Interline Travel Gets Better
US Airways employees now have the opportunity to enjoy expanded Zonal Employee Discount (ZED) fares with airlines participating in the ZED program. Employees can purchase a single travel ticket, for which fares are based on standard mileage zones. The ticket can be used on any airline with which US Airways has an agreement.
The Employee Travel Office has reached agreements with four carriers -- Air Canada, American, KLM and Lufthansa. SAS and other carriers to be named later will join the program on March 1. The ZED agreements are based on easy-to-calculate flat rate service charges applicable to nine mileage bands and three fare levels. US Airways also has negotiated a ZED agreement for active single employees with a Registered Guest with Star Alliance carriers Lufthansa and SAS. Eventually ZED agreements will replace all the existing reduced rate agreements.
Just as an example, we were checking into some fares the other day to see the difference. We priced a r/t IAD-FRA-TXL (Berlin) ticket on LH for an ID90 vs a ZED fare. The ZED fare was over $300 cheaper than the ID90.
I checked out the LH fare MIA-FRA and it came back about $56.
There are no minimum fares like currently with some airlines so what now might be a minimum fare of $30 (even though the ID90 is only $15) will now be done away with and charged just the zone fare. I think if I remember correct for employees, the first zone is 0-481 miles and its like $19 plus taxes (dont quote me though). They will be good on ANY carrier we have a ZED agreement with so you wont have to have 2 or 3 ID90s "just in case" as long as you have a ZED coupon for the right mileage.
For those that travel offline a lot, it will be a better deal than the ID90/ID75 we currently have.
