Executive Travel : Frequent Fliers Won’t See Change for Years

Thrifty air travelers who have been saving up their frequent flier miles can be sure that Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision will not affect the value of their miles for years--if ever.

The court ruled that disgruntled members of American Airline’s AAdvantage frequent flier club could sue the air carrier in an Illinois court for breach of contract because it made retroactive changes to its mileage award program. The justices did not make any decision about whether American’s changes did in fact constitute a breach of contract.

Randy Peterson, publisher of the newsletter Inside Flyer, said the decision is likely to lead to court battles in many states. For example, pending cases against United and Delta will probably go forward now, he said. The court “has given consumers a bit more of a right” to fight the airlines, he said.

Al Becker, a spokesman for American Airlines in Ft. Worth, said it could be years before a verdict is reached in a state court. If the airline wins its future court battles, of course, members will not be affected at all.

“There’s nothing the Supreme Court did that in any way affects frequent flier programs or mandates any changes in them,” Becker said. “We’re not anticipating any changes in our program as a result of what the Supreme Court did.”

In the long run, Wednesday’s decision will be good for frequent fliers who have complained about blackout dates and other rules that limit the ways they can redeem their miles for airline tickets, said David Stempler, executive director of the International Airline Passengers Assn. Airlines may be dissuaded from making those kinds of changes to their programs because it may mean a costly legal battle, he said.

But American will go ahead with planned changes to award programs--scheduled to take effect Feb. 1--that will increase from 20,000 to 25,000 the number of miles needed to earn a round-trip domestic ticket, Becker said. Alaska Airlines, Delta, United and USAir also plan changes. Peterson said those carriers are not expected to cancel their proposed changes either.

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Times staff writer David Savage also contributed to this story.

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