Schedules US State Dept. Major airlines, faced with rapid growth in online bookings, are racing to offer new cyberservices to customers. Northwest Airlines has offered a similar service since summer. Delta Air Lines last month began letting its most frequent fliers upgrade to first and business class online for routes within the United States, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Frequent fliers can also request mileage awards and new cards, among other online functions.
American Airlines and America Online Inc. plan to merge their frequent-flier and rewards programs starting this spring. Customers will be able to earn points by buying goods on the Internet, as well as by booking American's flights or services from its hotel, car-rental and other partners. Trans World Airlines allows frequent fliers only to check their mileage balance online. But Keith Bounds, vice president for distribution, said last week that the company hopes to provide the same services online as those offered by phone in the second quarter of this year. Northwest Airlines has a wide range of online services at its highly rated site, including ticket refunds and exchanges, mileage awards and paging.