Dealing with the airlines these days has become increasingly tiresome, especially when it comes to redeeming frequent flyer mileage. One need not despair, however, since there are still deals to be found. You just have to work a little harder and be more creative about enjoying the fruits of your hard-earned miles.

Randy Peterson, editor and publisher of Inside Flyer newsletter, recently de-briefed me on the ins and outs of the country’s various frequent flyer programs, many of which have existed for well over twenty years. “You need to put time into selecting and managing them like mutual funds,” Randy says. “You must always read the fine print and research them on the Internet as much as possible. Google is your friend.” He also recommends that you partner up and share information with fellow flyers on sites such as www.flyertalk.com and his site, www.insideflyer.com. Other forums include www.flightbliss.com and www.frequentflier.com. Remember knowledge is power.

Persistence counts a lot, too. So roll up your sleeves and be prepared to log a good amount of time on the phone and on the Internet. I’ve heard stories about people trying to redeem miles for a certain destination, checking on a daily basis for months on end, until they finally hit jackpot and obtained what they wanted. That’s not my kind of hobby, but it might very well be yours. It can work since airlines typically free up seats on a regular basis. In the meantime, I suggest you abide by the following guidelines:

Contacting the Airlines
Go online first, then if you can’t obtain what you want, pick up the phone and call the airline. Not all award inventory is posted online. Remember to keep checking even if you don’t choose to make this a part-time job.

Choose Your Dates and Season Wisely
If you’re going to Europe or other popular destinations, book at least six months in advance. You’ll also find more possibilities if you choose mid-week dates instead of weekend to weekend departures. Consider going to a certain place during its off-season. This kind of planning can generate great savings all the way around (with hotels, spas and the like). I always enjoy beating the crowds as well.

Consider Upgrading
With so many restrictions on the awards, travelers are often forced to redeem double the miles than they would like, even for very well-traveled routes within the U.S. Think twice before you do such a thing since a roundtrip ticket to your destination might be so affordable that it’s not worth wasting your miles. Upgrading to business or first class typically offers much better value.

New Routes
Seek out award tickets on routes that have just been introduced by the airlines. This is called cutting edge frequent flyer shopping!

Partner Airlines
Don’t forget to investigate award seats on partner airlines. Airlines are making information about flight availability with their partners increasingly more visible on their Web sites.

Yet Another Reason to Go Online
Some airlines post routes on their sites that have good award redemption at given times of the year. Keep your eyes out for hot deals and special perks---such as double miles on certain travel---while you’re there.

Be Vigilant
Miles can expire as fast as you can sip down a frothy pina colada on the beach. Most airlines have instituted 18-month expiration policies, so make sure there’s some activity in your account if you want to keep them.

Parting Words from Randy
His favorite frequent flyer programs are with United, Frontier and Alaska Airlines. “Alaska has the best redemption policies on the planet,” according to Randy. They also partner with American, Delta, Continental and Northwest and make it easy for you to find out about redeeming your miles with these carriers. Frontier is particularly alluring since they offer travel within the continental U.S. for as little as 15,000 miles.

Randy’s big tip, however, is to obtain a Starwood Hotel credit card. “It’s easy to find cheap flights but hotel rates are still high,” Randy emphasizes. You can use points from this program to significantly reduce your room rate.