[PHXFlyer]

Continental, until recently, has played some games with mileage accrual as well so they are not exactly a "shining star" to use as an example. They were also partners in SkyTeam but Continental recently switched to Star Alliance and some of their "gotchas" with respect to mileage accrual have gone away since then. But I digress.

My guess is that you booked a deeply discounted fare on Air France. Many airlines do not give full mileage accrual for their lowest fares. So you did get the "triple miles" as promised but, as you said, the number that was tripled was lower than what you expected. In an effort to remove the financial obligation of unused miles on members' accounts the airlines have resorted to all sorts of schemes to try to keep balances low or eliminate them altogether. Draconian expiry rules, limited accrual on lower fares, and even no accrual on certain partner fares are all ways to keep you from reaching award levels quickly. Of course once you do have enough miles for an award they are often tough to get because of stringent capacity controls exacerbated by overall capacity reductions across networks.

The mileage and award travel game isn't what it used to be. By educating yourself on the ins and outs of the programs you belong to (read the T&Cs thoroughly and carefully) you can still maximize the diminished benefits of these programs. Stay on top of expiration and activity requirements. Know how many miles you are entitled to for a particular trip and keep your boarding passes until those miles post. Also be aware of non-travel partner earning opportunities such as shopping online. Free travel is still a possibility but you need to be flexible and stay on top of things.

A final note is that you'll find that reservations and airport agents usually know little to nothing about their own airline's mileage plan. It's not their really their job and they are usually not trained in that area. There is usually a separate toll-free number for mileage inquiries but your best source of information is online.