Both my husband and I are also members of the Northwest World Perks. We just came back from Italy using our FF miles, and made conscious effort to keep an eye on our flights & checked in as early as we could. We also redeemed our miles going on business class last year from Detroit to SF, and fortunately had no problem. But again, we kept an eye on those seats pretty closely--because I was never sure how "low" we were in the priority rank.

Posted By Yudith on July 7, 2009, 9:46 PM

I recently flew Delta with a paid, confirmed ticket purchased 6 weeks in advance. I was not permitted to pick my seats for the return flight when I booked. Neither was I able to check in online. It took several trips to the desk at my point of origin and layover airport for the return flight to get seat assignments. In the meantime, I was told Delta would let me know "if" they could accommodate me. The agents would not give me an explanation at the time, nor will Skymiles customer service respond to my communication requests. I am NOT impressed with Delta lately.

Posted By Laura on July 7, 2009, 11:11 PM

i traveled once on a frequent flyer ticket that the gate agent defaced and was then asked for ID because of the defaced ticket. It's a scam.

Posted By cd on July 8, 2009, 12:53 PM

An old trick that I have used for years when booking my parents is always having one free ticket and one paid ticket when they are traveling together. In the past, in an oversold situation, the airline would not split them up and the free ticket would gain the "status" of the paid ticket. Don't know if that is the case anymore....

Posted By Laurie Ann on July 8, 2009, 4:40 PM

Although all airlines have their problems and no system is perfect, I have used Delta many many times without any issue. I redeem frequent flier miles all the time and have never been bumped from a flight. Sometimes when you check in they simply can't give you a seat assignment at the time of booking because of the way the system works (even if you have paid for a ticket).

While its true that a free ticket is at the bottom of the list, this is more than likely an isolated incident. With the shear number of people traveling these days, someone is always going to have a problem. Additionally, this was a holiday weekend when many flights are frequently overbooked. In order to maximize the value of your miles, you should have tried to avoid holiday weekends.

Posted By Derek on July 9, 2009, 10:32 AM

Airlines seem to forget that award tickets are NOT free. A lot of money and time has to be spent to accumulate the miles!

Posted By Malcolm on July 9, 2009, 10:51 AM

The underlying problem is the airline not recognizing the 'real' cost of the prior tickets purchased that accrued the miles. On average, this is far far higher than the highest economy fare. Treating frequent flyer tickets as being free is just down right despicable !

Posted By Steve on July 9, 2009, 11:18 AM

Not only are award tickets not free for users but they are a significant source of income for the carriers. While actual values are never revealed, the assumed value of a mile to the carrier is about 0.02. For many airlines the mileage programs can be their most profitable operation so to diminish that "product" with poor performance is simply counterproductive.

Posted By Ron Kuhlmann on July 9, 2009, 11:35 AM

On a reward flight (from Delta again), the plane was "downsized". I lost my assigned seat and ended up with a no reclining seat next to the back bathroom on a cross country red-eye. As a frequent flier, these seats are not free. I have paid full price for many many flights. Some reward!

Posted By David on July 9, 2009, 11:39 AM

What other business treats its best customers this way? Customer loyalty is supposed to be rewarded - not downgraded.

Posted By Susan on July 9, 2009, 12:07 PM

I'M NOT SURPRISED BY THE LACK OF USE OF FREE TICKETS. What's scary is if you have appointments on the arrival point such as non cancellable hotels, cruise ship travel (the cruise ship won't/can't wait) your family's members wedding or funeral.

You can incur huge financial loses on downstream commitments.

It's really unfair if you are a booked passenger to bump whether you're full price or free.

If you book late and the plane is full they should tell you that you're in standby. Then you have a choice.

Perhaps if you are a no show on a paid ticket they should be allowed to bill you unless they can sell the seat.

This works fair for passengers and airlines.

Carl

Posted By Carl Hohenbergerjdch2 on July 9, 2009, 12:15 PM

My wife and I were flying back from Lisbon to Dallas last year on Continental using AMEX points. The flight was late getting into Newark so we missed our connection to Dallas. Because we were on free tickets they would not book us on another airline so we had to wait for the next flight which was the next day. However, Continental did put us up in a hotel for the night and gave us a meal voucher.

Posted By Paul Sachs on July 9, 2009, 12:20 PM

i also think delta's customer service is terrible, both on domestic and international flights. honestly, southwest is my favorite airline by far. i've redeemed quite a few rewards tickets with them and it's so easy. their check-in process is fair, you can change your flight a hundred times with no penalty, check bags for free, and when they do oversell (which is rare), they offer free flights to volunteers rather than just pushing people off the plane. great business model. i wish that southwest would fly into every airport where i wanted to travel, and that other airlines would follow their example!

Posted By kris on July 9, 2009, 12:24 PM

MY WIFE HAD A PAID TICKET ON DELTA TO ATLANTA FROM DALLAS, HER PLANE WAS CANCELLED...NEVER TOLD..HAD TO TRANSFER TO AA AND WAS TWO HOURS LATE FOR A WEDDING PARTY IN ATHENS, GA...DELTA AND AMERICAN NEED TO START GETTING IT RIGHT OR WILL LOSE MORE OF THE PD. PASSENGERS

Posted By HENRY RASMUSSEN on July 9, 2009, 12:26 PM

This does not surprise me at all... in fact; this happened to me back in 1991. I had used a reward ticket to fly to Hawaii from Philadelphia. After 1.5 days in Hawaii; I learned of my grandmother's ill health (she passed away while I was en-route home). I contacted American Airlines; and confirmed my return ticket. Mind you, the hotel refunded ALL of my money due to the situation, the rental car agency did as well -- AND the manager took me personally to the airport to make sure I made the flight!.... but my roadblock was at the gate .... I was told that due to the "status" of my ticket; that I was put on stand-by! But I had a guaranteed reservation!! At that time I didn't know my grandmother was passing; so I HAD to make it home... I begged and pleaded with the agent; but she was a real ... well... I don't want to call her what I really think of her. They let a family of 5 as standby on before they let me, a ticket of 1 go on. If it wasn't for the kindness of a man; who gave up his seat for me after hearing my story... I would have never made that flight. I barely had enough time to thank him (never did get his name or address to even do that properly; maybe he's reading this!). It was a middle seat; on a crowded flight... and I was so exhausted from that situation; that I must have passed out; didn't even notice that we had taken off; we were 45 minutes into the flight; I woke up and asked the man next to me why it's taking so long to leave... he said "Miss, we're already in the air!"

I have been back to Hawaii more times than I care to admit since then... and I have stayed at the same hotel and used the same car rental agency that had showed me kindnesses back then... American I did as well; as they had good flight times and such... but this year; I'm flying on United. Frequent flyer miles are not what they were; I don't even know why I bother accumulating them anymore. It honestly doesn't pay to be loyal any longer. We PAY for those miles one way or another... and what do the airlines do? Instead of rewarding their most frequent of guests; they slap us in the face!

Posted By Christina C. on July 9, 2009, 1:08 PM

You all are so right about the frequent flier awards not being "free". We booked a rental car this weekend thru Dollar from Southwest's website and Dollar charged us a "frequent flier" fee! I had never seen this before. In addition to this we were dinged $40 more for a second driver and another $11 because we wanted the car for 4 days, not 3 as reserved. Didn't they make enough money by getting an extra day which was charged at a higher daily rate anyway? The actual cost was double what was quoted online. At least the airline was Southwest and they have always treated us very well. Their free tickets are easy to redeem and we've never had a problem with them.

Posted By Susie on July 9, 2009, 1:26 PM

Same thing happened on a Delta flight from Miami to Indy. Traded in a ridiculous amount of miles to fly 5 adults plus my one and a half year old to Miami for a FL Keys vacation in January. Delta "conveniently" called us as we were in line to check in at the airport to tell us we had been bumped and they were "trying" to get us on another flight. They did...but we had to wait 6 hours in the Miami airport. Not happy with Delta and not looking forward to the NWA/Delta merge. Have always been huge NWA fans and am worried that Delta will run them into the ground...literally.

Posted By Amy on July 9, 2009, 1:28 PM

May be an exception, but I have had no problems with Delta on FF miles. This includes foreign travel where my wife had emergency surgery and they changed the tickets,no fee or questions asked. But the best of all was US Air. Due to a road accident (not me) I missed my overseas flight that was on FF miles and they not only rebooked me to travel the next day for $50, but ended up upgrading my return flight (which didn't change). Maybe they felt sorry for me.
Actually have had more problems getting on some flights I have paid for.

Posted By S. J. D'Amico on July 9, 2009, 1:41 PM

I just don't fly Delta. Northwest was OK but Delta, in my opinion, is just awful. I'll fly on the Delta flights operated by Air France or KLM but I avoid Delta like the plague. I've not had any problems with American even when using frequent flier miles on an oversold flight.

Posted By che on July 9, 2009, 1:46 PM

Here's another one for you- American Airlines stripped all the miles our family had previously earned, while we were outside the US on a multi-year government assignment. This included miles awarded for assisting the flight staff during a medical emergency on one of their flights. Is it any wonder that we avoid that airline like the plague?

Posted By BC on July 9, 2009, 1:55 PM

I agree about Delta's poor customer service, but folks, we're just not going to win this one. The new airline business model is not about putting FF customers last, it's about putting cash-paying customers first. That's why customers get prioritized by fare price. It's not fair, but from an airline's perspective (and without regulatory help) it makes perfect sense.
Our only recourse is to show that customer service really does matter by patronizing the heck out of the airlines that do have the fairest and most customer friendly policies. I just used kayak.com yesterday to compare fare prices for an upcoming trip, discovered the fares were all equal and the schedules comparable, so I bought my plane ticket from the airline I like best (Continental won over United, USAir, Delta and American).

Posted By Beth on July 9, 2009, 2:30 PM

I will not fly Delta again!
I booked two flights, my daughter and I decided to wait, contacted Delta. They said we were allowed to do so but had to reuse the tickets within 12 months and gave us the confirmation # which was the same number as the ticket confirmation number so I thought there'd be no problem re-booking.
Needless to say, after emails, etc... trying to
re-book they could not find any information through the confirmation number nor that we had ever booked that flight.
I lost $600.00 on the two tickets because by the time I actually found someone that cared or acted like they did, one year was up,even though I had the e-tickets, dated emails back and forth from their customer service that was prior to the one year,so the agreement had expired.
No refund, no tickets, it was my loss!

Posted By Anita on July 9, 2009, 2:39 PM

Years ago I had a similar experience on Continental. I was flying from Boston to North Carolina, through Newark, on a FF ticket. I had a early am flight which was delayed out of Boston. There were 3 of us on the flight connecting in Newark to Raleigh Durham, but Continental did NOT hold the 11 am departure for us. The other two passengers were on paid tickets so Cont rerouted them on an early afternoon flight on another airline. Me? I had to wait for a 5pm flight because I was a loyal frequent flyer on a "free" ticket.

It gets worse. Due to weather conditions and other delays the 5 pm flight was delayed. Then they boarded us, probably around 7, only to UNBOARD us 30 minutes later -- I forget why -- and move us to yet another plane. It must have been close to 9 before we left Newark for the short flight to Raleigh-Durham.

And... ta duh, the flight was ALMOST diverted to Charlotte because of weather. I arrived somewhere around 11pm, after leaving my home at 5am.

It was a bit like Gilligan's Isle. I expected a four hour trip, ended up more like 18. Compensation received from Continental? A $10 meal voucher. They wouldn't even let me use the airline lounge.

Needless to say it was a long long long time before I flew Continental again.

Posted By Susan Getgood on July 9, 2009, 2:42 PM

From early experiences with Delta, I usually tried to avoid them. I've been a NW WorldPerks customer for many years, and have been more than happy with everything about NW. So far I've flown on Delta once since the merger began, but I am not at all looking forward to the future, and most of the previous comments don't encourage me! I'm also unhappy about Continental leaving the WP program, as it was, in my experience, certainly one of the best US airlines to fly.

Posted By Canaclay on July 9, 2009, 2:44 PM

Same thing happened to us last year, also on a Delta flight. We even had our seat assignments until we got to the front desk. We had to wait until the entire plane had boarded and then, and only then, were we given a seat. Scared me silly, wasn't too happy facing the possibility that we didn't know when we would finally arrive home. I am much more careful now, and check, check and double check before a flight.

Posted By Cecile Lancia on July 9, 2009, 3:02 PM

I don't understand the discrimination over these FF tickets. Having been a Store Manager in Malls for years, it is a customer service issue. It is their own program they are violating. It is supposed to generate Brand Loyalty. Delta/NW is in enough trouble without hassling the hand that feeds them. My daughter is 2 for 2 on NW for "delayed" luggage. We fly to San Juan on them in Sept for a cruise. Say a prayer for us please.

Posted By AmyK on July 9, 2009, 3:14 PM

Luv Southwest!!!! I use their FF miles and I Luv their Companion Pass. I have never (and I travel alot) had any issues with being bumped or denied boarding for any reason. They know how to take care of the customers and their business. I wish they would fly everywhere.

Posted By Callie on July 9, 2009, 3:14 PM

Delta gave away my full-fare seat on a connecting flight while I was sitting at the gate. I was on my way to my mother's funeral! The gate agent just shrugged and pointed at a 'courtesy' phone a couple of gates down.

A couple of weeks later, a friend of mine--who was traveling with her 2-year-old--was supposed to be joined by her mother to help on an international flight, but Delta bumped her mother at the gate.

I'll never trust Delta with sensitive travel arrangements again.

Posted By Glenda on July 9, 2009, 3:20 PM

It's a real bummer to lose all your miles! You can avoid this by having a mileage credit card for the airline that you are collecting miles for. As long as you use your mileage credit card from time to time, you will be considered to have "activity" on your account, and you will not lose your miles.

As for "free" tickets, the miles from these credit cards are more valuable (and cost the air lines a lot more) than the miles flown. It is really absurd to call these tickets "free'!

Posted By Patricia on July 9, 2009, 3:27 PM

We were supposed to take off at 9 am on Continental from Managua, were actually waiting on the tarmac. The plane beside us had been hijacked, and they would not let our plane take off until they dealt with that, why I don't know. We got to Houston late, and Continental would not get us on the next available flight, and it took hours longer to get home,even though Continental should have been aware of why we were delayed. Interesting to see the drama in Managua unfolding though.

Posted By Phyllis Cullen on July 9, 2009, 4:15 PM

aren't situations like these exactly the reason we need government intervention to see that we are treated fairly. The whole airline industry is taking advantage of the public because THEY CAN!! Someone has to look out for our best interests. I think the last people to purchase tickets should be the last to go on the flight. Soeone who bought their tickets well in advance certainly shouldn't need to worry about whether they will be on the flight or not. FF miles were paid for after all is said and done.

Posted By carol on July 9, 2009, 4:20 PM

Yesterday on the 3 legs from Sarasota to Spokane on Delta, NONE of my previously booked seats were honored. I found myself in a middle seat for the longest leg to SLC and in the very last row opposite the toilet on the last leg. And only peanuts all the way across the country! I have accumulated lots of miles on Delta. They are now asking for many more miles for a trip. As soon as I will have used them all I will switch to another airline - perhaps Southwest.

Posted By Ph Coppin on July 9, 2009, 4:38 PM

That's what you get for flying Delta.

Posted By Rich on July 9, 2009, 4:54 PM

June 24 we presented ourselves three hours early at the Austria Air counter in Vienna, Austria for our return flight to the US.Despite having our computer printout/confirmation and seat assignments (original reservation made in August 2008, using United frequent flier miles, business class)the agent informed us that our names were not on the passenger list. She referred us to a customer service agent who spent a long time on the telephone and was finally able to confirm/obtain seats for us. At no point had we be contacted regarding any change. When I asked why we were not on the passenger list she said that, "it was complicated, but that it was related to using United frequent flier miles". Obviously we were relieved since we had three connections to make in order to get all the way home and "tourist season" had started.

Posted By Kathleen Zamboni on July 9, 2009, 5:44 PM

After reading all the comments, I'm hoping someone important at Delta has read them too, and will take a lesson.

Posted By Rose on July 9, 2009, 5:58 PM

I work for a major low-cost airline (NOT Delta) in their "Frequent Flier" department. We do NOT treat reward passengers any differently than paid passengers. No, you will not get a reward seat on Thanksgiving weekend, but for the majority of our passengers, their seats are available.
Everyone complains about airline fees, but no one points out that air travel is LESS expensive than it was 30 years ago. Do you really think airlines are making a profit selling cross-country seats for less than $150.00? How many other products or services other than long-distance phone calls and air travel cost less than they did 30 years ago? Also, why should the airline charge a passenger with 100 lbs of luggage the same as the passenger with just a carry-on? If you don't want to pay fees, then buy a full-fare, refundable ticket!
Many people claim that they would rather pay more and not have to pay add-on fees, but the reality is almost everyone buys the lowest cost ticket available.
Inside tip: The smart travelers buy the inexpensive tickets and save their reward miles for upgrades.

Posted By Ronny K on July 9, 2009, 7:24 PM

My experience with Delta was similar and I have not flown with Delta since 1998 and don't plan to if I can avoid it.

Posted By J Smith on July 9, 2009, 7:37 PM

Delta's service has definitely gone downhill as I have 2 incidents of similar issues as noted by others, and I wasn't even using frequent flyer miles!

Posted By N R on July 9, 2009, 9:27 PM

I had purchased miles from Delta on June 1st last year for a planned trip to South America that cost 90,000 miles at the time. By the end of June, Delta changed the mileage requirement for the same route to 256,000 miles. Needless to say I was not happy until I found Points.com and was able to unload my Delta miles for those of another airline. The few remaining mile I have with Delta will someday disappear as none will be added since I no longer travel on Delta. Too bad they bought NW.

Posted By Mark on July 9, 2009, 10:46 PM

We were on FF miles in business class a couple of years ago. We were told that everyone else would have their meal request taken and we would get whatever meal was left. My husband has been an elite flyer with Delta for several years and even though he's now retired still has Gold status.
I'm using FF miles for a trip to Europe this fall and am concerned about what Delta will do at the gate. Previously they have taken away my assigned seat and given me a less desirable one.

Posted By Nita on July 9, 2009, 11:22 PM

I love flying on Southwest Airlines, they have great service and a friendly crew. I have redeem FF miles many times, without any problems. I had three FF rewards expire, they renewed them for one full year @ $50.00 each. I wish they flew to more places, I have been flying United for the past six mos. because they offer non stop flights to BWI and Dulles. I had a problem with a paid enconomy plus ticket I was bumped at the gate for a passenger that needed oxygen my assigned seat was the only seat on the plane for a portable o2 tank connection. The gate attendant, waited to inform me that I was bumped as I was walking toward the jetway after my boarding pass had been scanned. He accommadated the standby passengers without making sure I had a seat. I was seated in the last row window seat that back up to the toilet. It was a full flight from LAX to IAD, the middle seat was empty it gets better. The flight attendant noticed the empty seat and asked the passenger on the aisle to switch with a very tall lady whose legs were sticking out in the aisle she was 6'7 1/2" tall. He switched and this very tall nice lady sat sideways with her feet under the B seat. We were jammed in because when the seats in front of us reclined we had no were to go. It was a very bad flight for both of us. The flight attendants were very kind and apologetic. I miss Southwest, and there points add up faster then the other airlines FF. All of the disfunctional airlines need to go to the Southwest School Of Customer Service.

Posted By Gayle B. on July 10, 2009, 3:11 AM

Recently I flew to SF and back from NYC via Delta on a last minute business trip for which I paid a substantial fare. Both Delta flights were substantially oversold and there was boarding chaos. On the way back, the Redeye out of SF, the only thing that saved the situation was a very harried, very unhappy looking Delta Gate operator who nevertheless somehow managed to get everyone taken care of though he must have been sorely tempted just to chuck it. I also noticed or heard around the airport that a number of other Delta flights seem to have the same problem Has Delta adopted a systematic policy of overbooking? Once you are overbooked you are more or less trapped, particularly because you don't find out about it until you get to the airport. Moreover, if you are a last minute business traveler,you get the hairy end of the lollipop both seat wise and overhead baggage compartment wise because they don't give you a seat assignment and if you don't have a seat assignment you get swept into the mess of last minute seat juggling when they are overbooked. Delta appears to be getting as cheap and as cheesy as the banks who jack up credit card rates on any excuse whatsoever. Why can't the airlines, 24 hours before departure, inform passengers of the overbooking and ask for offers at that point, when travelers would have the time to make alternative arrangements?

EYork

Posted By eyork on July 10, 2009, 12:26 PM

I have made numerous FF trips with Delta and have never had any of the unfortunate experiences I've just read about. Our daughter lives in an area where Delta is the predominant carrier so we will continue to fly Delta. In my opinion, it's still a great way to fly "free". I've had more problems using a paid ticket. Just lucky I guess!

Posted By Florida Girl on July 10, 2009, 3:40 PM

You all have me worried. We are flying to Seattle in August on United. Our United VISA card gave my husband a promotional where by he buys a round trip ticket and charges it on the United VISA card and I fly free after taxes, etc. It's economy T-tickets. Must be there aren't many allocated on each flight because once in Chicago we have to fly to Denver to twiddle our thumbs for four hours while waiting for a connection to Seattle. The agent told me that everyone working at the airport where I had to go to purchase my tickets, will be losing their jobs and that, are you ready for this?, the Delta counter would be handling the United reservations and check-ins. Should I worry?I'm thinking that I should. Just in case, I'm not checking any bags and am planning carefully what to pack and where on our two week vacation I will do laundry. Please note our airport is considered to be an international one. Nancy

Posted By Nancy G on July 10, 2009, 5:16 PM

After my husband gave up his First Class seat and seat on a Delta flight (I used my frequent flyer miles to get this ticket), he was given a voucher for $400 and a voucher for a free one class upgrade since they could not get him out in First Class on the next flight. After numerous attempts to use the voucher for an upgrade, we had to go to the airport where a supervisor had to manually imput the voucher for my husband's future flight. When my husband had to hand over the voucher for the flight, he was denied the upgrade. Following Chris Elliott's advice, www.elliott.org (The Travel Troubleshooter), we wrote Delta a letter and cc.ed the CEO, etc. As a goodwill gesture, Delta issued another voucher for a future flight. I guess Delta is trying to do better. Let's hope this voucher works!

Posted By Jill M Yamane on July 11, 2009, 5:22 PM

Delta spokesman, Kent Landers, who told me: "SkyMiles is a free ticket so that would be the lowest fare class on the airplane."

B.S.

You "pay" for this free ticket by being fiercely loyal to the airline and its various mileage-earning schemes. Play this game and suffer the costs, Delta.

Posted By F. R. Equenttraveler on July 11, 2009, 7:15 PM

I've not had the experience of being dropped after being confirmed on a flight, but I've always seen attendants with overbooked flights ask for volunteers to go on a later flight. I almost always volunteer (unless I'm needed somewhere and can't change plans) because the airlines usually appreciate the gesture and upgrade your ticket. I've flown first class several times (though purchasing a coach ticket) because of volunteering. This upgrade is especially great on long-distance flights! The bonus of a free ticket to use later is also worth it...

Posted By Laura on July 11, 2009, 7:17 PM

we have used southwest awards for years.always get
the flight we need to anywhere they fly.the tickets
are treated like full fares-fly the next day,make
last minute changes,etc.even free drink coupons!
and they still do not charge for checked luggage.
why would any one fool with all the other award
plans?

Posted By dave on July 12, 2009, 11:00 PM

Follow up to Nita's comment - I was flying United business class on a FF ticket several years ago. I got the meal choice that was left, fish, and preceeded to have an anaphalactic (allergic) reaction on the first bite. There was crab on top, which was stated on the menu, but of course I didn't get to see the menu.

I was in the bulkhead & couldn't get up to get my epi-pen. I rang the call button repeatedly before the flight attendant came. I asked her if there was some kind of shellfish in the meal and she immeadiately began walking off, spitting "I have no idea" at me. I put my hand out to stop her and she became incensed & sent the puser over. I explained the stituation and the purser helped me get my meds and offered to land the plane. In retrospect I kind of wish I had said yes to impress on that flight attendant the seriousness of the situation.

On other occassions United flight attendants have simply been rude when I was flying business class on miles & expressed a meal preference before it was my turn. Howeveer, I have found that international carriers, like Cathay or Thai, do not treat mileage flyers as less valuable passengers.

Posted By Gabrielle on July 13, 2009, 3:28 PM

If we want to be treated better by the airlines--not just Delta, they ALL have their horror stories--we need to become activists with our representatives in Congress.

The EU has a much more passenger friendly model for the laws that govern air carriers, from the length of time that a plane can sit on the ground without the passengers being allowed to get off/be fed, etc, to how under what situations and the amount that passengers must be paid for flight changes. In this country, aviation law is written based on "model legislation" written by aviation lobbyists who hand it to the Congresspeople with the suggestion that they use that language.

Let's get serious about this, if we want change. Bellyaching gets us nowhere.

Posted By Michele Dukinfield on July 13, 2009, 6:33 PM

In January I flew from Seattle to South Africa via Air France - (Alaska Airlines Partner), Business class with award miles. I was treated exactly the same as all the other Business Class passengers, so either the flight attendants did not know I was 'flying free' or they did not care - all passengers are treated equally. It was a terrific experience. No problems with seating assignments, although the return flight was full. I fly Alaska Airlines all the time, and have never had a problem with seating assignments with award miles either. I use award miles at least twice a year, mostly international, sometimes within the U.S. Also, when I have called a customer rep. at Alaska Airlines or their partners to make reservations with award miles, they have gone out of their way to find convenient connections etc. for me. For my South Africa/Paris trip, I spent about 50 minutes on the phone with a customer service agent, because he told me that I could stay over in Paris at no extra charge, so we were trying to find a good connection on my return to the U.S. Without fail, I have had excellent customer service on the phone and at the gates. Alaska Airlines is now charging $25 for some international phone reservations, but believe me, it's still worth it. Good for you Alaska Airlines and Air France. I will certainly fly Air France the next time I fly internationally. I don't work for Alaska Airlines or Air France, I just live in Alaska.

Posted By Debi Roesch on July 13, 2009, 11:48 PM

It's hard to understand how airlines prioritize anymore. I recently flew from Chicago to Miami with American. On this particular flight, they "invited" the "priority" class passengers to board first (first class, gold, platinum, executive platinum). THEN they boarded families and "those needing a little extra time or assistance". Then, finally, came "group 1", which I was a part of. The gate area had a two-lane corralled loading zone, with a sign pointing out one side as priority and the other as everybody else. I remember when "priority" was a rare thing indeed; on this particular flight, some 50 passengers qualified.

A gentleman and I had been standing quietly - not even in anybody's way - on the "other" boarding lane, and a late-arriving "priority" passenger barreled up the "other" boarding lane instead of the "priority" lane, not even bothering to acknowledge us as his luggage nearly bowled us over. Then the gate agent gave us attitude for "standing in the way", when all the other priority passengers had already boarded but they hadn't yet called Group 1.

The frequent flyer program was designed to reward customer loyalty to a given brand. I concentrated all my business with one airline over the years, and constantly have found myself re-frustrated as I reach within a couple thousand of my goal reward, and suddenly - oops! - the airline ups the ante by another 10, 25, 50 thousand miles. The only frequent flyers who *really* benefit from the frequent flyer programs are the "road warriors" - the business men and women who are logging 30, 50, 100+ flights a year. (And some of them will tell you their best benefit is not so much the free plane tickets, but to qualify for the "elite" status which gives them earlier check-in times, free upgrades, etc.)

The low-cost/"no-frills" airlines have won my loyalty. I might not earn freebie tickets as frequently with them, but I get treated less like cattle, I know where my expectations lie before I get on the plane, they generally have a better attitude than most of the 'major' airlines, their fares are generally cheaper, they lose my luggage less, their customer service attitude is better, and best of all, many of them use the smaller regional airports which give me greater flexibility of travel - and most delightfully, more on-time flight performance.

I'm not saying the low-cost/no-frills airlines are perfect, but I will say Southwest is my airline of choice most frequently.

Posted By Cheryl on July 14, 2009, 3:37 AM

Last year I was stranded by USAIR in Philadelphia, where my connecting flight was just 15 late and they wouldn't hold the plane to Mexico even though there were a lot of connecting passengers on my flight. My connecting flight time was too tight (and I had originally had it at two hours but the airline changed it themselves). As I arrived in Phily at 10 AM you would think they could find one seat, on any airline, at any time during that day to Mexico - but of course not. They put me up at a Howard Johnson's, led me to believe that they were paying for it with my "voucher" - but all the voucher did was give me a slightly discounted rate at a crummy hotel which was charged to my credit card. When at the customer service desk some "Priority" members were next to me, and their perks were so good that customer service had to whisper to them so we peons couldn't hear which hotel they were getting (paid of course) along with their dinner vouchers. These airlines treat us like cattle!

Posted By Helen S on July 14, 2009, 12:09 PM

I recently flew on American Airlines from Dallas to New York around July 4th. Twenty-four hours prior to departure, I confirmed my seat, flight number, and departure time. A few minutes prior to departure, American Airlines cancelled my flight due weather conditions in New York (side note: several of the passangers had called their friends and family and said it was sunny and hot). Thus, I began placing myself on standby on two other different flights. Finally, the last American Airline flight out of Dallas had approximately 120 passangers on standby. Anyway, Amerian Airlines also claimed to having some difficulty with the maintenance of one of their planes. So they could only board one plane. Hence, the reason there were 120 passengers on standby. An American Airline agent was kind enough (sarcasm here) to offer us a distressed passenger rate to spend the night at hotel. The American Airlines agents also placed those on standby on different flights to New York for the following day. Overall, I was not impressed with American Airlines. There were quite a few couples with infants and it is important for them to realize that families are limited with the amount of bottled milk they can carry on board with them. In my opinion, they could have at least offered a voucher for a free night at a hotel.

Posted By Joanne on July 17, 2009, 12:09 PM

I'm a 10 year top tier elite member on a number of carriers, and there's no doubt that some carriers just value their customers more than others.

My worst experience came on US Airways in Phoenix. I was eligible for a free upgrade based on my FF status, and asked the gate agent if there were seats avaialble. She looked at my card and told me that I was not eligible. We had a very brief and civil exchange about the rules of their FF program, and she was not convinced, so, with plenty of time, I went to the Customer Service Counter in the terminal, where they apologized and upgraded me.

As they were boarding the flight, the gate agent calls my name. Thinking she was going to try to upgrade my already upgraded ticket, I go to the counter. Instead, without saying a word, she reaches across the counter, grabs my boarding pass, and proceeds to tear it up in front of my face. She had reassigned me to a middle seat in the back of coach.

Having had enough, I asked to speak to a supervisor. She claimed she didn't have one. I then requested the station manager. Suddenly, a supervisor must've just been hired, becuase one became available. However, the supervisor also didn't understand the rules of their program, and sided with the gate agent. Knowing that I was right (having looked the policy up on their website while waiting for the flight,) I requested the station manager on duty again.

