Educational Posts on Loyalty Programs

China Airlines, Taiwan’s flag carrier, began operating charter flights in 1959 with fewer than 40 employees. Today’s China Airlines, which employs about 11,000 people and serves more than 100 destinations across Asia, Europe, North America and Australia, has come a long way from its humble beginnings. It flies to 10 cities in the continental U.S.: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. China Airlines also serves Anchorage, Honolulu and Guam.

You’re probably already planning your annual summer vacation. Have you considered going someplace you can’t drive to? It might be time to think outside the box and visit a far-flung destination.

Frontier Airlines and its EarlyReturns frequent flyer program underwent a considerable overhaul in March 2015, putting it firmly on the path of becoming a true ultra-low-cost carrier. Fortunately, the EarlyReturns award redemption levels have not changed even though the economy rates are getting a bit harder to find nowadays.

Aeroflot is Russia’s flag carrier and one of the oldest and largest airlines in the world, flying to 123 cities in 52 countries. From Moscow, Aeroflot flies to four cities in the U.S. including New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Miami. It also serves 47 destinations in Europe and 13 in Asia, making the airline a good option for connecting flights between the U.S. and those regions.

Memorial Day is here and people are packing up and taking off. If you are planning a road trip this summer and would like to pump up your miles in the process, there are several deals to be had.

Asiana Airlines is Korea’s second largest carrier after Korea Air. Asiana Club, the airline’s loyalty program, offers members exceptional deals on certain routes, including flights between the U.S. and Korea, Europe, and parts of South America. The program also has some unique perks, like its generous family mile sharing and pooling program and the ability to pay for excess baggage with miles.

Asiana’s program isn’t the most flexible, though. It doesn’t offer miles plus cash awards or free stopovers. You can book complex itineraries, but you have to call and you’ll probably have to pay extra. Fuel surcharges, however reasonable, are also levied on all Asiana flights and most partner airlines.

Asiana Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance and one of the two major Korean airlines. The airline is well-respected by both industry insiders and passengers for its excellent service and product.

There was a time when airports had very little security. By the late 1960s, terrorists recognized how vulnerable civil aviation was. Skyjacking reached a crescendo of 40 attempts on U.S. planes in 1969, forcing the implementation of new security measures designed to protect the flying public.

If you’re considering a new cell phone service provider, be sure to take advantage of the wide variety of offers available now at the frequent flyer virtual malls. There are thousands of miles up for grabs for new customers.

Depending on how far down the points and miles rabbit hole you are, you’ve either never heard of Avianca or you know it is the key unlocking many glamorous, yet ridiculously cheap award flights.

Thanks to its recent acquisition by Etihad, Alitalia is poised to be a force to be reckoned with. The beleaguered Italian national carrier has been the subject of bailout after bailout, but Etihad has now put it on a path to clean up its act financially and improve the in-flight and general customer experience.

Frequent flyer virtual malls are all abuzz with pollen-filled bonus miles and many other Mother’s Day deals. Although flower purchases offer the most miles per dollar and significant flat-rate bonuses, there are plenty of options for earning extra miles. It’s a win-win situation–a gift for mom and some miles for you.

All Nippon Airlines, or ANA, is the second biggest airline in Japan after the flag carrier Japan Airlines. It consistently receives high ratings from both customers and industry organizations, such as Skytrax. The praise is well-deserved as the airline offers superb service in all classes, both in the air and on the ground.

People seem to love or hate Sun Country Airlines. Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler have ranked the low-cost carrier one of the top 10 domestic airlines, but online reviews seem to be mostly negative, with one suggesting that “the sun has set on Sun Country Airlines.”

There are two major airport lounge programs, Priority Pass and Lounge Club, that have credit card partners that subsidize the cost of membership. There are also credit cards that can get you access to the lounges, but they come with hefty annual fees, so you should weight the cost against the benefits to see if any of these cards are a good fit for you.

JetBlue is often credited with raising the bar for the in-flight experience  on board a low-cost airline. In addition to comfort advances and customer service innovations, the airline was one of the first to offer personalized in-flight entertainment for all passengers.

On its own, Air Canada can be a great airline to fly. It constantly garners awards for being the best airline in North America both from magazines like Business Traveler and Global Travel and industry organizations like Skytrax and World Travel Market.

In the world of points and miles, Aer Lingus is an oddity, like neighbor British airline Virgin Atlantic. It’s a major player with key partnerships with other major players, but it’s not a part of any of the big alliances, though it was formerly with oneworld.

If you’re a member of the American Airlines AAdvantage program and/or US Airways Dividend Miles, you’ve no doubt been trying to keep up to date on the changes that are in store as the two airlines merge. Here’s what’s happening as of spring 2015.

As South African Airways is a member of the Star Alliance, there’s no doubt that you can get to a lot of places with the airline’s Voyager miles. The question is: Would you want to?