Other attributes
Frequent Flyer is a strategic board game that will take you to new heights of fun with family and friends. Players (travelers) challenge each other to see who will be the first to visit all 20 U.S. cities on the U.S. flight board. Earn miles for completing each flight. During each trip, travelers will face random challenges by landing on select spots. Accumulate your miles as you travel and use them to choose your next destination or upgrade to first class for a better flying experience. The game was created and published by David Horowitz.
THE OBJECT OF THE GAME
The game comes with an oversized board, a 20-sided die, two decks of cards (25 first-class and 45 coach), a pad of destination checklists, a mileage chart, and four-game pieces. The board is shaped vaguely like a U.S. map with 20 large and hub cities. The goal is to visit all 20 cities and return to your chosen home city. You can also shorten the game by reaching any number of cities you choose, from five and up.
THE RULES
After shuffling the first-class and coach cards, choosing the color of your piece, and choosing a home city, players fill out the destination checklist that will track the miles earned. Each player is given 5,000 frequent-flyer miles to start.
When you roll the 20-sided die, the number that is rolled corresponds to the city where a player must start their flight. So, for example, if your home city is San Francisco and you roll a seven, you must fly to Detroit, which will earn you 2,100 miles. You must move forward at all times.
When you land on a coach or first-class space, you must follow the instructions on the card, which can be good (extra miles) or bad (change of home city). If a card sends you to a different city from where you were originally flying to, you aren’t required to fly to your original city. Let me explain — if you were going to Seattle but are now forced to go to Chicago instead, you no longer have to go to Seattle. You now start again from Chicago.
Are you still with me? It’s uncanny how this game imitates the joys and pains of frequent-flyer programs in real life.
Players keep rolling the die until they get to their next destinations. Thankfully, you don’t have to roll an exact number to get there. If you’re five spaces away from Washington, D.C., and you roll five or higher, you’re there. Once there, you cross off the city on your checklist and mark the miles you earn on your checklist. So if you go from D.C. to Minneapolis, you earn 900 miles. Repeat these steps for each city until you reach your final destination.
All flights are in coach, but you can upgrade to first class by using a card or spending 10,000 miles. Just like in real life, there are benefits to that upgrade, including moving forward two spaces for each number rolled on the 20-sided die. So if you roll an eight, you can move 16 spaces. Unlike flying first on an airline, you don’t get extra miles for being a premium cabin player.
REDEEMING YOUR MILES
Now that you’ve earned all these miles, you must do something with them, and the game gives you three options. You can spend 5,000 miles and choose a destination city rather than rolling the die. As noted above, you can spend 10,000 miles to upgrade to first class.
Or you can break the bank and spend 20,000 miles to go directly to the city of your choice during your turn, again, without having to roll the die. But there’s a catch: Since this is considered a private jet flight, you won’t earn miles for it — just like in real life!
You win the game after hitting all 20 destinations and returning to your home city. If you don’t want to do 20 cities, you can choose another number and play accordingly.
David Horowitz, president of Frequent Games, explains,
"The idea for the game came from my busy travel schedule from a previous job. I collected so many miles and took advantage of all of the airlines' special mileage programs. It was a rewarding experience to find all of the ways to use and accumulate the miles. I was able to go with family and friends to amazing places. It was so satisfying to get great deals and special accommodations that it became a game of sorts."
The game went on the fast track during the pandemic. Horowitz said,
"So many people postponed their travel plans and vacations, that the theme of the game was in such high demand. We were pleased to have Frequent Flyer manufactured and shipped in time this year to meet the holiday orders."
The Frequent Flyer Board Game is now available on Amazon and direct from the company website.
