I Don’t Use Frequent Flyer Miles

When it comes to flying, I skip all the headaches involved with frequent flyer miles and fly with an airline that doesn’t hassle me with any of that - Southwest Airlines. They, like Airtran and several other airlines, do a points system where you get a point for a one-way ticket. During some promotional offers, they will give double points to get more passengers in on an expanding hub. Fortunately for me, Baltimore, MD’s Baltimore Washington International Airport is one of these hubs and several years ago they were offering double points (four round trips, regardless of the miles, meant a free ticket!).

Why do I stick with Southwest? Hassle-free. Some people complain about their open seating policy (they’ve since adjusted it) but I didn’t have a problem, the faster you get on, the faster we get going. They don’t ding you with fees left and right like paying for drinks or a pillow or even to check luggage. And, as it turns out, frequent fliers on other airlines now have to pay new fees to use their miles!

What happens when I have to fly other airlines? I get their cards and I accrue the miles, usually turning them into magazine subscriptions or something other meaningless little prize. Perhaps it’s not the most efficient but, to be honest, I don’t enjoy dealing with the new business model of airlines - nickel and dime-ing you to profitability.

Related Posts:

• U.S. Domestic Airline Fee Chart
• Lessons from Farecast