Would Regulation Make Airlines’ Mileage Programs Less Maddening?

Anyone who collects airline miles has probably been perturbed by the programs’ primary frustrations: the small number of seats available and the high number of miles needed to secure them. After all, Capital One and comedian David Spade rode mileage-redemption woes to a series of memorable commercials for the company’s “no hassle” credit card.

Frequent-flyer programs need more federal oversight, contends a Florida congressman. Representative Alan Grayson, an Orlando-area Democrat who himself has amassed about 10 million miles, says the airlines have turned their loyalty programs into dishonest profit centers that cheat air travelers by devaluing their miles and changing program rules without proper notice. Historically, the programs have not been regulated.