As you’ve figured by now, frequent-flyer programs are a big part of the domestic airline scene. According to some accounting, big airlines earn more profit from selling miles to banks than they make hauling you around in their planes. As a consumer, even if you don’t qualify as “frequent,” you need to keep up with what’s going on. I can note interesting new developments plus some ongoing history.
Fare search. A new fare search “extension,” Points Path (pointspath.com/), adds the ability to include point costs onto a Google Flights ( google.com/travel/flights/) fare search. It’s an extension to your browser, not to Google Flights, so it currently works for only Chrome and Edge browsers. Two other big limitations: It works on only desktop and laptop computers, not on phone-based systems, and so far it covers only the big three legacy lines American, Delta, and United. On the plus side, at least for now, it’s free and easy to install in just minutes.
