COMING AND GOING

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MILE HOUNDS

Double Secret Deadline

United Airlines' Around the World Promotion was a great special deal for travelers flying from the three Washington area airports: Just two round trips , or four flight segments, got fliers a free regional domestic ticket . And the awards kept increasing with more flights, to the point that 12 round trips won a free round-the-world ticket.

David Grady of Silver Spring signed up for the 2004-2005 promotion and racked up enough flights to qualify for two free round trips domestically or one overseas. But when he called well before this month's Feb. 3 ticketing deadline, he was told, "Too late." Turns out there was another, Jan. 6, deadline for requesting a certificate needed to book a ticket. Yet that requirement was mentioned nowhere in the three pages of "terms and conditions" that Grady, and no doubt others, followed.

"It's drilled in our heads to read the fine print," yet the fine print misled him, Grady complained to CoGo.

Initially, United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski e-mailed answers to some of CoGo's questions, saying, "We are working with our customers on an individual, case-by-case basis." Contacted by phone, though, she said the airline would "try" to get Grady a certificate he could still use. Shortly after that, CoGo discovered that United had extended the certificate deadline to March 15 and the ticketing deadline to May 15 for everyone who participated in the promotion.

The deal is now being offered on flights to and from Denver. Additionally, double miles are being offered between Denver and nine other airports, including BWI. The new promotion notes that you should allow four to six weeks to get a certificate before booking. Details: http://www.united.com/ .

UPRIGHT AND LOCKED

MAXjet: All Business

MAXjet , the all-business-class airline operating between New York's JFK and London's Stansted airport, is scheduled to start flying from Dulles on March 15. Round-trip fare is expected to be about $1,750, but the airline is sweetening the pot with a sale fare of $999 including taxes (purchase deadline is March 15). That's a lot less than the $3,500 to $5,000 that other airlines charge for advance-purchase business-class seats.

MAXjet's 102-seat 767s offer 19-inch-wide seats with 60-inch pitch -- not as cushy as British Airway's ClubWorld seats, but better than average compared with many other carriers. Also note that MAXjet flies into Stansted, where you usually get a quicker trip through customs than at Heathrow -- but a longer train ride downtown.

Big consideration: Financial details on the privately held company are thin . Only one of the 15 or so individual investors has been publicly identified: Ken Woolley, an original JetBlue investor and founder of Extra Space Storage, one of the country's largest storage companies. MAXjet CEO Gary Rogliano described the airline's investors as "ultra-high net-worth individuals," each with assets of between $5 million and $2 billion.

CoGo, in minimum risk-taking mode, would take a chance on MAXjet, especially with summer economy seats hovering in the $900 range. But keep in mind that the Fair Credit Billing Act, which allows you to dispute credit card charges for services not delivered, only extends to 60 days from when the bill is mailed.

ON TRACK

Amtrak: New Fares

Amtrak , adopting a fare structure more common to airlines, began this month charging different prices depending on how full a given train is. Five different ticket prices are now charged on Acela Express and Metroliners , ranging, for example, from $115 to $193 each way between D.C. and New York. Although there are exceptions, the higher-demand and thus higher-priced trains operate during peak travel times , which tend to coincide with typical rush hours on the Beltway, plus holidays.

CoGo's advice: In general, avoid "rush hours" and save. On a randomly chosen Thursday, for example, CoGo found the Acela Express from D.C. to New York cost $168 at 8 a.m., $152 at 11 a.m. and $135 all day Saturday. Details: 800-USA-RAIL, http://www.amtrak.com.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

Kiwi Express

Air Tahiti Nui has introductory fares on its new service from New York to Auckland, New Zealand, scheduled to start March 27. The round trip fare is $788, including taxes and fees; fare on other airlines starts at about $1,325 from New York and about $1,269 from Washington. Book by Feb. 22 and travel March 27-June 10 (flights depart Mondays and Wednesdays, and return Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays). Free stopovers in Tahiti are permitted. Info: 877-824-4846, www.airtahitinui-usa.com.

Reporting: Cindy Loose, Carol Sottili

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to: cogo@washpost.com. By fax: 202-912-3609. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.