How I Will Travel in 2017: Six Rules To Fly By

How I Will Travel in 2017: Six Rules To Fly By

By Robert McGarvey

The past year made it plain: the old rules for succeeding as a frequent flier are repealed.  The legacy carriers have done to their loyalty programs what President elect Trump has said he wants to do to Obamacare.

I don’t agree with Trump on the ACA or the legacy carriers on loyalty but, you know what, I don’t think they are listening to me.

At least with the carriers I know exactly how I need to behave in 2017 to make my best of a changed travel landscape. Here are the six rules I plan to fly by in 2017.

Rule 1: Show no loyalty to any carrier.  Buy on price and convenience only.  The carriers have no loyalty to us (well, they do but only to our money), so show none in return.  Do research on a Google type search engine to get a broad array of flight possibilities and prices.

Rule 2: Barring extraordinary price differences, I will continue to book with the carriers with whom I have credit cards that bring perks like priority boarding and free bag check.  In my case that is United and American but you may choose otherwise.  The programs are largely similar, what matters is where you fly from and to and in my case United and American work. But I am no longer in search of elite status which I have not had for several years.  It means so little now, it’s just not worth the bother unless you can qualify for the highest bracket.  Those with, say, United Global Services status – that’s 1K plus – swear their treatment is utterly unlike mine. They are probably right but I don’t have clients that will fork over the dough to pay the premium fares needed to win entry.  So I am determined to just ignore the “secret” elite programs offered by carriers to their very best customers and as for the well known elite programs they offer so little they are easily scorned.

Rule 3: If I don’t see the inside of an airline club in 2017, I will pat myself on the back.  Those clubs are stuffed too full with flyers and the carriers are racing to upgrade the offerings but to me this is too little, too late. Understand, I am a huge fan of American Express’s Centurion Lounges.  That’s why I have a Platinum Card which, as a bonus, gets me entry to the Priority Pass network of airport lounges (and, yes, I know many are in fact airline clubs doing double duty but the ones I have been in are operated by international carriers and have also been quiet, relaxing).  If legacy carrier clubs truly improve, tell me and I’ll check them out. But I am not optimistic.

Rule 4: I won’t succumb to the new “Basic Economy” fares.  I am a cheapskate when it comes to air but I have my limits and these stripped down programs – basically stuffing bagless pax into middle seats – is not for me.  You are on a very tight budget? Check them out. Just don’t expect me to write about them.

Rule 5: I will continue to maintain a cache of miles (in my case in an Amex account) to use for last minute travel – generally for family emergencies such as ill relatives.  With “Bereavement Fares” no more, the smartest way to pay is with miles.  Do likewise. Set aside a bank of 50k miles, more if you have them, and save them for the emergencies that will arise.  

Rule 6: In 2017 I will buy business class seats and that means I won’t count on free upgrades. Longtime air travel expert Joe Brancatelli has persuasively documented that business class seats nowadays are priced at rates that genuinely look affordable.  In many cases the going rate is maybe half of what the stated rates were a year or two ago, when airlines sold few such seats and mainly doled them out as free upgrades to elites. Today the airlines want to monetize the front of the plane – meaning sell the seats – and that has led to sharp price cuts as well as many fewer seats for free upgrades. If you want to sit upfront in 2017, even if you are an elite, be prepared to pay for it – and expect to get multiple tempting offers from your carrier prior to boarding.  Don’t tune the pitches out. You just may hear great deals.