Airlines Go Head to Head with Mile Managers
Just last week, we wrote a brief article on MileTracker, a free, online program that allows users to hook up their mile and point award programs to one account that allows for easier overall management. MileTracker is only one of many available programs, all designed to make the life of a frequent traveler easier. But apparently it does not make things easier for American and SouthwestAirlines who sent “cease and desist” orders to several websites offering tracking systems.
The two companies assert that such programs threaten the security of traveler’s private information and utilize airline information that should be privileged. But is this the real issue? The Wall Street Journal’s Middle Seat provides a lengthy description of the dispute and poses some interesting questions.
Many of the sites that Southwest and American are wagging their finger at alert account holders when their miles are about to expire or when they are closing in on an award or account upgrade. Likewise, some of these sites often show the dollar and point cost for a ticket – a task made quite difficult by airline websites.
In light of this interesting row, it has been brought to the public’s attention that deep within the fine print of many frequent flyer programs is a little known fact: the owner of the miles is not the account holder, as most would assume, but actually the airline! On top of that, these agreements also dictate that travelers cannot share their account numbers
Not surprisingly, this issue is gaining some major press time among business class travelers who hit the skies frequently. As American and Southwest get some negative press, we don’t imagine other airlines will follow suit , but we’ll be sure to keep abreast of any developments!