Airline Miles Programs and luggage allowances

I travel a lot and simply rack up loads of points with just one Airline...Turkish. I know it does not work for many but where I am, it is perfect...

Due to my elevated membership status, I get 50% off the 2nd companion business class ticket. The Business class ticket is usually only 60% that of other airlines like BA or Similar. I also get 20 additional kilos over the standard 30 for business class (or even if I buy Economy) and I get 2 carry on pieces.

The math works out to be for me and my wife, 100kgs or about 220lbs... and 4 pcs of carry on for most international travel! For flights out of the US or into the US, I get double the business class limit....and 4 carry bags

Loyalty pays.......sometimes

Oh yeah...I got myself one of those UMPCs from Fujitsu as a travel laptop.....fits on my palm and weighs about 1.8lbs or under a kilo.....helps a lot. Barely enough to run CS3 VERY SLOWLY if you really must... lol

Thought this would be a good topic for international travel so I split it from the luggage thread.

I am a PPS member with Krisflyer of Singapore Airlines. I throw in whatever Star Alliance flights I take into it. So far, Singapore Airlines has not bugged me for having overweight, even when I fly economy and have 50kg (this was when I was a Solitaire member).

http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/cont...itaire_life.jsp

The benefits are pretty much like every other airline's high flyer status benefits, but I find that they are pretty lax with the luggage rules beyond those rules. I've travelled with 5 bags of 70lbs a few times as well as 3 carry on bags including spare housing. One thing they are VERY stingy about is upgrades from economy. I get one every few months but it was better with Cathay Pacific's Marco Polo Diamond.

Cathay Pacific's Marco Polo Diamond level is similar but they are more eager to upgrade you but pretty strict on the luggage, especially at Hong Kong Airport.

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/ffp/mpo/benefits

For Europe, Virgin Atlantic takes care of their customers very well too. I get good treatment as a Krisflyer member. And Virgin definitely has the best lounge at Heathrow, even if Heathrow sucks!

Note that while airlines do value frequent flyers, at many airports that have general staff working all other airlines, your privileges are not as recognized without asking for the airline staff directly. This was especially so with draconian luggage airports like many australian airports and in particular South Africa's JNB and CPT. Always ask for the airline staff NICELY and things will be taken care of.

Still I wouldn't travel with as much crap since often to get to better destinations, we also have to take domestic airlines and puddle jumpers. So pack lightly.

Conversely, the worse frequent flyer program has to be Delta. They charged me for a bag that was 5 lbs overweight even though I was a Gold member. Last time I flew with them too.

I use Continental most of the time since I have frequent flier miles there. 99% of the time it is good and I do not get hassled (mostly because I do try to upgrade so as not to get caught in the baggage allowance issue).

One time they did try to charge me for being about 2 lbs over (damp wetsuit and BC on return flights seem to always inch me over) and I started opening up my luggage to move things around so they let it go. But as Drew said polite and nice goes a long way. No matter how bad it is for us trying to work in within these rules, they often have to get the worse end of ticked off customers. Being calm and smiling, even when you may be seething inside, is appreciated and responded to in kind. They actually bumped me up one time to first class on a leg of a flight because there was room and I was polite in line.

One other thing that also helps seems to be getting to the flight a bit early. Though it is a drag hanging out at the airport (unless there is a good bar ) shorter lines/less people means less stress on the people behind the counter. Of course getting there real late so they have to push you through without too much focus can work, but that can backfire a bit more.

But ultimately the puddle jumpers and actually hauling the gear around when you land become the bigger issues for me. Though seeing what Drew carried a few times does make me feel a bit better about my usual haul of 2 50 lb and 1 30 lb checked bags and two carry-ons, and I usually place extra things into my wife's carry-ons anyway

We're members of BA's executive club which includes the OneWorld carriers like American and Qantas and a few others as well that codeshare with BA. In Europe airlines are becoming very strict on the 1x23kg(50lbs) luggage limits for economy tickets, but BA allows an extra 1x23kg free for scuba equipment as long as you call them in advance and book it in. Any flights to or through the US or Caribbean you are automatically allowed 2x23kg, so basically on that route with BA you'd be allowed 3x23kg if you needed it. The only problem I've ever had is at airport check in on the return leg when at the desks they almost always claim ignorance of their own allowances and at least attempt to stuff you for the extra bags. I get incredibly wound up at airports as I hate flying, but I try to keep my mouth shut and let Zoe do the talking and we've never been charged for excess with BA yet (touch wood)!!

We get reward miles back from flights obviously but I've also become pretty obsessed with getting them in other ways to. Just by using my America Express BA card for daily expenditure and converting my Tesco (like Walmart) club points into BA miles I get a free flight for me and Zoe at least once a year to either the US, Caribbean or Africa. We almost always fly economy (just can't justify the cost of business) but we've been upgraded a number of times to premium economy (basically more leg room for twice the ticket price). All in all it works for us. No matter who we fly with we have to put up with Heathrow, but Terminal 5 opens next week so hopefully that will help. On its own it's the same size as the rest of Heathrow put together

Cheers, Simon

I get one every few months but it was better with Cathay Pacific's Marco Polo Diamond.

Cathay Pacific's Marco Polo Diamond level is similar but they are more eager to upgrade you but pretty strict on the luggage, especially at Hong Kong Airport.

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/ffp/mpo/benefits

I should add, Cathay's Diamond status automatically upgrades you to a higher class if there is availability at check in time - not sure if it's spelled out in the benefits. So if you're booked in economy, and there are still business seats available, then they are required to put you in the business seat.

Hey Mike

That is true. They upgraded me regularly. Hence they got mentioned. However, the staff were less helpful with the luggage. I did forget to add one has to pay $50 to enter the Marco Polo program. After 6 times of having to argue my way out of baggage allowance problems and not wanting to fly via HK, I switched to SQ and Krisflyer... which unfortunately costs a LOT more to fly per leg! But at least you do get better service.

Being based in HK, I am reluctantly a Marco Polo member due to my business trips but I loathe their mileage program. 25K miles to travel within the region and you'd be lucky to even get a seat given how few seats Cathay allocates for its miles (forget about using them for a direct flight to Bali unless you reserve 2yrs ahead...). I miss my old United/ Star Alliance program with the old 20K for regional flights around Asia.

BTW, not sure if this got mentioned anywhere else on Wepixel, but this could be a growing trend as airlines start clamping down on carryon...

Delta moves to thwart carry-on rule breakers

Delta this weekend began issuing red tags meant "to keep track of approved carry-on luggage," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (free registration) writes. Delta workers will place the tags on carry-on bags either at the ticket counter or at the gate. So far, the tags will be issued only for international customers. Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton says the purpose is to protect the space available in the airline's overhead bins. In case you were wondering, the Journal-Constitution notes Delta "currently allows each passenger to bring aboard one piece of luggage with total length, width and height dimensions of no more than 45 inches and a maximum weight of 40 pounds. Passengers may also bring aboard another small item, such as a briefcase, purse or tote bag."

Yeah but would you really rather fly UA vs CP? Especially in C class? lol

Asia Miles is about the worst program out there. In Asia, I think the airlines don't really care about establishing loyalty as much as the US airlines. Maybe it's got something to do with actual collection of miles that the US airlines only payout less than 15% of miles accumulated due to restrictions etc.

On the carry on issue, Heathrow security attempted to stop me from carrying my 2 camera/computer and housing bags but the SQ location manager okayed me (albeit with a warning not to do it again, so I haven't flown through Heathrow since )

Budget airlines have always enforced the carry on rule to prevent circumvention of their dismal checked bags allowance.