How far can I get with my airline miles?

I am absolutely clueless about airline miles. About how far would 3,000 airline miles get me? I'd like to get from New York (JFK) to Tampa, Florida but I really don't know how these airline miles work. Please help!

Sorry to tell you that 3,000 won't get you anywhere, most airlines are different as far as miles required for award travel, but not that much different. The lowest amount of miles you need for award travel on American Airlines for example, is 25,000 for a domestic flight. Miles needed for award travel don't equate to actual miles you are flying or have flown, it's basically an arbitrary number that the airlines use to determine the different amount of "miles" needed to fly to different locations around the world. Here's the American Airline's Award chart, I think you'll see why they are called frequent flyer miles:

http://www.aa.com/apps/AAdvantage/ViewMileageProgramsPartnerDetail.jhtml?fileName=americanAirlines.xml&repositoryName=AAdvantagePartnersContentRepository&repositoryId=100014&itemDescriptor=AAdvantagePartnersContent#travelawards

Three thousand miles won't get you out of the airport.:) You don't mention which airline, so no one can tell you much more. Each airline sets their own award levels and has their own promotions. Just go to the website for the airline that you have the miles with. You should find everything that you need regarding award levels and restrictions.

3,000 miles won't get you anything. You've flown about 3,000 miles, but that doesn't mean you can fly for free 3,000 miles away. The actual mileage needed for free flights and upgrades depends on the company. For example, American Airlines requires at least 25,000 and that's for a domestic flight with restrictions.

Then go to the airlines department and apply there as a tourist. Do not foget your birth certificate and your ID to approve your destination as a tourist.