| 10 SECRETS TO NABBING THAT ELUSIVE FREQUENT FLYER AWARD TICKET by Ann Lombardi, Certified Travel Associate www.TheTripChicks.com 1. Start your search EARLY! For popular destinations like Hawaii, Alaska, Europe, or the Orient, the hunt for frequent flyer tickets as early as 331+ days in advance. If you nab a reservation, write down your record locator (reservation number) and mark the ticketing deadline on your calendar. 2. If you're not having much luck, check for an award on a frequent flyer partner carrier (i.e. Air France, KLM/NW, Continental, etc. instead of Delta). The goal is to use your award miles so you pay only for the taxes. 3. Call the "partner desk" of the airlines with which you have your frequent flyer account. Availability of partner airline award tickets can not be checked online. 4. Don't stick to just non-stop flights. If you don't mind changing planes, you might nail your first choice dates and end up using fewer points in the process. 5. Be flexible with your dates and destination. During high season to Europe, for example, if your preferred arrival city or travel dates are sold-out, ask the agent to check London or Amsterdam. Budget airlines like Snowflake, Germania, Central Wings, Easy Jet, BMI, and others connect many European cities. 6. Call the airline frequent flyer desk mid-week between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m, instead of on busy weekends or during regular office hours. During those off-peak phone times, you often get extremely experienced agents willing to check your options more creatively and thoroughly. 7. Be prepared to stay on hold a long time, and express your appreciation to the frequent flyer award agent. Remember the agent is trying to help you with "non-revenue" flights, and the squeaky wheel rarely gets the grease. 8. If you can't redeem your points for the dates you want and you don't mind the suspense, book the closest dates available. You can try to fly standby a few days earlier than the outbound date on your ticket. Just call the carrier 48 to 72 hours in advance and ask "how open the flights from ________to _________ are" for that day. 9. Request to be put "on a priority waitlist" for booked up flights. Then call the airlines back every few days during off-peak hours to see if "anything has cleared" for your frequent flyer award ticket. 10. Remember, patience and persistence pay off. Keep your sense of humor and your cool. Happy flying! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- Ann Lombardi is a travel writer, veteran tour escort and travel consultant, and former E.S.L. teacher with a knack for (mis)adventure. She has traveled to 60+ countries and her travel stories have appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Risks of Sunbathing Topless (Seal Press), The Thong Also Rises (Travelers’ Tale), Columbia County Magazine, and Cultural Exploring. She and her business partner Wendy Swartzell co-hosted “The Trip Chicks Travel Show” on the FOX Talk Radio 1160 in Washington, D.C. and Ann now hosts “Travel Talk: Escapes” on 1620 AM in Atlanta. The Trip Chicks® hang their backpacks in Atlanta, Georgia, and their websites are www.TheTripChicks.com., www.AskTheTripChicks.com, and www. radiosandysprings.com/escapes/php Written by: Ann V. Lombardi e-mail: thetripchicks@mindspring.com phone: 770-454-7205 or 404-320-3033 |
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| A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life. |