"An indispensable primer, crammed full of practical, useful information on one of my favorite subjects—frequent flyer programs—by two of my favorite experts in the industry, Randy Petersen and Tim Winship."

Joe Sharkey
Business travel columnist
The New York Times

"When it comes to understanding the dark science of airline mileage programs, and then explaining it even to mega frequent flyers like myself, Petersen and Winship are my pilots of choice. For those earning miles, and even more importantly, for those trying to redeem them, this book is a must-read."

Peter Greenberg
Travel editor
NBC's Today Show

“Having Randy Petersen and Tim Winship write about frequent flyer programs is like having Warren Buffett and Bill Gates write a book on investing and entrepreneurship. Both possess unlimited knowledge and insight into the ever-changing world of loyalty programs.”

Keith L. Alexander
"Business Class" columnist
The Washington Post

“Mileage Pro is the definitive guide for frequent flyer programs. Whether you are a business traveler trying to manage several loyalty programs, or a leisure traveler wanting to make the most of your hard-earned miles, Mileage Pro is an indispensable tool that belongs in every traveler's library.”

Christopher Elliott
National Geographic
Traveler's Ombudsman

“This book is a must for any consumer that wants to get the most from their travel dollars. Don't sign up for a program without reading Tim's and Randy's book first. This definitive guide will save you time and valuable miles.”

Joel Widzer
MSNBC travel columnist and author
of the Penny Pincher's Passport
to Luxury Travel

About the Authors

RANDY PETERSEN

This Monday through Friday, Randy Petersen will receive 4,000 e-mails (that is 800 each day!); do 12 newspaper, TV, magazine or radio interviews; peruse 27 magazines; talk to the managers of 15 different frequent flyer programs; and review the bonus offerings of more than 130 of these programs. This will be a slow week.

As a former marketing and merchandise presentation manager for a large menswear retailer, Randy spent much of his time flying and keeping accurate records of his mileage awards. Nearly everyone he knew would go to him for frequent flyer advice. When it got to the point of constantly advising people, Randy started his own frequent-flyer information business, which now includes InsideFlyer magazine (the leading publication in the world about frequent traveler programs) and FlyerTalk.com. Randy’s favorite effort has been the launch of the Mileage Donation Center, which helps people donate unused miles to charitable groups.

The Wall Street Journal refers to Randy as "... the most influential frequent flyer in America" and The New York Times tagged him as "the world's leading expert on airline frequent flyer programs." Randy has been named to the "Frequent Traveler Hall of Fame" sponsored by the Hilton Hotel Corporation and has been named "One of the 25 Most Influential Executives in the Business Travel Industry" by Business Travel News. Randy has appeared on CBS, NBC, ABC News Radio, Good Morning America and European Business News. He is frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times and more than 100 other newspapers and magazines.

Randy currently resides on a ranch outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado, but maintains a very active schedule of worldwide business travels. His outside activities include snow skiing, water sports, reading, renovating houses and playing basketball.

TIM WINSHIP

Tim Winship is a nationally known authority on the travel industry and frequent flyer programs. His 20-year travel industry career includes loyalty-marketing management assignments with Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways and The Hilton Hotel Corporation. During his tenure, he developed new frequent flyer programs (Goldpass and ANA Mileage Club), managed existing programs, and designed and implemented reward promotions.

In 1997, Tim launched FrequentFlier.com, a Web site devoted to helping travelers choose, use and understand frequent flyer programs. And in 1998, he began publishing a weekly e- newsletter, The FrequentFlier Crier. The Web site and e-newsletter have won many awards including the BOOT (Best of Online Travel) award that reflects the opinions of more than one million online voters, as well as being featured in the current edition of McGraw-Hill's Guide to 500 Best Aviation Web Sites and net.people published by CyberAge Books. In addition to his own publications, Tim is a contributing editor for Frequent Flyer magazine and SmarterTravel.com. He also writes the syndicated monthly newspaper column, "The Extra Mile."

His advice and analysis is regularly sought and cited by The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and CNN. Tim is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and a longtime supporter of the Frequent Travel Marketing Association. He earned an M.B.A. in marketing from the University of Southern California. Tim also holds a B.F.A. in design from California Institute of the Arts, and completed several years of graduate work in philosophy and symbolic logic at California State University, Los Angeles.

Tim lives in Los Angeles where he has a choice of three airports: Los Angeles International, Burbank and Long Beach.