Expiration of miles- a couple of thoughts here. In the past with paper statements being sent out each month, I'm sure there was a cost for keeping these accounts active in the system that didnt produce the income to justify the expense. Now since paper statements are a thing of the past, what exactly is the expense to the airline for keeping these accounts active other than liability on the books? And to that end, if someone has 1 roundtrip in their account at say 1800 or 2000 miles (not enough for a ticket) is that really a liability other than on paper when totaled with all the other miles out there? I would like to know what the perceived downside is to the airline for keeping these accounts active vs just letting them be and being more "customer friendly" with unexpired miles. Maybe come up with a system to keep accounts active if you accept emails from the company for promos? This way the customer would get to keep their miles and accounts active and the company would get advertisement for free.
I have also been on the other end of this. I had a hotel card that I used quite frequently. I had a period of time that I didnt stay at their properties because they had no locations where I happened to be staying and I wasnt traveling as much as I used to. Needless to say, I am no longer showing as a Frequent Stayer and my account has been closed. I now have absolutely 0 reason for searching for and staying at one of their properties IF they even happen to have one where I am staying. If they had kept my account open and there were options including them, I would have considered staying at one of their properties again. (Not that I wouldnt now if it were the best deal), but I have no reason to search them out if something else happens to show up including the hotel card I do still have that I use more often.
I realize they call it "frequent" card for a reason. I wasnt a "frequent" at the time, but that doesnt mean I wouldnt have been a "frequent" again if the opportunity arose. By taking miles/accounts away we could be losing out on people in the same situation.
Fee for frequent flyer tickets- If they book it online and dont speak to a human, there shouldnt be a charge for it period. If they book via rez I dont have an issue with some type of ticketing fee. After all they are using company property (agent) to book and should pay for their time IF there were a FREE option booking online they didnt use. While I agree with the a-la-carte pricing and fee structure in general, there are just some types of fees that I dont think should even be considered, the FF ticketing fee being one of them. I know this is gonna cut down on my profit sharing check, but I still have some integrity and ethics that wins out over get every penny you can sometimes.