[peternh]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

My point was that his "free flight" was more expensive than purchasing the same flight directly over the internet. The fees and taxes apply equally to both purchases so cannot explain the difference. It is simply a racket.

While there is much reasonable criticism to be aimed at frequent flyer programmes, as I mentioned in my earlier post, it is difficult to see your remarks as either fair or entirely logical.

This would be a far better example for your case if the passenger hadn't decided (foolishly) to acquire a reward seat when he only had half the necessary points. Obviously extra points will be priced at a higher rate for distance travelled than is the case with straightforward purchase of a ticket, otherwise everyone would buy points and swap them for flights because this would be cheaper. Since a price has to be set for purchased points, but the actual cost of distance travelled using a ticket varies wildly according to route, season, time of day, demand, oil prices, phase of the moon, chicken entrails, etc. obviously airlines must set the price for points higher that the highest price for equivalent distance travelled on the most popular route at the highest season. It would be madness to do otherwise. Purchasing extra points, unless it's just a handful in order to qualify for a valuable reward, is always going to be bad policy. Surely this is common sense?

So in this case, because of that purchase, and because the purchaser didn't read what was on screen in front of him, he ended up paying more. You cannot logically generalise from this example that frequent flyer schemes are 'just a racket'. Surely it's obvious that in the overwhelming majority of cases people do not purchase extra points, do not end up paying more than they would have done by simply purchasing a ticket, and in fact obtain their tickets entirely free, or solely by paying taxes and fees they would have had to pay anyway.

I fly regardless of the existence of these schemes, and every now and then gain free or discounted tickets for family members on flights I would otherwise have paid for. If the airlines all shut down their schemes I'd still take the same flights I do now. I just wouldn't get a free or discounted flight every now and then. I might wish the schemes were more generous, more transparent, and easier to use, but really I can't see what I've got to complain about. If this is somehow still to be called a scam, then it is one that is simple to avoid: fly as you usually would, and don't bother to join any schemes. As far as I can see the only loser is yourself.

Originally Posted by jimworcs

For very frequent flyers, there can be some minor advantages... priority boarding, upgrades and club access...but in reality, these are more than paid for in the ridiculously high prices charged.

You're putting in your assumptions ideas you want to find in your conclusions. I certainly don't think those benefits are worth flying with a dislikable or expensive airline to earn, but on routes I fly there's often there's little difference in price, and all airlines are offering those benefits, or some third party is paying for the flight (employer, client) and the real cost isn't an issue. Furthermore, while we may put no value on those benefits, there are those who see them as very significant--lounge access and seat upgrades in particular. Isn't that rather up to them? Value is in the eye of the beholder.

Originally Posted by jimworcs

The truth is, they are designed to distort the market and discourage frequent travellers from making rational purchasing decisions, based on convenience and price, but instead to purchase sometimes higher fares, or less convenient schedules in return for "perks" which are given to the individual and not the corporate who is paying for this nonsense.

I think 'distort the market' is going a bit far--almost every single airline now operates them, after all, which greatly reduces their effectiveness and reduces them to a cost of doing business. Schemes to encourage loyalty to an individual brand (especially where there's precious little difference between competitors) are hardly unique to the airline industry, and are not 'scams'. Once again, the airlines don't have to offer these benefits (however flimsy), and you don't have to take them up even if they do. You must intelligently weigh up costs and benefits when making purchase decisions, and if you don't that's your fault, not that of the airlines.