Posted on 10/22/2003 7:18:49 PM PDT by TheOtherOne
Delta, Southwest Let Passengers Donate Miles to Soldiers on R&R; Other Airlines Consider Idea
Published: Oct 22, 2003
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A congressman whose district includes Baltimore-Washington International Airport started "Operation Hero Miles" and asked airlines to help set up the pool of frequent-flier miles.
Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it would participate. Southwest Airlines, the No. 1 carrier at BWI, will let passengers donate tickets earned through the airline's reward system, said Christine Turneabe-Connelly, a Southwest spokeswoman.
Other airlines said they were considering the plan.
Last month, the Pentagon started giving soldiers two-week leaves in the largest R&R program since the Vietnam War. Some flew to Germany and others to BWI for free. The soldiers are responsible for flights the rest of the way to their destination, although major airlines have offered discounts.
Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger, a first-term Democrat, initiated the idea after the House left airfare out of the $87 billion package of aid for Iraq and Afghanistan. His congressional staff donated 67,000 of their frequent-flier miles, a spokeswoman said.
"So many people have come up with some very creative ways to support the troops. It's very gratifying," said Army Maj. Mike Escudie of U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla.
Delta donated 10 million miles to get its program started, spokeswoman Peggy Estes said. Any active service member in Iraq will be eligible for round-trip "Sky Miles" starting Nov. 1, she said.
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On the Net:
Rep. C.A. Ruppersberger: http://dutch.house.gov
Delta Air Lines: http://www.delta.com
AP-ES-10-22-03 2201EDT
Space-A is a dicey proposition, especially for servicemembers on leave, since you can only sign up on the day your leave starts, which, in many cases, does not leave enough time to play the waiting game of catching a flight. There are many other factors with Space-A that impact your chances, to include your point of departure/arrival, type aircraft available, weather, maintenance, and, of course, mission requirements of the aircraft.
I am taking old military portraits, which are emailed to me, and turning them into frameable works of art, printed on 100% cotton canvas.
I want to expand beyond just vintage portraits and do contemporary military portraits in this manner as well. I am especially interested in doing one in an "Operation Iraqi Freedom" theme.
I would like to do one of a soldier in Iraq, so if anyone has a portrait they can email me, please FReepmail me. If I use your picture, I will give you a copy FREE, mailed to you, in exchange for the use of it as a sample on my website.
WHAT A BARGAIN!!! :-)
P.S.
FReepers MeeknMing, deadhead, and Aquamarine have already had these done and were quite happy with them, so FReepmail them if you're concerned about quality.
FREEPMAIL ME! Thanks.
SD
Also, if you're interested in the other kind, FReepmail me).
SkyMiles members may donate miles to support the United States military's Operation Iraqi Freedom Rest and Relaxation (R&R) program, beginning Thursday, Oct. 23. Military personnel will use donated miles when returning home between Nov. 1, 2003 and Sept. 30, 2004.
Delta Airlines offering us another opportunity to help the troops.
~~~
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