When Would You Pay For An Upgrade?

In June, I went back to Connecticut for a family picnic. I booked a combination of tickets on JetBlue and US Airways.

The trip is about 70 minutes long via airplane from gate to gate. Both airlines sent me emails suggesting I pay to upgrade my seat.

                                                                 JetBlue

JetBlue sent me the following email asking me to upgrade to "Even More Space," for $10:

                                                               US Airways

US Airways sent the following email inviting me to pay $95 to upgrade to First Class. Or better yet, be added to the upgrade list:

The question I asked myself, does it make sense to upgrade for such a short flight?

The JetBlue flight was 1/2 full. I had 4 rows of seats to myself; therefore, the "early access to overhead bin space" was not necessary. Therefore, my $10 would have purchased me only more legroom. On the other hand, the US Airways flight was oversold. The 2 free check bags is enticing. However, I only needed to check 1 bag and I used my US Airways Mastercard to purchase my ticket getting that bag checked for free.

Therefore, would getting more foot space be worth paying $10 or $95?

For me, not really. I can suffer for 70 minutes in typically coach.

Would you pay for an upgrade on this route?

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Triple Points on JetBlue from DCA

JetBlue is celebrating its new spots at DCA (Washington National) by offering triple points for all flights to and from DCA.

To register for this promotion, go here.

I was excited for this promotion as I have my first JetBlue flight later this month. As I wrote early this year, one of the new routes JetBlue is adding from National is to Hartford, Connecticut. My excitement for the promotion was quickly diminished after reading the terms and conditions.

To qualify for the bonus points, only tickets booked after registering count. : (

Either way, I am excited to try out JetBlue.
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JetBlue Maybe One of My New Airlines

I have a confession to make, I know nothing about JetBlue. Never flown with them. Don't have a TrueBlue account. Never even used JetBlue.com. But JetBlue might be my new go to airlines.

JetBlue announced some of the new cities they will be flying to from their new Reagan National slots. One of those new destination is Hartford, Connecticut (BDL).

Hartford/Springfield Bradley Airport is my "home" airport. Non-stop flights from Washington, DC to Hartford are rare and expensive. Southwest flies from Baltimore to Hartford, United from Dulles and US Airways from National. The addition of JetBlue should bring down the price of the route. There will be two roundtrip each day:

To Hartford (BDL):

To Washington National (DCA)

To say I am excited is an understatement. While this is great for me to get home, its even better for my family and friends to visit me. Gasp! I might have opened Pandora's box with this post.

Hartford isn't the only destination JetBlue announced this week from DCA. The other two are Charleston, SC and Nassau, Bahamas. I have always wanted to visit Charleston, SC. Maybe another trip on JetBlue is needed.

I am liking the results of the merger so far!

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Best & Worst Airlines for Holiday Travel

Forbes.com and Flightaware teamed up to put together a list of the best and wort airlines for Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. Flightaware used arrival delays, rather than departure, delays from 2010 through 2012.

I was impressed that the metric was arrival delays; rather than departure delays. Typically, departure delays are used to determine an airline's on-time level. However, the article correctly pointed out, "it is sometimes possible for airlines to make up time lost on the ground while the plane is in the sky." In additon, the Forbes learned that" late arrivals actually declined during the Thanksgiving travel season — just 12 percent of Thanksgiving flights were delayed last year, compared with 19 percent in 2010. according to the Transportation Department."

Now the Best List:

1. Hawaiian Airlines
2. Alaskan Airlines
3. Mesa Airlines
4. Airtran Airlines
5. US Airways

www.hawaiimagazine.com

As you see, 3.5 of the 5 airlines operate West of Rockies (The 1/2 is US Airways due to their AmericanWest merger). The location of where an airline operates can have drastic effect of on-time ratings.

