purchased (excess valuation), US Airways assumes no liability for valuable/commercial items including but not limited to: money, negotiable papers, securities, irreplaceable business documents, books, manuscripts, publications, photographic or electronic equipment, musical instruments, jewelry, silverware, precious metals, furs, antiques, artifacts, paintings and other works of art, lifesaving medication, and samples.

Only a travel insurance policy might cover such losses. Might. The credit card used to purchase the ticket may have some coverage, too.

And passengers had better file their claims soon, or they’ll get nothing:

No action shall be maintained for any loss, damage, or delay of checked baggage, unless notice is given in writing to the airlines involved within 45 days (21 days international) from the date of incident and unless the action is commenced within two years from the date of the incident.

These rules in this example apply to US Airways only. Each airline publishes its own rules, so check the contract.

Here’s hoping that this question remains purely academic — and no accidents are in your future.

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Reader David writes in:

Did I miss the memo or is this old news? As plat elite on CO I got an email yesterday on my blackberry alerting me that I was upgraded on my IAH-LGA flight today. I didn’t read the details, but an upgrade to First is always welcome. Upon check in, and re-examination of the email, I was “upgraded” to the exit row! It’s nice but it’s not a real upgrade, is it? How long have they been sending these “upgrade” emails out?

News to me! It’s the first I’ve heard of this, but if readers have had similar experiences, I invite them to share their story in the comments.

Exit rows are generally nice, for the extra legroom, though some travelers dislike that the seats sometimes don’t recline. And they are an improvement, though not technically upgrades according to Continental’s own chart. They should count under the “preferred economy seating” benefit for elites. But that’s still not an upgrade.

I’ve sent a note to Continental media relations, requesting official comment, but it has gone unanswered. Is this a trend? Is it a goof? If they offer an explanation, I’ll post it here.

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Fantastic: Reader David received this e-mail from JetBlue, begging him to book some tickets. Here’s the lead:

“Dear Mr. Soandso?” So and so?

The airline realized its rather impersonal mistake and sent a message to David shortly thereafter, apologizing…

We are so sorry. Recently we sent some of our valued TrueBlue members an email that was incorrectly addressed due to a technical issue with our database.

Please accept our apologies for this error and any offense it may have caused.

Technical issue? Yeah, sure, the computer decided to call David “Mr. Soandso.” Time to write to the CEO, David Barger:

Dear Slick,

Thanks for the e-mail, Champ. I enjoyed the personalization of your last message, Boss, and hope to fly your airline soon, Cap’n. I sure am feelin’ the love, Chief.

Hope you’re keepin’ it real, Ace!

Best regards, yadda yadda yadda,

Mr. Guy, a.k.a. Slick, Dude, Slim, Coach, El Jefe, and, of course, Mr. Soandso

Reader Jon writes in with some advice for those prepaying their car rentals…

While searching for a rental car for a trip to Portland recently, I noticed the link to EasyCar on the Upgrade: site. Investigating, I found a UK-based service providing pre-paid rentals worldwide, through various partners (Alamo in the US).

The price of their rental was $150 less than the best price I could find otherwise (including Hotwire and the best name-your-own that Priceline would accept). And, unheard-of in this country, it included CDW. I was skeptical, but when an e-mail to their customer service confirmed that a US citizen could book a car, I took a chance.

Two remarks: First, EasyCar is indeed a legit company. They’re an outcropping of the airline EasyJet. But while Jon’s story is about his experience with EasyCar, his lessons hold true for any prepaid car rental reservation.

Second, rates automatically bundling in Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) are indeed more commonplace for rentals booked from European sites than American sites. I’ve seen this on rentals from big name providers like Avis, as well as from wholesalers and agencies like EasyCar.

Anyway, back to Jon’s story:

It turned out that, indeed, I got my pre-paid rental for the agreed-upon price. There were only two small hitches: although the documentation from EasyCar clearly showed on the front page that the rental was for Portland, OR, somehow at least the return had gotten into Alamo’s computer as Portland, *Maine*, so [Alamo] tried to charge me for a one-way rental.

Po-tay-to, po-tah-to?

Further, although the contract indicated that gas might be offered as an *option*, Alamo’s computer showed it as required. After some debate with the local manager, the one-way problem was corrected, and they agreed to charge but then credit back the tank of gas.

Anyone wishing to try EasyCar should be advised to read carefully all the paperwork and bring it with them to the rental counter. Be prepared to dispute any charges that don’t belong, and be aware that it won’t be easy to contact EasyCar if there’s a problem. (Alamo said the 888- number on my paperwork didn’t work for them, and they refused to call the overseas number. Luckily, they eventually worked it out on their own.)

Glad things worked out in the end, Jon, though I’m sorry you had such a fight on your hands.

