The Mileage System is a way of using flexible fares to make trips with several stopovers at cities on route. It's used for people making complicated journeys, needing to visit several different cities before returning home. As the traveler has to be away from the main office for two or three days, he may add an extra day to spend in an additional city to his trip. Unit 6 showed us Mr. Frank Leonard's flight from Manchester, UK to Dubai, UAE for several days of meetings. He decided to stop off in Athens, Greece on his way to talk to a potential supplier. This is his route: 
Mr. Leonard leaves Manchester on 07 October and arrives in Athens the same day. He will stay in Athens for 2 nights and then fly from Athens to Dubai in the evening of 09 October. If his company pays for two one way business class fares it will cost £415.00 plus £826.00 - a total of £1241.00. But, if Mr. Leonard's travel planner uses the Mileage System, it will cost less. This is how it works: 
The one way business class fare from Manchester to Dubai costs £1157.00. A fully flexible business class fare allows 'stopovers' provided they are 'within mileage'. If the total miles actually flown is less than the published Maximum Permitted Mileage (or 'MPM') of 3,960 miles, Mr. Leonard will pay the fare of £1157.00 and the stopover at Athens will not add to the cost. Hint: Don't worry, you don't have to do this yourself. The computer system of the travel agent or booking system will do this. Every international fare has an 'MPM' and this is always a higher figure than the straight line of the direct route, also known as the 'point to point' route'. For example, the Maximum Permitted Mileage from London, UK to Dubai, UAE is 3960 miles, but the actual distance flown on a direct flight is 3511 miles. The actual distance is called 'Ticketed Point Mileage' or 'TPM'. Occasionally you'll find a higher intermediate fare. If the fare to or from the point of stopover is higher than that for the full journey, then the mileage concept will not apply. If the total TPM is just a bit higher than the MPM, there may be a small percentage supplement to the fare, which may still be cheaper than adding together the one way fares from point to point. The Mileage System also works on return trips. You'll have the same mpm, but if you stopover at different cities on the return the tpms will be different. You can use the Mileage system with all fares that are fully flexible, and in First, Business or Economy classes and on discounted fares where the rules permit stopovers. Ask your travel agent about the mileage system.
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