In order to be able to efficiently calculate award rates across all frequent flyer programs, milez.biz has designed its own database that can accommodate rates from pretty much any program. The structure of the award rates from any program is "massaged" to fit our model, but the rates are not changed, so they should be accurate.

We make every effort to adjust the data as soon as the frequent flyer programs change them, but this is not immediate. In addition, we supply a link to every program's own rate tables or calculators so that the users can cross check with the source. 

There are almost no award flights that are completely free; there will almost certainly be some sort of fee or tax that need to be paid in cash when booking the award flights.

Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to determine accurately what these fees are. Some programs charge minimal fees (most American programs) whereas some charge significant fees that can end up being higher than a ticket purchased outright. The  most significant fee is usually the fuel surcharge (YQ). The amount of the fuel surcharge depends on various factors such as the airline(s) flown, the destinations flown to,  the connections flown through, the country flown to or from, to name a few. These surcharges can vary within the same program.

We have started adding some general information about surcharges in our search results in order to give the user at least a sense of what the cash expenditures might be.

You can type in any of the following in the "From" and "To" search fields:

• City Name
• Airport Name
• IATA Code
• Country Name
  

Some of the frequent flyer programs calculate award rates based on distance flown (as opposed to zone-to-zone). In such cases the system first determines if a given program has a direct flight or a one-stop connecting flight between the destinations chosen by the user.

If a flight exists, the distance is calculated either for the direct connection or via the connecting airport. The total traveled distance then determines the miles needed for the award flight.

Try, for example: Paris CDG to Sydney

If a destination can be reached via different routes within the same frequent flyer program, the system will show the most advantageous route in the results page (in terms of miles needed for an award ticket).

Generally, oneworld partners calculate rates based on miles flown. While we have airport coordinates in the system to determine distance between destinations we need time to build a network of routes for the various airlines in the partnership so that we can calculate a possible routing for a pair of cities. We are working on getting more oneworld programs included in the calculator.

AAdvantage is oneworld partner with rates based on zones, it is therefore already in the system. British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, airberlin topbonus, and Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)  are distance based programs that have also been added to the system. Qantas Frequent Flyer Partners Classic is also distance based and includes most of the oneworld partners is also included in the system.

We have received some emails asking why some programs are not included in the calculator. These are programs such as Southwest Rapid Rewards or Air New Zealand's Airpoints.

• The programs from Southwest Airlines (Rapid Rewards) and Virgin America (Elevate) have a redemption system that is tied directly to the actual dollar cost of tickets. This makes it impossible for milez.biz to show accurate redemption rates.
• WestJet rewards its members with dollars that can be used towards the purchase of tickets. WestJet does not, strictly speaking, have a miles program.
  
• Air New Zealand (Airpoints) and El Al (FrequentFlyerWidth) use a completely different mile valuation than most other airlines. We could include their rates in our system but we think it would cause more confusion than benefits since the rates cannot be compared with the other programs.