Get familiar with frequent flier rules to avoid surprises

George A. Ripsom, Chelmsford

A. Airlines have done a great job at making enemies of their customers with new fees, surcharges, and neat tricks like taking away perks. A lot of airlines have been zealous in their enforcement of dormancy rules on frequent flier miles and many consumers have complained as their accounts were drained.

In general, airlines haven’t been very receptive to attempts to intervene on behalf of consumers — with a few exceptions — so Delta’s interest in making peace over this dispute was a most welcome event. Delta spokesman Paul Skrbec checked into the situation and the airline has put back the Sky Miles that were taken.

“While I cannot get into specifics of the resolution, I can tell you we extended Mr. Ripsom a one-time courtesy adjustment to his account after we reviewed the situation,’’ he said. “We also offered our sincere apology for the inconvenience.’’

Skrbec said the airline decided earlier this year to dispense with expiration rules — a welcome change for consumers. As with all such programs, since they are incentives and not something you pay for, you don’t have a lot of recourse when there is an issue. It’s important to read the terms. That way, if there is an expiration period, you won’t be surprised. But remember, these programs usually include a clause that allows airlines to change terms whenever they like.

If you do have miles in a program that leaves them vulnerable, you could consider trying to add to that account through other loyalty programs (a hotel chain or credit card) that would be more likely to have activity if you are not really that frequent of a flier.

Mitch Lipka is a nationally known consumer columnist and runs TheConsumerChronicle.com. He lives in Worcester. You can find him on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/MitchLipka. He can be reached at ConsumerNews@Aol.com.