Looking at the list of worst on-time airlines, you will notice that they operate heavily in the Midwest or out of big traffic heavy airports

And the Worst List

5. American Eagle
4. American Airlines
3. Frontier Airlines
2. Express Jet
1. JetBlue

Jetblue.com

" 'With 75 percent of our flights touching the Northeast, either New York or Boston, one delay in the morning can affect the entire line of flying for that airplane,' said Jenny Dervin, a JetBlue spokeswoman. And, the Northeast is particularly affected by the kind of winter storms that delay flights."

Should these lists change who you choose to fly over the holidays? My opinion is no. Airline delays is like stock picking. You can do all the research in the world, but there are always external factors outside your control. The only thing you can do is pack your patience. Bring a smile, your patience and some holiday cheer and you will be at your destination in no time.

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Who Is The Real Winners Of The AA & US Airways Merger?

The past week, Department of Justice gave its blessing for US Airways and American Airlines to become married.

http://infinitelegroom.com

Fireworks exploded throughout the miles & points community. Some people love the merger. Others despise it with a passion. Personally, I am indifferent except for my strong dislike for future CEO Doug Parker.

The merger created winners and losers. One group of winners that have been neglected are the other airlines. Say what? Other airlines can be big winners in this merger. For the merger to be approved by the DOJ, the "new" American Airlines needed to give up "52 slot pairs at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA), 17 slot pairs at New Your LaGuardia Airport (LGA), along with certain gates and facilities used to support services at those airports. [In addition}, the airlines agreed to divest two gates at: Boston Logan, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas Love Field, Los Angles International and Miami International." Other airlines will be able to bid on these divested slots. In a nod to consumers, the DOJ ordered that the only airlines that could bid on these slots are LCC or Low Cost Carriers. 

The Motley Fool put together an amazing article on how Southwest and Jetblue will be the true winners of the AA & US Merger. According to Adam Levine-Weinberg, the author of the article, "The DOJ wants these slots to go to 'low-cost carriers' to enhance competition at these two key airports. Instead of specifying low-cost carriers, or LCCs, it would have been more straightforward to call out Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways directly. Not only are they the top two LCCs in the U.S., they are also by far the most interested in expanding at Reagan and LaGuardia and have the greatest financial resources."

Who Is A LCC?

LCCs or Low Cost Carriers typically are non-legacy airlines. "On paper, at least, the U.S. still has a substantial number of LCCs that could potentially bid for the slots that American and US Airways are giving up. Beyond Southwest and JetBlue, privately held Virgin America and Sun Country Airlines fit the LCC designation. Even Alaska Air -- which is technically a legacy carrier -- markets itself as a 'low-fare' carrier. Additionally, there is a growing group of airlines that brand themselves as 'ultra-low-cost carriers.' This includes Spirit Airlines, Allegiant Travel, and Frontier Airlines."  Even though many of these airlines are categorized as low cost carriers, not all of them are likely to bid on the spots of DCA or LGA.

Why Not Bid?

This is where the Motley Fool article gets really good. Many have predicted only Southwest and JetBlue will bid on the now empty slots. Why? A few reasons:

1) No West Coast Flights

 - DCA & LGA have flight distance restrictions of 1,200 miles. Frontier and Virgin America have 
   hubs on the West Coast. They are unlikely to bid on the slots at DCA & LGA, because their
   flights from those airports will require a stopover. No direct flights to their respective hubs.
   Why would you want slots that would require layovers?

2) $$$

   DCA & LGA are airports with lots of customers with money. Money that can be spent on
   airlines tickets. All the airlines know this. For this reason, the cost of the slots are going to
   be pricey. "The last time slots became available at LaGuardia and Reagan (in late 2011), 
   JetBlue paid $40 million for eight slot pairs at Reagan and $32 million for eight slot 
   pairs at LaGuardia." The cost of all the slots will reach $200-$300 million range.

