Comments on: Delta is Ready with New Fees for Frequent Fliers http://www.mouseprint.org/2008/08/18/delta-is-ready-with-new-fees-for-frequent-fliers/ Exposing the strings and catches buried in the fine print. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:52:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: rick mcnair http://www.mouseprint.org/2008/08/18/delta-is-ready-with-new-fees-for-frequent-fliers/comment-page-1/#comment-149771 rick mcnair Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:28:45 +0000 http://www.mouseprint.org/?p=532#comment-149771 The credit impact is minimal for opening up various accounts. That is a wonderful battle that I and others have been fighting with FICO for years. Certain cards I have had since day one like Discover. But the airmiles cards? You should see my credit reports - Closed by customer! Page after page yet my score is over 800. The credit impact is minimal for opening up various accounts. That is a wonderful battle that I and others have been fighting with FICO for years. Certain cards I have had since day one like Discover. But the airmiles cards? You should see my credit reports – Closed by customer! Page after page yet my score is over 800.

]]> By: Chris S. http://www.mouseprint.org/2008/08/18/delta-is-ready-with-new-fees-for-frequent-fliers/comment-page-1/#comment-147980 Chris S. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:56:24 +0000 http://www.mouseprint.org/?p=532#comment-147980 Rick, Be careful, not having your accounts open for longer ammounts of time and constantly picking up new ones like that can hurt your credit score. I'm not an account (or one of the soothsayers that comes up with the scores to start with) but you might want to talk to some sort of financial planner. Rick,

Be careful, not having your accounts open for longer ammounts of time and constantly picking up new ones like that can hurt your credit score. I’m not an account (or one of the soothsayers that comes up with the scores to start with) but you might want to talk to some sort of financial planner.

]]> By: rick mcnair http://www.mouseprint.org/2008/08/18/delta-is-ready-with-new-fees-for-frequent-fliers/comment-page-1/#comment-147943 rick mcnair Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:38:15 +0000 http://www.mouseprint.org/?p=532#comment-147943 I have played the credit card game for years to wrack up mileage. AMEX is the only one that will actually track you and refuse you if you try to get a card within a year on canceling. Right now I have six cards of which four are with airlines. Latest is with CitiCards on AA. 25,000 and no fee for a year. It'll be canceled when the year is up. I have done that over 10 times with CitiCards. We charge virtually everything so the miles really accumulate. The key is not to accept their offer when you cancel that usually means another year fee free and maybe 5,000 miles. With Delta we booked two first class tickets from Boston to Sacremanto for the first week of June. Both for 45,000 miles. Sometimes it actually is easier getting flights and using less miles when booking FC. Delta has a bizarre scale that they use regarding miles and it can be costly especially for prime destinations. The key, as always, is book well ahead of time I have played the credit card game for years to wrack up mileage. AMEX is the only one that will actually track you and refuse you if you try to get a card within a year on canceling. Right now I have six cards of which four are with airlines. Latest is with CitiCards on AA. 25,000 and no fee for a year. It’ll be canceled when the year is up. I have done that over 10 times with CitiCards. We charge virtually everything so the miles really accumulate. The key is not to accept their offer when you cancel that usually means another year fee free and maybe 5,000 miles.

With Delta we booked two first class tickets from Boston to Sacremanto for the first week of June. Both for 45,000 miles. Sometimes it actually is easier getting flights and using less miles when booking FC. Delta has a bizarre scale that they use regarding miles and it can be costly especially for prime destinations. The key, as always, is book well ahead of time

