More than three million miles were donated in 24 hours.
It’s been more than a month since a federal judge ordered an end to the separation of families caught illegally crossing the U.S. border, a policy that split about 2,500 children of all ages from their parents. Despite a 30-day deadline to re-unify families, about 570 children still remain in shelters or foster care, according to NBC News. Non-profit organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) are seeking alternative aid to put children back in the care of their parents.
Miles 4 Migrants—a charity using donated frequent flyer miles to book flights to reunite families separated by conflict and persecution since 2016—announced yesterday that they’d amassed three million miles donated in just 24 hours. They've made the process easier than ordering a Starbucks coffee: Input your name and contact information, and choose your donation from more than 15 travel loyalty programs, such as JetBlue TrueBlue, American Airlines AAdvantage, Southwest Rapid Rewards, and even Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi Thank You Points.
As a frequent flier with Michigan connections and more than enough miles to share, it was an easy decision to contact MI Support Circle to begin the donation process.
News reports of the efforts to help reunite migrant children with their parents began to galvanize travelers to help even before Wilensky’s viral tweet. Last month, a traveler tweeted to the ACLU that he’d like to donate 95,000 Delta SkyMiles to their effort. That’s enough for a round-trip flight from the U.S. to Bali, or several flights within North America.
The concept of donating air miles to causes is an established one, though specifically using them to help reunited families is a new option driven by immediate necessity. Many airlines already support charities through air mile donations; for example, Emirates will happily send your miles to Sightsavers, a charity treating visual impairments, and Canada’s Aeroplan links donations to Rainbow Railroad to provide travel support and connections to persecuted LGBTQ individuals. Delta’s SkyWish program is one of the most comprehensive, partnering with charities around the globe to make it very easy to donate miles to assist victims of human trafficking, support nature conservation, and transport pediatric patients for specialized care.
Even if you have no miles to donate, charities always welcome monetary contributions, which may be used to pay the fees associated with award flights. Points and miles expert Gavin Werbeloff tells Condé Nast Traveler that any amount helps, even if you aren't a frequent flier: "Don't forget those oddball miles collected on airline programs you seldom use. This is where they can make the most difference."
The process of donating miles to help reunite families has, incidentally, proved far easier than weeding through the fine print and restrictions of using the miles to book travel for myself: a simple form, a phone call, and that's all.