Members of frequent flier programs have managed to remain relatively unscathed during recent fuel surcharge and airline fee hikes. However, Delta Air Lines has brought all of that to an end.

The carrier announced that it will now tack on a $25 fuel surcharge for Award Travel between the 50 states and Canada, and a $50 fuel surcharge for Award Travel between the 50 states/Canada and all international destinations.

For more on Delta Airlines’ latest move and the continuing decline of frequent flier perks, visit RickSeaney.com.

At this point in the game there are few things you can’t do to earn frequent flyer miles. Airlines have teamed up with credit cards, grocery stores, restaurants, theme parks, car rental companies, and oh so much more.

Now, Alaska Airlines wants to reward you for showing a bit of class, or at least for drinking some wine. They have partnered with American Cellars Wine Club to make your next bottle of Shiraz, Pinot Noir, et al. worth a little something extra.

If you’re a wine drinker, this deal can get you a lot of frequent flyer miles quickly, so keep reading for details…

These days, you can pretty much pick up frequent flier miles for eating, shopping, and just about anything else if you have the right credit card. You can still also earn bonus miles through a range of vacation packages.

Continental Airlines is currently is offering bonus miles to their OnePass members for their cruise vacation packages. The carrier offers deals on a number of cruise lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival.

Keep reading for a breakdown of OnePass miles available through Continental Airlines cruise vacation packages…

It looks as though American Airlines is reaching out to its Elite Rewards members after all of the cancellations and PR problems of last week.

Please read “Something Extra For AAdvantage Gold Members” for more on the current rewards opportunities American Airlines is offering.

The majority of the Delta Air Lines/Northwest Airlines merger talk has focused on how it will affect airline ticket prices, capacity control, and other potential mergers. However, there is concern among longstanding Northwest Airlines WorldPerks members regarding their frequent flier miles and any other benefits they may have picked up along the way.

Chris Elliott was kind enough to post correspondence from Northwest Airlines to its WorldPerks members on his site. In case you missed it, keep reading to see what Northwest and WorldPerks had to say about the future of your frequent flier miles…

Over the past year, we’ve seen changes to frequent flyer programs for many of the major carriers. Whether these frequent flyer programs have been spun off into separate companies or values of frequent flyer rewards have diminished, a number of frequent flyers (especially business travelers) are questioning whether or not these programs are still worth it.

US Airways has just made changes to their Dividend Miles policy in order to combat escalating fuel surcharges. Keep reading to see how the changes will affect you as a member and to get a sense of what could happen with other frequent flyer programs over the course of the next year…

“Everything you think you know about frequent flier programs is wrong. Even the name “frequent flier program” is misleading. And every misperception you embrace helps the airlines beat you at the game.”
– Joe Brancatelli

What can we as frequent fliers do to protect our miles? Can we still collect on those “rewards” promised by the airlines? What can we expect if the airlines spin their FF programs off into separate companies?