]]> By: Clair Schwan http://www.mouseprint.org/2008/08/18/delta-is-ready-with-new-fees-for-frequent-fliers/comment-page-1/#comment-146376 Clair Schwan Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:00:21 +0000 http://www.mouseprint.org/?p=532#comment-146376 All these hidden fees and changes in frequent flyer mile programs could be seen coming down the road for years as the airlines cut back ticket locations, reduced customer service, and started establishing expiration dates on miles. These program changes are "landing" around the time we all had to endure the unreasonable increases in inconvenience (I mean security). And now, we have charges for bags like they are something special to take on a trip. Thankfully, my business wound down about the same time as these waves were hitting the shore, and now I don't fly at all, and I'm very happy about it. I look skyward and thankfully recognize all the planes that I'm not on. A few years ago United Airlines tried to buy down the number of miles that were outstanding with their travelers, because these miles cut into their bottom line. I accepted their offer since I have had more than enough travel with my business, and I wasn't using the miles for anything else. I got a KitchenAid blender, Bow Flex, and a SLR Digital Camera for a large chunk of miles. All very nice products that mean way more to me than the miles. If you get a chance to redeem miles for products, my experience shows that it was easy, cost me nothing, and there were no regulatory agencies or pat-down searches involved. For those who must fly, I wish you peace and safety, and may you find the humor in all of this mess. All these hidden fees and changes in frequent flyer mile programs could be seen coming down the road for years as the airlines cut back ticket locations, reduced customer service, and started establishing expiration dates on miles. These program changes are “landing” around the time we all had to endure the unreasonable increases in inconvenience (I mean security). And now, we have charges for bags like they are something special to take on a trip.

Thankfully, my business wound down about the same time as these waves were hitting the shore, and now I don’t fly at all, and I’m very happy about it. I look skyward and thankfully recognize all the planes that I’m not on.

A few years ago United Airlines tried to buy down the number of miles that were outstanding with their travelers, because these miles cut into their bottom line. I accepted their offer since I have had more than enough travel with my business, and I wasn’t using the miles for anything else.

I got a KitchenAid blender, Bow Flex, and a SLR Digital Camera for a large chunk of miles. All very nice products that mean way more to me than the miles. If you get a chance to redeem miles for products, my experience shows that it was easy, cost me nothing, and there were no regulatory agencies or pat-down searches involved.

For those who must fly, I wish you peace and safety, and may you find the humor in all of this mess.

]]> By: Chris S. http://www.mouseprint.org/2008/08/18/delta-is-ready-with-new-fees-for-frequent-fliers/comment-page-1/#comment-145527 Chris S. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:33:44 +0000 http://www.mouseprint.org/?p=532#comment-145527 There is a VERY fine line between regulation and free market that hasn't been in sync for quite awhile. There does need to be some government regulation to ensure that the airlines are playing safely, maintaining their planes well, taking well thought out steps to stifle terror tactics, and keeping pilots from flying too much. There should also be a consumer protection portion of regulation, an agency with some teeth to investigate consumer complaints and allegations of mistreatment. On the other hand, the industry must have the leeway to run a corporation that is efficient, and profitable. We have swung from one side of the line to the other in the past 20 years, we need to find a middle ground. We need an FAA that is better funded, a new set of restrictions and fines the FAA can lodge against an airline, and a FAA is not so chummy with the airline industry. We also need to repeal a few of the freedoms that were given to the airlines by the feds a few years ago. I for one would rather a ticket price go up by 50% than get nickeled and dimed to death. I have yet to get a satisfactory explanation of many items on an airline ticket, things like fuel surcharges, destination charges, and the like. I used this example a few weeks ago, but a Taxi doesn’t add a charge to come to the curb, an extra fee for the gas burned, and then a charge to pull up to your destination, why should the airlines? Don't get me started on checked bag fees. There is a VERY fine line between regulation and free market that hasn’t been in sync for quite awhile. There does need to be some government regulation to ensure that the airlines are playing safely, maintaining their planes well, taking well thought out steps to stifle terror tactics, and keeping pilots from flying too much. There should also be a consumer protection portion of regulation, an agency with some teeth to investigate consumer complaints and allegations of mistreatment.

On the other hand, the industry must have the leeway to run a corporation that is efficient, and profitable.

We have swung from one side of the line to the other in the past 20 years, we need to find a middle ground. We need an FAA that is better funded, a new set of restrictions and fines the FAA can lodge against an airline, and a FAA is not so chummy with the airline industry. We also need to repeal a few of the freedoms that were given to the airlines by the feds a few years ago.

I for one would rather a ticket price go up by 50% than get nickeled and dimed to death. I have yet to get a satisfactory explanation of many items on an airline ticket, things like fuel surcharges, destination charges, and the like. I used this example a few weeks ago, but a Taxi doesn’t add a charge to come to the curb, an extra fee for the gas burned, and then a charge to pull up to your destination, why should the airlines?

Don’t get me started on checked bag fees.

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