   The cost to buy the slots might knock-out a few LLCs. Sun Country and Frontier are probably
   out. Both airlines do not have the capital to invest in those slots. While Sun Country and  
   Frontier are LLCs without the money to buy the spots, Allegiant and Spirit Airlines do have 
   the cash. The two airlines have the cash, but the two still won't bid on the slots. It will go 
   against their ultra-low cost carrier model. "Investing tens of millions of dollars in slots does 
   not seem to fit the ultra-low-cost carrier "profile." They are more likely to serve alternate 
   airports where operating costs are lower. That's because ultra-low-cost carriers cater to 
   leisure travelers who are very price-sensitive, as opposed to business travelers who will 
   pay extra for the convenience of using a close-in airport." For these reasons, Allegiant
   and Spirit Airlines will bow out of the bidding.

Who Does That Leave?

That leaves the two giant Low Cost Carriers: Southwest and Jetblue. These airlines are going to get slots at two of the business national airports in the country and access to millions of customers. How do I know this? Look back to the 2011 sale of slots at DCA and LGA. Who bid on these slots? Only Southwest and JetBlue airlines and they will do it again. 

Who will be the real winner of the merger?  Southwest and JetBlue! 
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eRewards: The Turtle of Earning Miles/Points

eRewards is a site that pays you for taking surveys in miles/points. This is not an easy way to earn miles/points. It can take months just to earn 2,000 airline miles. Why bother you might ask? In the past, airlines have offered bonuses for transferring miles from partners like eRewards.

The first step is to register with e-Rewards. My recommendation is to search your email for e-Reward offers. Many times airlines and hotels will send emails inviting you to join e-Rewards and included in that email is sign-up bonus offers. A quick search of my email turned up offers from JetBlue, Southewest, and Priority Club in the past 60 days.

Jetblue:

Southwest

 Priority Club:

Also in my email account was an offer from United Airlines offering 250 miles for setting up your profiles and completing a survey in 3 months:

If you can't find an offer in your email box, United has the same offer available here.

After registering for e-Rewards, the next step is to fill out your profile. It is important to be honest in this step as it will determine what surveys are sent to you. If you stretch the truth in your profile, you might start noticing that you don't qualify for any surveys they sent you. There are 9 different sections that you need to fill out to complete your profile:

Here is a sample of the questions you will have to answer:

After filling out your profiles completely, sit back and wait for eRewards to email you invites to surveys. I typically get at least 5 invites a week. Each email looks something similar to this and lets you know the subject of the survey, the time commitment, and payout:

Click on the link within the email and you enter the landing page of the survey. This page will have the same information as the email except it also has the amount you will be paid for testing out of the survey. Being paid for testing out of the survey is one of my favorite parts of eRewards. They give you something for trying. That is why I always attempt to take surveys, nothing to lose.

After completing or testing out of surveys, your account is typically credited immediately; however, some surveys have taken a few days to credit. Once your account has at least $25 in it, you have the option to cash out in exchange for miles. Currently, eRewards allows you to transfer to the following airlines: Air France/KLM, AeroMexico, AirTran, Alaskan, AA, Emirates, Etihad, Fronteir, Hawaiian, Iberia, Jetblue, Southwest, Spirt, US Airways, United, Virgin America and Atlantic. Here is a list of all the partners:

As we have been talking about earning Mileage Plus miles this month, here are the redemption options for United:

After choosing your redemption level, you will be asked to enter your MileagePlus number and eRewards password. Typically, the miles will show up in your MileagePlus account within 3 weeks, but eRewards warns it could take 6-8 weeks. Therefore, this is not a way to transfer miles to your account for an immediate award purchase. Here is some important information about transferring miles to MileagePlus:

Overall, eRewards is a great way to earn a handful of miles. It's time consuming and the payout isn't huge. However, if United has another partner bonus like they did in December, it would be nice to be ready. A little bit of time now can payoff later. 

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United ~ Best Frequent Flyer Program???

During one of my trips on United, I saw this ad in their in-flight magazine:

In this ad, United claims to have the "Best Frequent Flyer Program" for the past 8 years. This is based upon a survey of readers of the Global Traveler magazine.

