Frequent Flyer news released on January 15, 2010
The best news at the end of the year came from SAS: In opposition to the market trend, EuroBonus members do no longer pay any fuel surcharges on award tickets now, what makes award flights now all of a sudden far more affordable again. Congratulations, SAS!! This change applies, however, only to flights with SAS, Blue 1 and Widerøe, but not to the other partner airlines. And members of partner programs of SAS should not be surprised if their program operator continues to levy these “fuel surcharges” for award flights with SAS and puts them into its own pocket…
Everybody hopes for a quick end of the crisis - but Japan Airlines does not really inspire hope that this is to happen any time soon with its latest promotion: JAL Mileage Bank members can avail of international flight awards on Japan Airlines at a discount of up to 10,000 miles during several promotion periods. The last period for it lasts from December 01, 2010 to February 28, 2011… In order to reassure you, it should be added, however, that this is not for the first time that Japan Airlines comes up with such long term award promotions - so please let’s not start the New Year in too a negative mood because of that! Also right now, flight awards are discounted. If Japan Airlines filed really for creditor protection as of next week, this should, by the way, have no direct impact on its Frequent Flyer Program.
The relation between Sixt and Miles & More - both market leaders in their corresponding sectors in Germany - has cooled down significantly since Sixt had asked its corporate customers publicly to forego Miles & More credits as they would represent unnecessary costs for Sixt. The former promotion for multiple bookings with Sixt has been halted in silence afterwards - and been replaced by a far more attractive one with Avis for 2010. The second rental during the year (as of the first rental for status customers) qualifies for a credit of double miles, which increases in steps to sextuple miles starting from the eleventh rental onwards. As an example, one accrues 25,000 miles like that for 12 rentals in 2010. As a comparison: 50 rentals were required with Sixt for quadruple miles! The Avis promotion is, however, only applicable to rentals at the Miles & More rates. Sixt on its turn continues to offer its promotion in the program of Air Berlin, topbonus.
Hotel complexes with 500 rooms are not to the taste of everybody, but only few would think seriously that you can also accrue Frequent Flyer points in hotels like this one. However, this is really and increasingly possible, even if such opportunities have to be discovered in first place. Such a partnership is, for instance, the one just started between Iberia Plus and the Rusticae Hotels, which can be found in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina and Chile. Promotional rates are, however, excluded from points accrual. And yes, now is the perfect timing to make such holiday plans!
Stays at Starwood hotels are particularly rewarding until April 15: Starwood Preferred Guest members receive double points for all stays. The credit is increased to triple points for stays of at least three nights and even to quadruple points for five nights or more. A 5-night stay at 150 USD per night results thus in 6,000 points for a base member and in 9,000 points for an elite member. Starwood points can be converted into miles of the associated Frequent Flyer Programs at a ratio of 1-to-1 in most cases. Transfers of 20,000 points qualify moreover for a bonus of 25%.