August 11, 2012 – Hour 2

Recently, United Air Lines decided members of the first tier of its frequent flyer program—called Premier—would only be able to check one bag free instead of two as before. The airline also decreed that instead of being able to book a coach seat with extra legroom when making a reservation, Premier members could only receive one of those seats if there were any available at check in. Keep in mind that to achieve Premier status, most passengers have to fly 25,000 miles in a year—about equivalent to circumnavigating the globe—so they could take advantage of those perks the next year. And some of those folks may have taken less convenient—or more expensive—flights or even unnecessary flights we call “mileage runs” in order to hit that 25,000 mile threshold. Chicago attorney Joe Siprut says this isn’t fair, and he joins Rudy to discuss the class action suit he’s filed to ask United to either pay Premier passengers for the loss of those perks or reverse the new rules. The show’s “Mr. Hotel,” Michael Matthews, discusses four possible ways of paying less than retail for a nice hotel room. And after checking out various options, he comes up with his best suggestion. Meanwhile, Wall Street Journal “Middle Seat” columnist Scott McCartney says it’s not just United that is devaluing perks offered its lowest level of “elite” frequent flyers. He explains why there’s not much “status” in first-tier status at most large airlines now. And Orbitz.com senior travel editor, Jeanenne Tornatore, describes where to find late-summer travel deals. (Hint: Think really hot places such as New Orleans, Orlando, Vegas, and Arizona.) Plus, Rudy has the latest travel news and his own deals of the week, including a luxe Colorado resort that invites you to come for a ski vacation and receive the same number of room nights for free next summer.