This made me think. Does United have the best frequent flyer program? I have only been a member of MileagePlus, United's frequent flyer program, for the past few years. However, I don't see what makes it better than other programs. For a person without status, what the diffidence between one airline's frequent flyer program and another. Typically, a flyer normally earns 1 frequent flyer mile for each mile flown. Yes, some airlines like Delta give you less based upon the type of ticket you buy and Southwest determines it by the cost of ticket and type of ticket. Am I over thinking this?

In regards to people with status, I hear many complaints, on other blogs, about United removing the benefits to people with status. So, what makes United the Best Frequent Flyer Program? And for eight straight? Wouldn't after losing to United for eight years other airlines make changes to their program to at least compete with United. Something smells fishy about this claim. Is my gut feeling wrong? Do you think United has the best program?

On the ad, their was also the claim "we're ranked #1 in award seat availability among U.S. Global carriers."  This was based upon a survey taken of saver-style award available for June-October 2012. They define US Global carriers as United, American Airlines, Us Airways and Delta. I also saw this claim on hundreds of signs at Dulles (IAD), during a recent trip:

What the advertisements don't say is how the survey was conducted. What award tickets were they trying to purchase? From the pictures in the advertisements, it looks like international destinations (from the pictures I see Paris and Holland). Looking at the survey conducted by Ideaworks, the survey was conducted with specific outbound and return flights dates. However, to get the best tickets, savey flyers know that flexibility is key to get the best seats for fee. Here is a link to the press release with the results. Specifically here is their methodology:

              "Notes regarding reward query methodology:  Booking queries for a party of two          

            travelers were made at frequent flier program websites during March 2012.  Some  

            airlines require a Saturday night stay for reward travel; all of the queries used date 

            pairings that included a Saturday night stay.  While the city pairs varied for each 

            frequent flier program, the travel dates queried did not.  280 specific dates were 

            selected for survey queries and only reward seat availability for travel on the date 

            specified was recorded; any departure time was acceptable.  Furthermore, reward 

            travel had to be available on the outbound and return dates queried.  Overly circuitous          

            routings and layovers longer than 4 hours were not accepted.  The top 10 routes 

            longer than 2,500 miles and the top 10 shorter routes were selected for each airline.  

            Due to a lack of long-haul routes, the top 20 overall routes were queried for these 

            airlines:  AirTran, GOL, JetBlue, Southwest, and Virgin Australia.  Two

            mainland – Hawaii city pairs (out of 20) were substituted for Alaska Airlines to reflect  

            the carrier’s increasing emphasis on longer-haul flights.  Ten top Europe - Palma de 

            Mallorca city pairs (out of 20) were substituted for Air Berlin to reflect the carrier’s 

            major Mediterranean emphasis on holiday flights.  When offered, online reward 

            availability for partner airlines was always requested; rewards fulfilled by calling the 

            airline were not."

What I found most interesting about this survey is where the US Carriers are ranked compared to international based carriers. Out of 23 carriers, Southwest ranks tied for first (1st), Airtran and United tied for seventh (7th), Jetblue at ninth (9th), Alaskan at sixteenth (16th), American at nineteenth (19th), US Airways at twenty-first (21st) and Delta last at twenty-third (23). 

So, in reality, Southwest/Airtran (they are in the middle of a merger) is the best US Based carrier.  United used some very very very tricky wording to say it has the "#1 in award seat availability among US global carriers," since it limited it to US Airways, Delta and American. One can assume out of this survey that if one is looking for domestic tickets, one should focus your attention on Southwest. However, if one is looking for international award tickets - United is the place to look.

I would agree to some degree. I have a lot of luck with US Airways with domestic tickets; however, their requirement to purchase a roundtrip ticket is antiquated; especially since they allow you to pick two one way tickets for cash purchases. For international trips, United is a member of the Star Alliance, which opens up many different award ticket possibilities  In addition,  United's trip routing and ticketing rules for award tickets are amazing as well. For example, I would not be going to Tokyo if it not for United's allowing one way ticketing.

The moral of this post. Don't believe everything you read, because with the right data any airline can be number 1 in any category.