Elite World News

Wondering where to go with all those frequent flyer miles? If you know where to look, the airlines will help you choose flights with seats readily accessible to mileage program members.

In response to the outcry from mileage collectors frustrated by the lack of available award seats, the airlines are attempting to steer program members in the direction of flights which are good prospects for would-be award travelers, both by listing destinations with plenty of empty seats (hot spots) and by discounting award flights to lower-demand destinations.

Some of these flights are running just half-full for good reason: they’re dogs.

(Full post Top 5 Award Destinations for October…)

Have you ever paid through the nose for Internet access on a cruise ship, only to waste precious minutes waiting for pages to download? I’ve spent many hours online while at sea, uploading blogs or emailing my friends, family, and editors. I can certainly attest that onboard Internet is so slow, it’s almost not worth using. Fortunately, there may be hope for all the onboard emailers out there. Crystal has just implemented new WebAccelerator technology that speeds up the connection time for satellite communications.
(Full post Crystal aims to speed up onboard Internet…)

Mixing cash and frequent flyer miles as payment for a ticket has always been an alluring idea, bordering on the inevitable. Both, after all, are forms of currency, and currencies ought to be combinable. In fact, to a limited extent, they have been. Northwest has allowed members of its mileage program to use cash and miles for tickets for years. Other airlines have flirted with the idea as well.
(Full post US Airways’ cash-and-miles deal fails to deliver real value…)

When Hurricane Dean landed in Mexico, it severely damaged the Port of Costa Maya. According to USAToday.com, the port won’t reopen until September 2008. At that time, only two of its three cruise berths will be operational—the third won’t be completed until 2009. How will this affect cruises to this part of Mexico? According to an AP report, Carnival is eliminating the port from its itineraries through spring 2009. Royal Caribbean is avoiding the port through April, and rerouting its six ships scheduled to call at Costa Maya.
(Full post Costa Maya port closed until September 2008…)

We don’t often highlight Southwest bonus offers because, frankly, Southwest doesn’t often offer noteworthy bonuses. On the scale of promotional activity, Southwest usually scores somewhere between “Rare” and “Infrequent.” But the Texas-based discounter has rolled out a new promotion that qualifies as the exception that makes the rule. And it’s a dandy. Southwest is offering Rapid Rewards members a free ticket for flying two paid long-distance round-trip flights between September 1 and November 15.
(Full post From Southwest: Buy two flights, get one free…)

LONDON, England — Tougher security measures introduced at UK airports are failing to protect passengers, an industry watchdog said as it criticized the country’s busiest airport for delays that could harm the country’s economy.

In a report on half-year air traffic results, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticized the UK’s "unique screening policies," which it said "inconvenience passengers with no improvement in security."

The report comes after UK ministers said tougher airport security measures were creating longer lines that could become new targets for terrorists.

London’s Heathrow Airport has also been criticized for suffering from excessive delays and an ineffective setup.

The IATA praised a U.S.-EU agreement on harmonized security measures, which include the sharing of passenger information, describing it as "a step in the right direction."

But it said governments must be careful that new security rules do not work against passengers.

(Full post Heathrow hassles ‘threat to UK’…)

Whether it’s because of my recent report or the fact that summer vacation travel is in full swing, this week saw a handful of questions about frequent flyer hassles. Here are some of the submissions of greatest general interest.

How many seats?

“Trying to use miles is a joke. I was told that only four seats per plane are available for use. Is this true?”

Not really, although it may seem that way. According to reports required by the government, the big lines generally fill six to eight percent of their seats with travelers using frequent flyer awards.

(Full post Frequent flyer questions…)