Daily Telegraph media inquiry

[Kim]

Hello,
My name is Kim Macdonald and I am trying to find people to interview about their experiences with redeeming frequent flyer points - particuarly those that have been frustrating.
Please call me as soon as possible or email me on [email protected].
I have a deadline early Friday morning.

Cheers,
Kim Macdonald
(02) 9288 2560

 

[Rossmurdoch]

I've never had too much trouble redeeming points, just plan ahead an be a bit flexible

 

[straitman]

Hello,
My name is Kim Macdonald and I am trying to find people to interview about their experiences with redeeming frequent flyer points - particuarly those that have been frustrating.
Please call me as soon as possible or email me on [email protected].
I have a deadline early Friday morning.

Cheers,
Kim Macdonald
(02) 9288 2560

Kim,

Redeeming FF points is very similar to buying discount airfares. There are only a limited number of them available on any given flight. For example if you look at school holidays it's very difficult to acquire a cheap airfare just as it's very difficult to acquire a FF ticket.

Another way to look at it is that FF points are like a loyalty bonus and really should not have a huge impact upon a persons flying habits and/or spending. The key is in working out the best possible method of using the points. Like everything in life, if you plan ahead you invariably get a better deal than if you try to rush in at the last minute.

Once you look at the system and realise the limitations it really isn't all that difficult. It can almost become a form of entertainment. -- Just look at these forums :!:

Possibly a bigger concern these days is making sure that your FF point are with an airline that is still going to be there to let you redeem the points. :idea: -- eg Ansett and possibly a few others shortly :!:

:cry:

 

[sully]

The cynical note in this request annoys me. Why do we have to beat up on the airlines?

My story, that I won't bother sending (unless you pick this up from the forum here Kim), is in respect of my experiences with flying Emirates, gaining points on a United (Star Alliance member) Mileage Plus program, and using them to fly my wife to Thailand on Thai Airways, on exactly the dates I asked for.

The only potential problem was that the times were fixed, but that is a usual requirement.

Well done to UA and TG I say.

Neil

 

[straitman]

Maybe I should add that I've not had a lot of luck redeeming my Global Rewards points in the last couple of years :!:

 

[Rick93]

I always book my reward flights myself, with the Qantas website. I can see exactly what flights are available, plus, the big benefit of doing it yourself is..... that you can use your total 'milage' allowance for the trip. For eg. 30,000 points is needed for Sydney to Auckland & return. You actually have 5,400 miles to use for those 30,000 points...... so, you can fly from Sydney to Brisbane; Brisbane to Auckland; Auckland to Christchurch; Christchurch to Melbourne, and then Melbourne back home to Sydney...... all for the same 30,000 points it would cost if you asked for a Sydney to Auckland / return flight over the phone!
(of course, you really have to like flying.....!)

regards,

 

[arun]

Gordon,
Sorry I don't understand the 5400 points stuff.

 

[swissbignose]

Sorry I don't understand the 5400 points stuff.

5400 miles, not points.

Gordon's post was indicating that the mileage limit for a 30000 point award flight is 5400 miles. Why travel Sydney to Auckland for 30000 points when you can travel from Sydney to Brisbane, to Auckland to Christchurch to Melbourne to Sydney for the same 30000 points.

It was thadocta who once stated that it was the take-offs and landings that counted, not how far you flew!

[Taken without permission from thadocta]

 

[sully]

Why travel Sydney to Auckland for 30000 points when you can travel from Sydney to Brisbane, to Auckland to Christchurch to Melbourne to Sydney for the same 30000 points.

...........uh, could it be possible that one would just want to go to Auckland?

 

[icemann]

Yes.

Unless of course, you just wanted to go in the QC lounges ? You could rack up a nice few drinks in each state.

(assuming that, since it is an award flight, you wouldn't get SCs / FF points).

But if you just like take-offs/landings....go for it !

 

[sully]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts Icemann. I thought I was missing something, but on the basis that it is an award flight the only thing that one gets out of it is a visit to a couple more QC lounges. Now, I like a beer, but at the expense of all this time to sit around at airports for a couple of free cold ones :?: :?: :?: :?:

I would have thought that the reason for most of the travel undertaken by members of this site is busines related. We have work to do, which doesn't include time-wasting at airports.

If you get your kicks from take offs and landings, yeah fine I suppose. I guess it is than auto arousal hanging from the back of hotel room doors.

 

[thadocta]

If you get your kicks from take offs and landings, yeah fine I suppose.

Some of us actually quite like them. I tend to go to YSBK to do that sort of thing though.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts Icemann. I thought I was missing something, but on the basis that it is an award flight the only thing that one gets out of it is a visit to a couple more QC lounges. Now, I like a beer, but at the expense of all this time to sit around at airports for a couple of free cold ones :?: :?: :?: :?:

I would have thought that the reason for most of the travel undertaken by members of this site is busines related. We have work to do, which doesn't include time-wasting at airports.

