A heuristic method for effectively using frequent flyer miles for stochastic business trips

Today, many business firms are requiring employees to use the frequent flyer miles accumulated during business trips to obtain free tickets for their future business trips. This paper presents a method of using frequent flyer miles in a more cost-effective way than the methods currently used by firms. The proposed method combines features of the existing methods, while it avoids the most serious limitations of these methods. The simulation results imply that the proposed method produces lower travel costs than existing methods in most practical situations. The method is simple and can be used quite conveniently by travellers having no technical background.