Coming and Going

MIA Miles

UPRIGHT AND LOCKED

MIA Miles

Barbara Rand of Rockville flew Air France to Europe three times last year and assumed that she was pouring miles into her Delta SkyMiles account as she crisscrossed the Atlantic. Delta and Air France are partners, after all. But when she went to book a fall trip to Paris, she realized that she had not been fully credited for those previous flights. Now, where did those miles fly off to?

"Non-U.S. carriers exclude more of their coach fares from frequent-flier accumulation than U.S. carriers," explained Tim Winship, publisher of FrequentFlier.com, an online source for airline mileage programs. "This is a 'buyer beware' situation."

First and foremost, travelers need to know that certain classes of tickets are saddled with restrictions . A discounted ticket, for example, might not qualify for frequent-flier miles on a partner carrier (Rand's situation). "Be somewhat more conscientious about checking to confirm the type of ticket," Winship said.

To find out if a ticket will reap miles, he said, travelers can consult the membership and program guidelines posted on the airline's Web site. But, he warned, they are "hard to find and even harder to understand."

An easier approach is to call the airline reservationist with your ticket information -- but before you book. The agent should be able to inform you of any restrictions, including limits on the banking of miles.

Your method of booking could also exempt you from earning miles. Travelers who purchase opaque fares (where the carrier is hidden until after purchase) or bid for tickets on such online sites as Priceline do not qualify for frequent-flier miles.

FOR THE RECORD

Fallen Arches Revisited

"I figured that it must have been a slow news week, which is hard to believe considering the Russians invaded Georgia and the Olympics were getting started."

That's a weary Paul Henderson talking about all the media attention heaped on Arches National Park in southern Utah this month. "We had one arch out of more than 2,000 collapse," he told CoGo, "and while it was the 12th-largest arch in the park, there's many more that are better known than Wall Arch."

Those include Delicate Arch, "which is iconic for the state of Utah," and Landscape Arch, still considered the longest natural arch in the world despite several partial collapses over the years.

The Devils Garden Trail, which once ran through Wall Arch, remains closed past Landscape Arch , Henderson said, and will probably remain so until it can be rerouted.

"We all want to get the trail open as soon as we can, but we are talking about a very small percentage of the park being affected," he said. "We are open for business, and there are still lots of arches to see, both in this section of the park and others."

For updates on the situation in Arches National Park, visit the park Web site, http://www.nps.gov/arch.

REFUND DEPT.

The Fix Is Out

If you flew across the pond between Aug. 11, 2004, and March 23, 2006, a few dollars might be coming your way.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic passengers ticketed on an overseas flight during that period are eligible to receive the refund payments, which will range between $7 and $34 per person for each round-trip flight.

The refunds are part of a nearly $200 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit that accused the airlines of conspiring to fix fuel surcharge prices on long-haul flights. A decision on approving the settlement is scheduled to be heard in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Sept. 26.

For details and a claim form, call 877-625-9432 or go to http://www.airpassengerrefund.com.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

Air France has sale fares to Europe for September and October travel. Round-trip fare from Dulles to Istanbul, for example, is $897, including taxes; fare on other airlines starts at $990. Sale fares also available to Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Budapest and Moscow. Purchase by Aug. 20 at http://www.airfrance.us. A $30 surcharge applies to weekend travel. Depart Sept. 1-Oct. 29; requirements include a minimum Sunday-night stay and maximum one-month stay.

Reporting: Andrea Sachs, Carol Sottili, Scott Vogel

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to: cogo@washpost.comor CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.