Top story in the Dallas Morning News: =20 http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/072804 dnbusfliers.3826f.html After collecting tens of thousands of miles in airline loyalty programs and setting aside time to go away, many frequent fliers complain it's nearly impossible to get on flights to the popular vacation spots they want to visit.=20 "Unless you're flying to Des Moines, Iowa, in the winter, on a Tuesday night, it's almost impossible to get a free ticket," grumbled Scott Cuming, a San Antonio physician waiting for his luggage recently at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.=20 "I'm shocked when I can use my AAdvantage miles," he said.=20 Responding to such concerns, some carriers are trotting out new tools and offers to make their programs more flier-friendly.=20 Fort Worth-based American Airlines Inc. has launched a special online calendar that allows customers to check for dates when seats are available for certain awards in its AAdvantage program.=20 Low-cost carrier AirTran Airways Inc, which has been building a mini-hub at D/FW Airport, recently announced it would buy its best customers a free ticket to anywhere - on any airline.=20 Even as the airline industry struggles financially, loyalty programs remain critical marketing tools to maintain dialogues with customers so they keep coming back.=20 Consumers hold more than 8.5 trillion unused miles and more than half reflect activity on the ground, not in the air.=20 Michie Miller, a nurse from Hickory Creek, collects miles on all of Dallas' biggest carriers - American, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co.=20 But Ms. Miller and her husband are careful to use their AAdvantage-branded Citibank card for most everything they purchase. "We even use it to pay utility bills," she said.=20 For members of loyalty programs, it's never been easier to accumulate huge balances through credit card purchases, trips to grocery stores and dinners in restaurants.=20 Now, it may be getting easier to redeem miles, too.=20 American quietly introduced its new AAdvantage tool earlier this month. The AAdvantage Hotspots calendar, which extends five months and is updated weekly, is limited to a few destinations while a more complete version is developed.=20 "We're trying to make it easier for our customers to redeem awards," said Kurt Stache, who recently took over as president of AAdvantage, the world's largest frequent-flier program with nearly 50 million members.=20 Previously, a traveler's best hope to get a broad view on seat availability was to check day-by-day online or reach a patient reservations agent on the phone willing to do the same thing.=20 Efforts to improve=20 American has made other efforts in recent months to improve its customers' experience with the AAdvantage program.=20 The carrier eliminated a $100 ticket change fee on certain award tickets that had irritated customers when it was imposed in September 2002.=20 American is also offering mileage bonuses for redeeming award trips online, as it has for ticket purchases.=20 Southwest's Rapid Rewards program is intended to reinforce the Dallas-based carrier's easy-to-understand style of doing business.=20 Free tickets are earned based on the number of flights flown, rather than distance. Southwest awards can be used to go anywhere in its flight network.=20 Restrictions are minimal, and tickets can be used as long as there's space on the aircraft. Traditional carriers allow only a limited number of "award" seats per flight.=20 Southwest even sends $12 worth of drink coupons to use during the flight.=20 For those reasons, the Dallas-based carrier has been hailed for the last seven years as having the "Best Award Redemption" among frequent-flier programs.=20 "We want to focus our message on using tickets, rather than earning them," said Karen Wright, Southwest's manager of loyalty programs.=20 Changing rules=20 As discount carriers have expanded their reach, wreaking havoc on the business models of traditional airlines, the rules of the game for frequent fliers have also changed.=20 For example, the old rule of thumb of using a free ticket for domestic trips priced higher than $500 is tougher to apply when tickets from D/FW Airport to Los Angeles can be found for less than $200.=20 Traditional carriers say they're using their loyalty programs as tools to fight smaller discount airlines.=20 American, for example, has emphasized its programs' global reach over competitors. AirTran followed with its special anywhere-in-the-world promotion.=20 For all their commitment to frequent-flier programs, some airline executives, including American chairman Gerard Arpey, have hinted that they have become too generous.=20 So program changes focus on tools that allow members to get the most from their miles. American isn't adding more free seats, though officials point out that contrary to some reports, it's not reducing them either.=20 Southwest has tightened its Rapid Rewards program, reducing bonuses for booking online and increasing the threshold for earning flight credits on its credit card by 20 percent.=20 Travelers have long had the burden of keeping up with changes in the program, but now, some say they need to watch industry trends as well.=20 Ms. Miller has been following news reports about Delta's precarious financial position and has been eager to spend down her balance in the carrier's loyalty program.=20 "We've been trying to use them, but it's been so hard to find any seats," she said.=20 =20 =20 Clay Wardlow Technical Writer Advanced Digital Information Corp. 11431 Willows Rd. NE Redmond, WA. 98052 (425) 897-7448 www.adic.com <http://www.adic.com/>=20 =20