In The News: Mileage Worries

Worried your frequent-flier miles on United might soon be worth less than the airline's stock? Join the club. The nation's second largest airline carries millions of passengers on 1,800 flights a day. To survive its tour through bankruptcy court, United will have to cut jobs and some flights. Don't stress over short-term travel plans. But if you're worried about booking far in advance, charge the ticket--and get the paper, not electronic, version. Your card issuer has more clout than you do in getting your money back, and a paper ticket makes it easier to rebook onto another airline. If you're a frequent flier, your miles should be safe--for now. "Airlines will do almost anything to passengers before touching their frequent-flier miles," says Ron Kuhlmann, vice president of Unisys R2R, a travel-management firm. But if you have a lot of miles--and anxiety--consider cashing them in for free flights now. Still fear your frequent-flier miles might be around longer than United is? AwardGuard will insure the value of your miles for about $120 a year (awardguard.com). But that might not be necessary. United can make cost cuts, but it needs frequent fliers to make money.