[Travelandtourism] Wait a Minute, Aren't Award Tickets Supposed to be Free?

[David Andrews]

The last time I got a frequent flyer ticket from Delta, which was 
about 6 months ago, there was a five dollar charge.

Dave

At 02:40 PM 7/22/2010, you wrote:
>Travel Q&A
>
>Q. I just received an email stating that Delta Airlines no longer charges a
>fee for cashing in frequent flyer miles. I wasn't aware that Delta even
>charged for this service. Aren't frequent flyer tickets free? And do other
>airlines charge?
>
>A. Actually, Delta recently announced that it would no longer charge for
>"last minute" requests for frequent flyer tickets. Previously, it charged
>most members of its frequent flyer program (except "elite" members) a hefty
>fee if they requested seats 20 or fewer days before travel. United also used
>to charge for this, but no longer does. Unfortunately, many other airlines
>do charge between $50 and $100 for "close-in ticketing" of award travel, but
>we expect that now that since Delta and United no longer do other airlines
>will follow suit. US Airways currently charges up to $50 to issue an award
>ticket, whether "last minute" or not; and many airlines now charge co-pay
>fees to upgrade from economy to business or first class, in addition to
>miles.

                         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
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