Source: Iht.com Author: Roger Collis 01/03/2008
Subject Concerned: Opinion Airlines
Question: As a top Lufthansa frequent flier I would like to redeem my miles for a business-class ticket to Australia on Singapore Airlines. However, I could not find any seats available as far as 11 months in advance. Is it legal for Singapore Airlines not to offer even a single seat for an award ticket? Rok Deu, Barcelona
Answer: Airlines set their own rules for frequent flier programs. As I have often remarked, they always seem to make it difficult to redeem miles at the times you want to travel, especially if they can sell all the seats to fare-paying travelers. Blackout periods and limitation of awards on certain high-revenue flights are part of the marketing game. It is therefore wise to plan in advance and ask on which flights, or routings, you can get an award ticket. You might have more luck with another Star Alliance carrier, such as Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, or Thai Airways International, which all accept Lufthansa Miles and More miles.
Although airline alliances, in this case the Star Alliance, normally allow you to earn and redeem miles in partners' programs, airlines' own customers invariably have priority over members of partner airlines' programs. This is especially true for upgrades, so it may be worth joining two or three partner programs within an alliance.
Question: I was recently searching for a nonstop flight from New York City to Budapest, and was surprised to find that neither the Hungarian carrier Malev nor any of its oneworld partners flies this route. The only way to reach Budapest is via a connecting hub. Do you know if there are plans to restore a nonstop service? Yehuda Cohn, New York
Answer: You are right, but it depends when you checked; there are no year-round daily nonstop services. When I entered arbitrary dates for 2008 on the Official Airline Guides Web site (www.oagflights.com), I found nonstop services during January and February, with Delta Air Lines; April/May, with American/Malev; June/July/August/September, with American, Malev and Delta; October/November with Delta; but no direct flights in December. It's important to check for nonstop flights several days before and after the dates you would like to travel, or you may wrongly conclude that there is no direct service.
Question: My luggage failed to arrive with me back in June at Washington Dulles on a British Airways flight from London. It took a week before the bag arrived in Albuquerque where I was attending a conference. My letter to BA, which is still unacknowledged, asks that I be reimbursed for the cost of my World Traveler Plus ticket, 863 pounds, plus US$246 for the purchase of clothes. The issue has more to do with time wasted, fruitless phone calls and anguish in constantly waiting for the bag to arrive. V.H., Geneva
Answer: I appreciate your anguish, but I am not surprised at the silence from BA. After all, you did get your bag back in a week; I assume that you filled out a Property Irregularity Report on the spot, but it would have been wise to agree at the same time how much you could spend on clothes and essentials such as underwear and toiletries.
An annual travel insurance policy should cover you for up to US$2,000 for lost or damaged baggage, and reimburse you for the purchase of emergency items. And you should be able to claim essential expenses (often up to US$300) if your baggage is delayed for more than 12 hours.
Under the terms of the Montreal Convention, compensation for lost or damaged baggage rises from US$20 per kilogram to a maximum of US$1,300. I am not aware of any provision for delayed baggage. Frequent travelers always expect the unexpected. Try not to put all essential items (such as shoes) in one suitcase. I would have taken my conference suit, with dress shirt and tie, in a garment bag that you can hang up in premium cabins. This is a good place to stash presentation stuff and crucial business papers. Never, ever consign anything you need for a conference in checked luggage unless you want the law of averages to catch up with you.