Yes. As much as I like the QC lounges, (and believe me, I love them), I would sooner be sitting in the lobby of a nice hotel and having a drink, rather than waiting for a flight and having a drink. Failing that, getting in there and doing the thing that I'm supposed to be doing, which is business. I don't think that my boss would be too impressed with me if was doing a dog-leg on business !

Even though in a hotel, it's not free, and hence, I might be paying for it myself on leisure (or even business if it's a coughtail), I would sooner be on the ground.

Take offs don't really do it for me. In fact, if you've ever watched Aliens, you'll see Corporal Hicks in the dropship in the first half of the film, and the sarge says "Somebody wake up Hicks".

That's how I feel. Give me a few drinks to knock me out before I fly and I can do it.

 

[icemann]

oops. I seem to have posted a reply as 'Guest' and can't alter it. Help.

That last post above was me. I apologise.

But yes. I also forgot to add - for me, checking into a hotel (and on leisure, it's my money / points), I want to get there in a good timeframe, so that I can go and sleep, use the pool, spa, sauna, facilities etc. and get my money's worth. I love swimming in the pool and the sauna just relaxes me after a flight / work day. Arriving with less time to spare and not enough time to use the facilities of a hotel (if that is a major concern, it is to me) doesn't seem to make sense.

 

[Rick93]

Mmmmm.... seem to have generated some dialogue here!

It could be, that if my 'boss' was sending me out on 'business', some of that business may be in more than one state. It may be, that on a 'business trip' I may have to be in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and maybe even AUCKLAND..... all in the one day (or two). So, that kind of itinary may be just the thing for 'business' travellers.
Now, about hangin' around airports and QC lounges..... maybe it is a bit of a time waste..... but then, so it might be considered, that hangin' round the bar or swimming pool at a hotel would be wasting time as well!
Of course, being in a QC lounge doesn't mean that you are 'wasting time'..... I usually get on the internet (theirs or my laptop) and do a few things. I can down a few along the way, followed by a few more, and..... (anybody with AA?)
Plus, there's catching up with the papers, and magazines that I would probably never go out and buy!

On the other hand..... I may be just a 'nut'......
Hey, we've all got our thing....

regards,

 

[sully]

I totally agree that where the trip is for business (even without inverted commas) the itinerary can be daunting but sometimes necessary. Such a schedule is bearable when the boss is paying and I am accruing both points and status credits. I would not want to do such a trip on points, which in my case would only ever be for private purposes or for my wife who may be accompanying me on business, so we can have some pleasure later.

OK, nuff said. Whatever floats one's boat, or delights one's flight.

 

[icemann]

Mmmmm.... seem to have generated some dialogue here!

It could be, that if my 'boss' was sending me out on 'business', some of that business may be in more than one state. It may be, that on a 'business trip' I may have to be in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and maybe even AUCKLAND..... all in the one day (or two). So, that kind of itinary may be just the thing for 'business' travellers.
Now, about hangin' around airports and QC lounges..... maybe it is a bit of a time waste..... but then, so it might be considered, that hangin' round the bar or swimming pool at a hotel would be wasting time as well!
Of course, being in a QC lounge doesn't mean that you are 'wasting time'..... I usually get on the internet (theirs or my laptop) and do a few things. I can down a few along the way, followed by a few more, and..... (anybody with AA?)
Plus, there's catching up with the papers, and magazines that I would probably never go out and buy!

If it was business, and my boss was wanting me to do all those sectors in the one/two days, that's o.k. (and assuming it is on a paid ticket), but if it's on points, hence, on a run that won't accrue SCs / FFs points, I can't really see the attraction to multiple stops.

I agree with doing multiple legs, but only if it's accrueing SCs / points.

And yes, being in a lounge can be very productive. Actually, hanging around anywhere can be productive (just depends what you're doing). If you're hanging around the pool on anything except a leisure holiday, you might get your knuckles rapped.

I use the QCs for work, because we all know, out in the gate area, it's noisy. I love the (sometimes relative) peace and serenity of the QC lounges for this, or just to relax.

I've been in AA lounges. They're fairly good, and you can get coughtails there. But I still think the QC lounges take it, even if they have no coughtails.

 

[sully]

coughtails in the AA lounges????? Thats a bit of a contradiction in ter............oh, you meant American Airlines.

 

[icemann]

An even funnier contradiction would be coughtails in the VB 'lounges'

 

[straitman]

An even funnier contradiction would be coughtails in the VB 'lounges'

I think you guys were drinking the coughtails before making your posts :!: