Frequent flier to L.A. Q I'm taking a 12-month course in Los Angeles that requires six round-trip flights from Minneapolis. Which airlines offer the best deals for multiple flights to and from the same destination? I'd prefer to purchase the tickets as needed. Suggestions?
A I posed your question to Tim Winship, who runs the frequentflier.com website. "I always suggest that people join the frequent-flier program of the airline which offers the most service to the destinations that they travel to most often," Winship said. He said you should consider which airline has the most frequent and convenient flights to L.A. and concentrate on earning miles with that airline. In your case, he said, the choice is clear: Go with Delta.
With Delta's SkyMiles program, you earn miles toward an award flight every time you pay to fly. A minimum of 25,000 miles gets you a free domestic flight. While the miles accrued from five round trips between Minneapolis and Los Angeles won't measure up, you could add enough miles in other ways to take that sixth flight for free. Sign up for the Delta-branded American Express card, which will get you one mile for every dollar spent (plus one free checked bag if you use the card to pay for a Delta flight). Also, familiarize yourself with partners in the program; hotels and car rentals can help you get miles.
For the record, Sun Country, which also serves Los Angeles, offers a frequent-flier program with no blackout dates or limits on the number of award tickets per flight. It uses a straight point system: You get five points for each one-way coach fare; 100 points gets you a free flight. If you enroll for the Ufly program by March 31, Sun Country will give you 10 reward points. The airline flies less frequently to Los Angeles, however, and flying the airline is the only way to get points.
You might also consider signing up to receive fare alerts, e-mails sent when prices to a certain destination drop. You aren't always guaranteed that Delta will be the airline with the lowest prices, but usually when one carrier drops prices, others follow. Alerts can clue you in about the best time to buy your next flight. Websites that provide the service include www.airfarewatchdog.com and www.tripadvisor.com/flights.
KERRI WESTENBERG
TRAVEL TIP Here come more airline fees?When fuel prices go up, a scenario that experts see on the horizon, the airlines must absorb the spike, pass it on to passengers or find a creative third option. George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, predicts new fees. He says he can see more airlines adopting American's locked-in fares, which charge travelers a fee to secure a price for a set amount of time. Or they might apply a 10 percent charge on lap children on domestic flights, or copy foreign carriers and charge a fee on charge-card payments or a per-pound fee on checked bags.
WASHINGTON POST
