FlyerTalk

FlyerTalk is an Internet forum for discussion of airline frequent flyer programs, hotel loyalty programs and other issues related to air travel. Founded in 1998 by Randy Petersen and currently owned by Internet Brands, FlyerTalk is part of the WebFlyer network [ cite web|url=http://www.frequentflyerservices.com/mediakit/webflyer_flyertalk.php |title=WebFlyer :: The Frequent Flyer Authority |accessdate=2007-12-28 ] .

Origins and Growth

According to Randy Petersen, he was struggling to answer letters and faxes from readers seeking information and advice about their frequent flyer miles. He saw FlyerTalk as a concept that allowed the readers to combine their knowledge into a knowledge base for other travelers [cite news | first=Jessica | last=Tsai | coauthors= | title=Power to the People | date=December 2007 | publisher= | url =http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=7395 | work =CRM Magazine | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-28 | language = ] . Since that time, FlyerTalk has grown to more than 200 forums and over 7,000,000 posts. The site has approximately 13 million page views per month and 27,000 daily unique visitors [cite web|url=http://www.frequentflyerservices.com/mediakit/webflyer_flyertalk.php |title=WebFlyer :: The Frequent Flyer Authority |accessdate=2007-12-28 ] . who discuss anything and everything related to travel. One of FlyerTalk's forums is the [http://flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=178/ Newsstand] where members post articles relating to travel.

Industry Use

Some of the hotel and airline forum participants include official presences who use FlyerTalk to learn about the issues important to their customer base. This was also something Petersen envisioned, when he saw FlyerTalk providing airline and travel companies a wealth of information to leverage as another touch point into the concerns and interests of their customers.

Mileage Runs

A commonly heard term around FlyerTalk is mileage run, during which the customer flies solely for the purpose of attaining the miles or segments necessary to attain or retain elite status. When done for the purpose of status with a hotel chain, the activity is sometimes called a mattress run. First coming to the attention of mainstream press in 2005 [cite news | first=David | last=Grossman | coauthors= | title=The Art and Science of a Mileage Run | date=2005-11-11 | publisher= | url =http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/grossman/2005-11-11-grossman_x.htm | work =USA Today | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-28 | language = ] , the mileage run is most common at the end of the year, as the accrual deadline for most loyalty plans is December 31st.

In addition to mileage runs, discussions of promotional offers for frequent flyer miles and other points schemes are common, one of the most talked about being PuddingGuy's so-called "pudding run" in 1999 [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Reader Profile | date=February 2003 | publisher= | url =http://www.insideflyer.com/articles/article.php?key=917 | work =Inside Flyer | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-28 | language = ] .

References

External links

* [http://www.flyertalk.com/ FlyerTalk]
* [http://www.internetbrands.com/ib/ Internet Brands]
* [http://www.webflyer.com/ WebFlyer]