Airline Reward Programs Have Become Worthless

Posted on May 12, 2008
Filed Under Transportation

Airline frequent flyer programs have always been marketing tools but nothing like they are today. Used to be that the rewards they offered were somewhat desirable and even useful – enough so to entice one to show some loyalty when choosing who to fly on that next trip.

Nowadays they’re mostly pure hype. They still claim to offer the same rewards, but it’s simply not true. They’ve so diluted the program that the rewards have become useless. By giving away miles for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with flying, the actual flyers don’t even have to be loyal to earn miles.

But the real problem is that by giving away miles for all these other reasons, there are more folks trying to use them than the airlines have available seats. Each flight has only a handful of seats obtainable by redeeming miles but with everyone and their cat trying to cash in, they go fast. Instead of 2 or 3 weeks planning ahead, you can count on needing 6 to 9 months lead time.

Who wants to plan that far into the future? I like to pick up and go when I want, and that used to be possible using my miles. But no more. It also means you’re going to have the added expense of purchasing trip insurance because no way can one tell what might happen that far out.

I’ve had elite status for years but have stopped caring about mileage programs because it’s hardly worth the effort anymore. It’s more trouble trying to use the miles than they’re worth.

Here’s an example. With tons of miles stacked up, I recently tried to book a trip using them. Even looking out nearly six months, there were no seats. Well there were a few, but only by spending about 3 times the miles. The coach seats I got for a trip six months out, cost the same miles as those I got a couple years ago, with only six weeks advance planning and going first class.

And are the perks really worthwhile? Being able to board early means more of a chance of getting your carry-on into an overhead. Then again, that’s only become necessary because of the hassles of waiting on luggage or the airlines losing it.

Upgrades to the front of the plane are nice since you actually get a decent seat with leg room. Of course if airlines provided adequate seating in the first place, this would be a non-issue.

Similarly, using first-class check-in to bypass the long coach lines is useful but truth is no one should be required to wait forever in line. With the kiosks it’s gotten better, but like most things with airports, they’re still understaffed.

The reality is that airline seats have become a simple commodity. There is little to distinguish one from another, and therefore none of them deserve loyalty anymore. These days I find that by waiting until the last minute, I can buy seats at super discounts, and that works for me.

Comments