Mileage Pro: The Insider's Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs [Paperback]

Randy Petersen (Author), Tim Winship (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 2005

The most comprehensive book ever written on mastering airline, hotel and car rental loyalty programs has arrived. Mileage Pro: The Insider’s Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs is the first book ever written on managing and maximizing travel loyalty programs. Whether someone is a road warrior, a miles junkie, or an infrequent leisure traveler, Mileage Pro empowers consumers to break through the often complicated web of information on travel loyalty programs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An indispensable primer, crammed full of practical, useful information on one of my favorite subjects—frequent flyer programs." -- Joe Sharkey, business travel columnist, The New York Times

"For those earning miles, and even more importantly, for those trying to redeem them, this book is a must-read." -- Peter Greenberg, travel editor, NBC's Today Show

"Randy Petersen and Tim Winship possess unlimited knowledge and insight into the ever-changing world of loyalty programs." -- Keith L. Alexander, "Business Class" columnist, The Washington Post

About the Author

Randy Petersen: This Monday through Friday, Randy Petersen will receive 4,000 e-mails (that is 800 each day!); do 12 newspaper, TV, magazine or radio interviews; peruse 27 magazines; talk to the managers of 15 different frequent flyer programs; and review the bonus offerings of more than 130 of these programs. This will be a slow week. As a former marketing and merchandise presentation manager for a large menswear retailer, Randy spent much of his time flying and keeping accurate records of his mileage awards. Nearly everyone he knew would go to him for frequent flyer advice. When it got to the point of constantly advising people, Randy started his own frequent-flyer information business, which now includes InsideFlyer magazine (the leading publication in the world about frequent traveler programs) and FlyerTalk.com. Randy’s favorite effort has been the launch of the Mileage Donation Center, which helps people donate unused miles to charitable groups. The Wall Street Journal refers to Randy as "... the most influential frequent flyer in America" and The New York Times tagged him as "the world's leading expert on airline frequent flyer programs." Randy has been named to the "Frequent Traveler Hall of Fame" sponsored by the Hilton Hotel Corporation and has been named "One of the 25 Most Influential Executives in the Business Travel Industry" by Business Travel News. Randy has appeared on CBS, NBC, ABC News Radio, Good Morning America and European Business News. He is frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times and more than 100 other newspapers and magazines. Randy currently resides on a ranch outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado, but maintains a very active schedule of worldwide business travels. His outside activities include snow skiing, water sports, reading, renovating houses and playing basketball.

Tim Winship: Tim Winship is a nationally known authority on the travel industry and frequent flyer programs. His 20-year travel industry career includes loyalty-marketing management assignments with Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways and The Hilton Hotel Corporation. During his tenure, he developed new frequent flyer programs (Goldpass and ANA Mileage Club), managed existing programs, and designed and implemented reward promotions. In 1997, Tim launched FrequentFlier.com, a Web site devoted to helping travelers choose, use and understand frequent flyer programs. And in 1998, he began publishing a weekly e- newsletter, The FrequentFlier Crier. The Web site and e-newsletter have won many awards including the BOOT (Best of Online Travel) award that reflects the opinions of more than one million online voters, as well as being featured in the current edition of McGraw-Hill's Guide to 500 Best Aviation Web Sites and net.people published by CyberAge Books. In addition to his own publications, Tim is a contributing editor for Frequent Flyer magazine and SmarterTravel.com. He also writes the syndicated monthly newspaper column, "The Extra Mile." His advice and analysis is regularly sought and cited by The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and CNN. Tim is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and a longtime supporter of the Frequent Travel Marketing Association. He earned an M.B.A. in marketing from the University of Southern California. Tim also holds a B.F.A. in design from California Institute of the Arts, and completed several years of graduate work in philosophy and symbolic logic at California State University, Los Angeles. Tim lives in Los Angeles where he has a choice of three airports: Los Angeles International, Burbank and Long Beach.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: OAG (November 23, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0977629503
• ISBN-13: 978-0977629503
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Tips
  • #39 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book should be renamed "Mileage Amateur", January 18, 2007

By 

Bergdorf_Blonde (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mileage Pro: The Insider's Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs (Paperback)

I am sad to say that I found this book very disappointing. It claims to target "the middle level of the mileage earning community" however most of the information is so basic that I cannot see this being an interesting read for anyone but the complete novice. People interested enough in frequent flyer miles to purchase a book about it will surely be knowledgeable about most of the content.

Examples of such topics include sections on the possibility of mileage being earned on airline program partners and not just the home airline, that extra miles are given for purchasing first- and business tickets, and how being loyal to a single airline or alliance is the way to earn elite status. There is nothing in this book that cannot be discovered by going to any given airlines home page and reading about benefits offered to elite members or how many miles are required for an award ticket.

A lot of information on mileage maximization is neglected. Petersen's recommendation to join the program hosted by the airline that you will be flying most often is not necessarily the best idea- sometimes it pays to join one of their foreign partners who may be more generous (such as awarding full mileage on lower fares that don't qualify on the home partner). There is also no information on how to configure itineraries that will earn the most miles such as checking a ticket's rules to find out the maximum number of allowed connections or legal routing.

While I feel that Randy Petersen's website, Flyer Talk, and his input in many other websites and publications are excellent, this book leaves much to be desired and contains no insider information or little known ways to maximize miles.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Frequent Flyer Help, December 24, 2007

By 

David O. Lincoln MD (Asheville,NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mileage Pro: The Insider's Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs (Paperback)

This book should provide one who's new to using FF miles help. It will be a disappointment to longstanding users of FF miles - there are no new surprises in the book's contents.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pre-school For Flyers, May 11, 2010

By 

Shindig "Shindig" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mileage Pro: The Insider's Guide to Frequent Flyer Programs (Paperback)

Basic college courses are usually labeled 101. Sometimes remedial courses are necessary before enrolling in the 101 course. This book should be considered pre-remedial training. A minimum of research at just a few of the myriad on-line travel sites and blogs can uncover way more than is presented in this allegedly comprehensive bible. I can't imagine who could find this useful unless one is an absolute babe in the woods to airline travel programs.