‘On the Fly’ course teaches travelers how to make the most of frequent flyer programs

22 June 2010 | There is no shortage of online help for frequent flyers to help make sense of the often complex and often changing policies in airline loyalty programmes. Websites such as Flyertalk, FrequentFlier.com, InsideFlyer and ExpertFlyer.com aim to help travelers make the most of frequent flyer programs, often by letting community members help eachother. 

Now, Nicholas Kralev, who has flown more than 1.5 million miles during the past decade in his job as the diplomatic correspondent and business travel columnist for The Washington Times, has launched a smart ‘feeder business’ concept: ‘On the Fly’ seminars, named after his weekly column in the Washington Times, are real-life ‘frequent flyer 101’ courses that aim to educate participants on the best ways to benefit from frequent flyer perks when traveling.

Kralev says his experience at the Washington Times has given him a wealth of knowledge to pass on to would-be frequent-flier experts. Says Kralev, “Since knowledge means power, I decided to take the power in my own hands and stop relying on travel agents or online booking engines to find me the best deals — by learning all I could about airfares and airline inventory, and by accessing raw, real-time airline data right from the source where it’s published. Now I’ve decided to share my knowledge and experience with others.” (…) “It took me years to learn all that stuff, since there are no books or classes about this, and I thought there must be enough people out there who want to fly cheaply but in luxury.” 

‘On the Fly’ offers 2 types of seminars: In the ‘Fly 101’ session, participants learn how to find and book the cheapest available plane tickets without relying on travel agents or third-party online booking engines, and how to use their accrued miles for award flights and upgrades. The ‘Fly 201’ course is intended for frequent travelers who aim to achieve and maintain elite airline status. Participants are given techniques on how to find seats, and explore all options their miles can get them, including flights on partner-carriers, which are usually not offered online. 

The first set of ‘On the Fly’ seminars will start on June 25 and June 26 at the American Foreign Service Association in Washington, D.C. The cost for two-hour sessions is USD150. Kralev claims his seminars will help fliers avoid the coach cabin as much as possible, and says, “the strongest response so far has been from people who travel overseas for work but are only allowed to pay for coach, so they are desperately looking for ways to sit in business class without actually paying for it with cash.” 

Related articles: The Amateur-Expert Traveller – Cathay Pacific ‘I Can Fly’ course teaches kids the basics of aviation

Most recent articles on airlinetrends.com