United Airlines is joining Delta in making award travel a magical mystery tour, and the mystery is how many points you'll need to nail a free ticket. And a leading frequent flier site believes American won't be far behind.
Starting Nov. 15, United's award prices will vary with season, demand and the airline's whim, leaving American the only one of the U.S. Big Three with an award chart that can tell you how many miles a particular flight will cost. Delta ditched its chart three years ago, angering many of its points collectors.
United has sweetened the pot a little, offering the possibility of some short domestic hops on slow days for as little as 5,000 points, but the likelihood, as was the case with Delta, that a figure around the old standard award will be the base, with particular flights trending up from there. At Delta, it's sometimes possible to have fares for one flight to be twice that of another the same day.
The Points Guy website, a resource for frequent fliers, has analyzed the new plan extensively and offers a series of strategies for making the most of what's left, or shifting to other techniques for United flights. It's worth a look!
As for American, TPG's researchers have spotted changes in AAdvantage search site formats and results it believes point the way for a similar change, although the airline is mum.
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