Having to break out your inner lawyer isn’t necessarily limited to EasyCar bookings, to prepaid bookings, or … well, there’s really no limit to the kind of bookings you need to watch like a hawk. But prepaid reservations require an especially watchful eye, because there are so many things that can be included, or not. Taxes, fuel, insurance, surprise fees…

Jon did the right thing in printing out reams of documentation. Print (or keep an electronic copy on your laptop of) more than your confirmation; print the FAQ’s, print the contact info, print the terms, print anything that explains what you should be getting.

Another thing to look out for, when you’re considering using a prepaid service: Pay attention to where the transaction is actually charged to your credit card. (It’s either in the terms and conditions, or on the last page of the booking, before you confirm the purchase.) Why should you care? If you’re holding an American card and the charges are issued in another country (such as the UK for EasyCar) you will most likely incur a foreign transaction fee — even if it’s not a foreign currency that’s being charged to the account. Prepaid hotel specialist GTA Hotels comes to mind — they have some good deals, but when you’re comparison-shopping, calculate an extra percent or two to cover the foreign transaction fee, as GTA tends to issue the charge from Turkey.

Prepaid car reservations can be a great (and legit) way to save money. But do your homework, and fight for your rights.

Reader Jeff writes in:

I’ve been told that there are no upgrade seats available for a flight I’ll be taking in a few weeks. But, I can see that the first class section is wide open.

The telephone agent (Continental Airline) said that I should keep calling as an upgrade seat might open up.

What’s the best strategy here? When is the best time to call to try to snag an unsold first class seat and get an upgrade using my miles?

Your frustration is understandable. You look at the seating chart, and there are unreserved seats, so you think you’re “in.” But no dice. Not so fast.

As you found out, empty seats on a chart don’t always correspond to seats available for upgrades. There are several reasons.

Empty seats on the chart doesn’t mean there are unsold seats. The airline may have already sold first class tickets, but not assigned seats yet.

More likely: Their inventory managers know the sales history for a particular flight, and similarly “know” that a last minute rush for first class tickets always magically appears on that flight. They could be holding back upgrades, hoping to sell those seats for cold, hard cash.

Or, sure, they might just be screwing with you.

The bottom line is this: There’s no magic bullet, and you’ll have to keep trying. Upgrades will open up when inventory managers throw in the towel on cash sales. Since you can’t book miles-based upgrades online with Continental, you just have to keep calling.

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Reader Joe writes in:

I live in Ventura, California, and I was looking at a flight to Philadelphia. But the fares don’t make sense. It’s cheaper for me to fly from Santa Barbara to LAX to Philadelphia than it is to fly nonstop LAX-PHL. I don’t get it. It’s cheaper to connect at LAX??! I’m flying further, so why is it less? About $80 less, too. Why??

Ahh, airline economics. Use more of a resource, pay less! But believe it or not there’s sometimes a logic to it.

In fact, this is quite common. I recently faced a similar thing when buying a ticket. It was cheaper to fly from Greensboro to Charlotte, and onward to San Diego, that to fly nonstop from Charlotte to San Diego. Adding the Greensboro to Charlotte leg actually caused the price to drop about $70.

Two important things to remember:
1) Pairs matter. Distance doesn’t.
Fares won’t necessarily depend on the route you fly. Fares are based on city pairs — the departure and destination city.
2) Supply and Demand.
Supply and competition for a particular route will generally trump other economic factors like distance flown.

Airlines price flights based not only on the costs they incur, but also on the demand for the route and the amount of competition for the particular city pair. In your case, Joe, the LAX-Philadelphia route may have seen hefty sales already, selling out the cheaper seats on that route. But the Santa Barbara-Philadelphia city pair may have seen only light sales, so the cheap seats could still have been available.

And don’t forget fare sales: If a competitor is driving prices lower on the Santa Barbara-Philadelphia route, then prices are likely to drop. This is especially noticeable when a new, cheaper competitor starts service from a city. (The “Southwest Effect” is a common phrase to describe the effect of fares on a city when Southwest starts service in a market.)

[As a sidebar: Given the fact that you'll have to change planes, thereby risking a misconnection and spending more time in airports, is it really worth saving a few bucks to increase your inconvenience? You might also be paying a nonstop premium, which could easily be worth it. I realize your question was about why the price difference exists, but the lower price may still be a bad value.]

Bottom line: If you’re trying to make sense of an airfare, ignore distance. Ignore where you’re changing planes. And ignore superficial logic. Focus on price for the explanation.

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Reader J writes in, with the excellent subject line “Sidestepping government buffoonery”:

So I was wondering if you know if it’s possible to get a temporary PO box or a similar thing in order to mail your shampoo, cologne and other liquids to yourself at your destination city ahead of time to make sure you know it’s there before you even step on the plane. Are there such services?

Why yes!

You’ve got a few options, actually, and as long as you’re packing well and not mailing things that violate postal service regulations, then this could be a great way to avoid checked luggage, avoid the theatrics of the TSA war on moisture, and avoid having to buy stuff at your destination, all in one swoop!

