MESSAGE CENTER
MESSAGE CENTER
Sunday, December 31, 2006; Page P02
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Making Miles Last
WITH THE END of the calendar year here, we would appreciate your adding another way to avoid losing frequent-flier miles ["How to Make Your Miles Last Longer," Dec. 24]. Donating as few as 1,000 miles (US Airways) or 5,000 miles (Delta) to qualified charities also extends the expiration date of a frequent-flier account. Each of the major airlines has a list of its partner charities. Although a donation of miles is not a tax-deductible contribution, small donations from the flying public add up quickly and permit these nonprofit organizations to carry out their charitable purposes.
Fisher House Foundation partners with nine major U.S. air carriers and is using between 2 1/2 million and 3 1/2 million frequent-flier miles each month to fly wounded service members home from military or VA hospitals, or to bring their families and close friends to their bedsides. In three years, the foundation has provided more than 7,800 free airline tickets to these heroes and their families.
For more information: Delta, http:/
James D. Weiskopf, Fisher House Foundation, Rockville
Rental Car Keys, Cont'd
I HAVEN'T encountered a huge set of keys when renting a car [Message Center, Dec. 24]. Usually I just get one key, so the first thing I do is get the key duplicated, then put the spare in my wallet. I make the rental car company a present of the extra when I return the car.
My peeve is that rental cars almost never come with owner's manuals. I once had to pull over on Interstate 70 in Ohio as it began to rain because the windshield wiper controls were not where I expected them to be, and there was no owner's manual to consult beforehand.
Gary Goldberg, Silver Spring
Timeshares, Cont'd
I REALLY ENJOYED your articles on the timeshare industry ["Sign Here," Dec. 17]. Two items might be worth a follow-up.
When you reviewed the six clubs, you didn't cover what the resale price would have been. It wasn't clear why you were reviewing the clubs as a new purchase only. That isn't the way other real estate is purchased, even if the timeshare people don't want you to buy it that way.
Also, the annual dues for timeshares are incredibly high -- $1,000 a year for a week is greater than $50,000 per year. Why is that? That's more than the mortgage for most homes! That is even more of a scandal than buying a week for $27,000, or greater than $1.4 million a year for a condo.
Are timeshare deals solely for the math-challenged?
