U.S. Government looks to review comments related to expiring frequent flyer miles

On Sunday's Face The Nation TV show, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer called for the Department of Transportation to review a growing number of complaints by members of frequent flyer programs that are losing millions of frequent flyer miles without notice because of confusing terms of conditions with these popular programs

He called for establishing industry rules for frequent flyer programs because there are no current restrictions on how airlines can manage and redeem the miles noting that "rules are needed to protect consumers."

"As the holiday travel season approaches, we cannot let airlines and credit card companies continue to fly off with hard-earned frequent flier miles," Schumer said. "When a consumer accumulates valuable frequent flier miles, they should not have to constantly worry that they are going to expire with little or no notification from the airline."

In recent research, InsideFlyer magazine has found the lack of consumer protections on frequent flyer miles a common concern. Complaints include miles expiring without clear notice and a frequent change in the value of the miles, though these programs have retained the right to change their program without notice. Other complaints include confusion over how many miles can be accumulated for certain trips, citing a myriad of air fares to which miles can be earned which also vary from airline partner to airline partner.

While Senator Schumer's intent may be seen as positive, efforts in the past for similar oversight on these programs has gone nowhere.