There are essentially three options:

1. Your hotel
   Where you stayin’? Call the hotel, ask if they hold mail for guests, and what the restrictions are. In all likelihood, this will be the most convenient and most reliable way for you to receive packages. Tip: Be sure you include “hotel guest” after your name when you address the package.
2. Post office
   The magic words: “Poste restante,” or “general delivery.” Poste restante is an old fashioned mail-pickup service that most countries’ postal services still provide. Mail is addressed to a person, but in lieu of an address for delivery, the mail is sent to a post office branch, where you pick it up. You’ll usually address mail to Name, Poste Restante, the specific name of the post office (usually the main, central office), that branch’s street location, city, postal code, and country. Of course, you need to KNOW the location you’ll be picking it up from beforehand. Check the website of your destination’s postal service before you ship things off. FYI: The USPS’s sparse info page for general delivery is here.
3. American Express
   American Express cardmembers and travelers’ check holders can have mail sent to an American Express Travel Services office anywhere in the world. I took advantage of this once, and it worked great, but it’s been a while (1994). See here to find an office. Call them before sending them mail, and ask if they receive and hold Amex client mail. Not every office will do it.

In all of these cases, underline the addressee’s last name for good measure, or write it in all caps. It can’t hurt to put a statement like “Hold until (date)” on the front of the envelope or package, too.

There may be some restrictions, such as weight. Take New Zealand’s poste restante rules, for example: Packages under 2kg are stored at no charge. Over that weight, and you’ll pay a fee to pick up the goods. Be sure to check with your destination’s post office rules before you ship stuff off poste restante.

Locations holding your mail won’t hold it forever, either. 30 days in the norm, but it’s not universal. (In Mexico, for example, it might only be 10 days.) When in doubt, call ahead.

And even if you mail things to yourself at your destination, be sure you’re not mailing something you’d be upset to lose. Mail can be slow, or can disappear. If you care about the contents, insure.

So the bottom line: Yes, you CAN mail things ahead of time. But at the end of the day, which is the bigger hassle? Dealing with the TSA, or dealing with the post office?

Related:
- Update: TSA compresses 100ml to 3.0 fluid ounces
- Airport Security: TSA Re-Allows Lighters on Board; Non-Flammable Water Still a Threat to Safety
- Rescuing your prohibited carry-on items from the trash
- Japan and China introduce liquid-explosive detectors: Why can’t the US?
- American Express (aff)

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Reader Anton asks:

How do you search for Premium Economy fares? Many airlines (trans-Atl, trans-Pac) have them but NONE of the travel sites/search engines allow you to look for them?!

You’re absolutely right, Anton: You’ll be hard-pressed to find a website that let’s you search for premium economy fares in a way that compares apples to apples.

“True” premium economy is typically a separate mini-cabin on long-haul international flights, and compared to regular economy, it usually offers some combination of wider seats, more legroom, more recline, and better food and drink. Better than coach, but not quite business class. As Dave Demerjian noted in his recent roundup of premium economy options in Business Traveler magazine, some airlines also let premium economy customers check in with the (shorter) business class lines at the airport.

Airlines that feature true premium economy include Air New Zealand, ANA, British Airways, EVA, JAL, SAS, Singapore (ultra long-haul flights like Newark to Singapore only), Thai, Virgin Atlantic. (Acronymic airline names apparently increase the likelihood of a premium economy cabin!)

While that list is not authoritative, there’s one glaring (and intentional) omission: United’s Economy Plus. Economy Plus, at the front of United’s cabin, only offers extra legroom, but none of the other features or services typically associated with premium economy.

Fares for true premium economy can vary widely, but they are rarely cheap, making a search engine for these fares especially desirable. When there’s a sale, fares might be a tiny smidge above regular economy, and thus a great deal. Or, they could run above full-fare economy rates, which is muscling into business class fare levels. At that point, you’re overpaying.

So far, there hasn’t been an aggregator or online travel agency that has created a tool that searches for premium economy fares. And travelers — and, I’d argue, airlines too — have lost out.
UPDATE: Reader Brian in comments notes that Expedia’s UK site does let you narrow your searches to premium economy. But you may run into trouble if you need to book a connection (in regular economy) to the long-haul flight in premium economy. But it’s a start!

So why is it so hard to find these fares? Each airline has a proprietary economy fare basis code for premium economy. And because that code is in the economy fare-class universe, search engines can’t parse it out from regular back-of-the-bus economy class tickets in fare searches.

So you’re left hunting and pecking, browsing over to each individual airline’s website and check the prices. Or doing the same thing by phone. Perhaps you could find a travel agent, too. But honestly, there’s got to be a way to solve this problem. FareCompare? Kayak? I’m looking at you guys!

Related:
- Demystifying premium economy
- Space by Space Basis (Business Traveler Magazine)