Frequent flyer miles programs
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Frequent flyer miles
programs
The frequent flyer miles
program is an incentive program offered by an airline company to reward
its regular customers. The program allows you to earn free miles from
the airlines for every flight from them. It is simply a give-and-take
offer from the airlines; however, the regular flier can utilize this
opportunity for saving miles for his future travels.
The Frequent Flyer Miles
Program was initiated by American Airlines in 1981 under the name AAdvantage.
They offered ‘a mile for a mile’ program for a selected list of
regular customers. Followed by their success in it, the United Airlines
also kicked off a similar program under the name Mileage Plus and beat
the Aadvantage program with an ‘enrollment bonus’ of 5000 miles.
These programs are the
reflections of the struggle of the airlines to survive in the competing
market. The belief in the fundamental business principle encourages
these companies to retain their existing customers than looking for
new customers. The airlines are benefited the most if they are able
to retain a group of regular fliers.
There are many aspects
to be considered before opting for a frequent flyer program. The most
important is the quality of the program as well as the quality of the
airlines. The airlines you choose should be the dominant one in your
country, and they should offer convenient flights as per your traveling
habits. You can check the quality of these programs from the online
surveys such as the Freddie Awards.
It is easy to accrue
the mileage in a very short period of time and get qualified for more
offers and freebies under the ‘elite status’. The normal criterion
to reach the elite status is to collect 25,000 miles points. The elite
category is further subdivided as silver, gold and platinum. The more
you earn, the better will be your status. The beneficial offers under
the elite category include lounging, preferred boarding and gratis miles
awarded to the existing points.
For a non-frequent traveler,
there are programs that can be beneficial to them even during their
inactive flight periods. These programs are generally offered as a combination
of services such as hotel accommodation, car rentals, and shopping.
Travelers who are not on the habit of moving regularly can entitle the
benefits offered by these partner companies and also earn miles through
it.
Finally, when you redeem
the mile points you earned, you have to be cautious about the quirks
that may jump in between. Some of the airlines have ‘blackout dates’
and ‘limited seat availability periods’ for the frequent flyers.
Make sure that you do not get affected by these. Also, it is advisable
that you save the miles for future so that you can redeem your mile
points for a costlier ticket. There are other services offered by the
airlines and the partner companies to redeem the miles in the form of
shopping or other services.
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