How to fight for more value in a season of carrier cutbacks.

As oil prices continue to soar, airline brass has been searching for new ways to conserve jet fuel and they’ve found a logical solution: fly less. As a result, we’re seeing daily reports of carriers consolidating flights through code-sharing, and, almost as often, the outright elimination of less profitable routes.

The unfortunate by-product of fewer flights is that there are, obviously, fewer available award seats. More than ever, getting a mileage award requires flexibility, and making the most it of requires creativity. When it comes to using frequent flyer miles, stopovers are the routes less traveled, even by experienced travelers. But you should consider using an airline’s free stopover (and free side-trip) allowance to help you squeeze more from your miles.

Stopover defined

In airline parlance, a “stopover” generally denotes a planned stop en-route; one of more than four hours on a domestic itinerary. Several airlines offer one free stopover with an award ticket.

Side-trip defined

You can add a second destination to an award booking by aggressively using award charts and stopover strategies. US-based airlines’ mileage award charts are based on “regions,” meaning a mileage award ticket costs X miles for travel between regions A and B; and Y miles for travel between regions A and C. Almost every carrier also designates the US (except Hawaii) and Canada as one region. (The shorthand is “49 US and Canada.”) Side-trips are possible when you squeeze an additional destination in the same region out of a mileage award ticket.

Example stopover

Let’s take a New York-Chicago itinerary and say your mileage currency is American Express Membership Rewards points. If you use Amex’s partner Delta, you could fly New York-Chicago and take a free stopover in a connecting (usually a hub) city like Atlanta or Cincinnati for the same number of miles. Two airlines allow domestic en-route stops for free, two charge extra, and two do not permit them at all.

Example side-trip

This time you’re flying New York-Chicago with an airline that has a hub in Chicago (such as American). Your award ticket permits travel in “49 US and Canada” and offers one en-route stopover, so your itinerary could be New York-Seattle, with a stop in Chicago. Of course, your free side-trip doesn’t have to be Seattle. It could be most any city American Airlines serves from Aspen to Alberta, Los Angeles to Louisville, San Francisco to Saginaw.

Have points in multiple airline or credit card programs?

Look at various airline hubs for one that you’d like to visit on the way to your destination. If you have a credit card that allows you to transfer points into multiple programs, size up the airlines’ different hub cities.

6 General Rules to Keep in Mind for Domestic Travel

Rule 1: The en-route stopover is usually permitted

If you’re going to fly over a city, especially a hub city, why can’t you touch down there? Some airlines say “okay” on domestic routings. On American, you can fly from New York to Los Angeles with a stop in Dallas. But Delta won’t let you stop in Miami if you’re flying from New York to San Francisco, which seems reasonable.

Rule 2: Know the possible open-jaw restrictions

This is because an open-jaw itinerary is already like a side- trip: You’re departing from City A to City B, but returning from City C.

Rule 3: Use the hub-and-spoke system

Just make your destination city the stopover and the stopover the destination. For instance, if you’re flying Detroit-Dallas but want to stop in Portland, OR, then book a Detroit-Portland flight on a carrier (American) that offers a connection in Dallas.

Rule 4: Exploit an airline’s quirks

Northwest is pretty much anti-stopover except when it comes to the Circle Trip Award, a circular itinerary within the 49 states and Canada. This option allows two stopovers, with the price based on three equivalent one-way journeys. Thus, you can fly Minneapolis-Boston, stopping there; then Boston-Memphis, stopping there, too; and finally Memphis-Minneapolis on a standard First Class award for 67,500 award miles—not bad in a pinch.

Rule 5: Know your favorite carrier’s stopover rulebook

Domestically, American and Delta are the best; Continental and Northwest are okay but quirky; United and US Airways are stingy. See chart at right for a rundown of the major carrier’s cans and can’ts when it comes to stopovers. (Please check with individual airlines for precise applications.)

Rule 6: International residents: Exploit the award-zone loophole when flying to the US

Most US airline award charts are segmented by region, so they usually require the same number of miles no matter where you’re bound in the States. United, for instance, requires 90,000 miles for a Business Class award ticket between Tokyo and the US, whether the destination is New York or San Francisco. So take advantage of the provision by flying Tokyo-Los Angeles (the stopover), then LA-New York (the destination), and return NY-Tokyo. You’re getting a $1,200 to $2,500+ transcon ticket free. The same sort of routing is possible coming from Europe. For the same number of miles as it takes to fly London-New York you can fly London-New York (stopover)-Los Angeles-London.

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