Do you know how airline skymiles work?

[Wanda Van Winkle]

Is there a direct correlation between sky miles and land miles?

Is there a set standard for sky miles? (Does each airline comply with the same formula?)

I'm curious because someone I know has 50,000 skymiles, which according to the airline will get her and her husband back and forth from the east and west coast. Yet it's only some 3000-plus miles one way. It doesn't add up in land miles.

[Dave McClung]

Is there a direct correlation between sky miles and land miles?

Is there a set standard for sky miles? (Does each airline comply with the same formula?)

I'm curious because someone I know has 50,000 skymiles, which according to the airline will get her and her husband back and forth from the east and west coast. Yet it's only some 3000-plus miles one way. It doesn't add up in land miles.



Wanda, the number of miles in one's account is the number of miles they have been awarded. It has nothing to do with how far they can fly on an award ticket. Most award tickets are good for any location within the U.S. (except Alaska and Hawaii)

Each airline has its own formula for awarding frequent flyer miles. Some grant more miles for a particular flight than others. Some, like Southwest, award segments rather than miles. It has been my observation that they always award at least as many miles as the land miles between the airports. Continental awards a minimum of 500 even if you are flying less. The number of miles you are being awarded is usually printed on your boarding pass.

The number of frequent flyer miles you have in your account does not relate to how far you can fly with the miles. Each airline has its own reward schedule. Most of them have an "award level." When you reach that level, you get a free ticket to anywhere in the U.S.

Since you used the term "sky mile" you are probably talking about Delta. I beleive that is the term they use. You can check the Delta web site for their rules.

In addition to earning free travel, the frequent flyer miles are important to earning frequent flyer status. At some level (like 45,000 miles) you become an "Elite" frequent flyer. As an "elite frequent flyer" you get perks like boarding first, seats nearer the front of the plane and freee upgrades to first class when seats are available.