When Frequent Flyer points come to rescue in tough economic times

Post from Frequent flyers redeem miles to beat higher fares

"Airline
customers are cashing in more frequent-flyer awards this year, looking
to avoid higher fares and believing that miles just aren’t worth the
same anymore," reports Business Week. "With so many new ways
to earn miles—on everything from car rentals to groceries—savvy
travelers fear it’ll soon become harder to go where they want, when
they want for free."

"The glamour of the frequent-flyer award has faded," says Jay Sorensen, who ran the loyalty program at Midwest Airlines
and is now an airline consultant. "People are realizing that using
miles to go to Hawaii is a difficult objective," a thought reflected by
InsideFlyer publisher Randy Petersen: "They’re going to Boise,
Decatur and Bakersfield. They’re spending miles on family emergencies
or visiting grandma."

Business Week reports: "Continental Airlines
reports that through July, customers had cashed in 1.34 million awards
this year, up 21 percent from the same period last year."

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