Old 08-01-2016, 05:39 AM
  #12  
Adlerdriver
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Originally Posted by dspilot View Post
A little thread creep, but seemed better than starting a new thread........

Does it make sense for someone living in the Memphis area to deviate? It drives me crazy to have deadheads each month on 5 different carriers (VTO line). Seems to me to make sense to deviate even though it's out of Memphis in order to try to narrow it down to at least maybe 2 carriers and thereby getting the perks of being in the loyalty programs. On the other hand it seems like it's taking on more risk than its really worth.

Opinions?
If you're doing it enough to actually benefit from the FF activity with specific airlines, would say it could be a good idea, depending on where you're trying to go. It sounds like you're probably talking about domestic deadheads.

I think whatever "risk" is inherent in deviating can be mitigated with a good plan. I do it almost every month and the thought of taking a risk doesn't even cross my mind. However, I live near a major hub for two legacy carriers and can get just about anywhere in the US with one flight.

The problem with MEM could be that it's difficult to come up with a "good plan" without jumping through some hoops. Many times you're not one leg away from where you need to be. So, you'll frequently be reliant on getting to an airline hub and connecting (unless your desired destination is the hub). With a limited numbers of flights to make those connections, a cancellation or wx event could really put a wrench in the works.

If you're talking about a Monday morning departure to make a flight that night, you have a pretty tight window before you hit the 8 hour check-in deadline. There's only room for so many back-up options. If you are comfortable with your options, great. If not, you may have to leave Sunday which may not be worth whatever FF benefit you're getting by deviating.

My guess is that you might not be able to make it work every deadhead but it can't hurt to see what your options are and go from there.
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