The station manager came over and immediately corrected the gate agent and supervisor, and offered me a first class seat. I thanked him, he apologized and asked if there was anything else he could do. I suggested that the gate agent should probably apologize for her behavior toward me, and he agreed that was appropriate.

She turned her back and walked away instead.

Since that date, I have flown an estimated 1500 flights on nearly every major airline in the world. But not one more dollar has gone to US Airways.

Posted By Jon P on July 17, 2009, 12:36 PM

Just got back from three trips to three countries in six weeks and EVERY airline was fabulous! Flew Delta from Sacramento to ATL to Paris...then Air France from Paris to Cannes, then Delta back to the states with 2 connections. I used my Delta miles to pay for my husband's ticket and I was on a separate ticket paid for by my company. No problems with either airline.

Then flew United from Sacramento to Vancouver and back...again no problems except they do not have ANY free snacks and because of Vancouver's completely full customs and security (four cruise ships arriving on a Saturday morning when they were training TSA agents) my mom had to pay $3 for cookies to tide her over until we got to SFO and could have lunch.

And just returned from Australia...flew Southwest (a non-fills favorite) to LAX then Quantas to Australia and back...again all exceptional service. And all flights (except United) were very reasonably priced.

I fly Delta as often as I can...next to SW, they are my favorite carrier. Always receive good customer service and their fares are always reasonable. However, it is easier to upgrade with United miles than with Delta.

Posted By Tina C on July 19, 2009, 10:05 PM

I've always been accommodated when flying on FF award travel ... I've learned, too, that an airline club is a good investment. You really DO have access to someone willing to work to provide you with alternative arrangements should the need arise.

Posted By pua on July 21, 2009, 1:34 AM

Gale B. has it right. Southwest is great to fly with and has an excellent FF program. I have earned at least a dozen free tickets over the years and have never had any problem redeeming them. They have even allowed me to transfer some of my redeemed tickets to my son for his travel. Living near Las Vegas, they can get me just about anywhere I want to go in the U.S. and are usually less expensive than other carriers.

Posted By Buqo on July 21, 2009, 5:54 PM

When I was a travel agent we were often told that we would be the first to be bumped (although I never was) when we were traveling on free or industry discounted tickets. Although we were not happy about that, at least it was made clear to us, and we had a choice of whether or not to use them.

Frequent flyers should have the same information when they book with miles, and they can decide if they want to do it that way or buy if they have an event that would be difficult if they are bumped.

Many frequent flyer tickets are not necessary obtained by the airlines best customers. More people earn them with credit card miles than with miles earned from expensive flights.

Posted By Donna on July 21, 2009, 6:24 PM

I have never had a problem using ffy miles, but am not a high user. My latest problem was a trip booked in Jan for a May trip, Atlanta to SFO and LAX back to Atlanta. I booked a 767 for the reason of having 2 seats together in the 2/3/2 configuration. Sometime between Jan and May, they downsized the plane and reallocated our seats. Thank God I have a habit of checking the flight once a month when booking so far out, and caught it in time to rebook aisle seats. Same thing on the LAX to Atlanta flight, but get this....they changed it from a 767 to a 737. Yes, a full 737 cross country, half full of the Greyhound crowd. DL should have sent an email reminder when my seat was changed. I get emails from them for everything else. That would have at least alerted me of the change and to rebook as needed. Airline travel is cheaper yes, but it is competitive. We have choices and fortunately, people book based on their best experience. All airlines will be considered for future trip and am no longer partial to that certain local airline. Moral of the story: when you book far in advance, make sure you check your flight every 2-4 weeks for equipment change so you can keep an eye on your reserved seat, or even airline schedule change.

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Posted By Someone on March 7, 2012, 6:28 PM

I arrived this morning after booking a frequent flier trip to find the plane had already departed and my seat was filled by a stand-by. By the way the flight was gone from the gate before the departure time had even arrived. I was held up at the ticket counter,as the agent said I needed special attention. I don't consider this very good pr for United, if they want people to continue to be loyal and book flights through them.

Posted By Carol on April 27, 2012, 12:02 PM

I arrived this morning after booking a frequent flier trip to find the plane had already departed and my seat was filled by a stand-by. By the way the flight was gone from the gate before the departure time had even arrived. I was held up at the ticket counter,as the agent said I needed special attention. I don't consider this very good pr for United, if they want people to continue to be loyal and book flights through them.

Posted By Carol on April 27, 2012, 12:03 PM

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Posted By Popescu Adrian on May 6, 2012, 9:09 AM