MilesBuzz! - New Business Travler - Help me pick a program

My company has recently begun sending me on travel. Previously I’ve not paid much attention to FF programs as I would do about 2 domestic trips a year. But now it looks like I will be doing 2-4 international flights a year, and after my first trip to Norway I realized I’d be earning a lot of miles.

I am looking for advice as I don’t currently have any investment in any program (aside from 12K miles on NWA). Here are some details
* Live in San Diego (SAN)
* Company flights are mostly to Northern Europe (Norway, Sweden, and Belgium)
* Company will pay Economy, but usually full fair.
* I get to pick flights and airlines (within reason)
* I’m looking to get a credit card to augment these miles if it makes sense.
* Awards will likely be used to travel domestically with my wife to New York (preferably JFK) or Pennsylvania.


Since each of this trips is 12K miles, 2 gets me level 1 on most program, 4 gets me level 2. So I would likely be sitting at their second tier, although my co-workers are all top level delta travelers.

Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks!

OK, since no one else has replied, I'll stick my neck out on this one.

Since I do not know your airport destinations here--and probably you don't know yet, either--I just picked some destinations in Belgium and Sweden at random.

From what I saw on Orbitz, some candidates are (depending on where you actually need to get to) British Airways, NorthWest, Continental.

I would tend to exclude foreign carriers since you want to use your mile in CONUS (Sontinental United States), I think.

But this info is essentially valueless. It so much depends on where you are going to from SAN that it is just impossible to determine the carrier that would best suit you.

I have to explain that 95% of my travel is in the US, so I can not be of much help here. I just wanted you to know that you are not being ignored...it's just a really tough question, being so general.

Welsome to FlyerTalk, and best of luck to you!

I get to Norway and Sweden a couple of times a year, and find that the most convenient airline for me in Scandinavia is SAS, a member of the Star Alliance, particularly if you are flying within the region. Thus, your best domestic options are UA or US. Since your employer will only pay coach, then United's Economy plus (up to 5" extra legroom) will be important to you if you don't get an upgrade.

You may want to consider UA. First, for award redemption, you will have PS service LAX/JFK - a plus. You also get a decent route network with LH and SK (you may want to skip BD, but you may not), and with full fare, you will be getting bonuses, and slightly higher in the pecking order for op upgrades, etc. Also, once you are mid-tier UA, you are Star Gold, giving you double UA miles, lounge access with all the *A. Also, once you are lowest tier, your UA flights will get you economy plus seating. If getting to Europe from the west coast without a mid contintent or east coast connection is important, UA is your best domestic bet - between LAX and SFO, you can get to LHR/CDG/FRA/MUC/CDG on UA and LH. Also, it just seems that redeeming UA miles on the Star Alliance is easier than on some other airlines/alliances. DL just sucks overall these days.
Unfortunately, from SAN, you have to connect no matter what you do, but at least all those connections will earn you extra miles. Also, UA is the most likely to be able to get you back to California in irregular ops, at least somehow, through somewhere.

Thanks for the answers so far.

I have previously been using UA but was a small fish (earning about 15K a year). When I was with them I had problems booking reward trips, but perhaps no worse than any other carrier.

The extra leg room would be apriciated, but I've never tried it (small fish and all).

I've been considereing Contenintal since they do direct flights SAN to JFK and thats where I'd be taking most of my reward travel.

As for whom I fly for the international flights it seems all of the forign carriers partner with one of the major demistic carriers so if I go with any of the major domestic ones I should gather miles on all of my business trips.

Consider AA or Overseas partner - Do the Platinum Challange then get your prefered airline to match status

[Duplicate

Welcome to FT !

AA might or might not be the best partner but I wonder if other airlines would really match status gained on a challenge.

Id consider joining BA Executive club and make the drive up the 405 and fly out of LAX. Once in London BA fly to ARN, OSL, BRU and some others. (actually, Id take the Eurostar to Brussels but thats just me) Upgrades to their coach + product is reasonable, especially if you're flying full fare economy. BA also have a credit card partner. The same argument might be made for VS but the intra european flights wouldnt earn you much.

CO is the only one that will get you to the major city in those 3 places on 1 connection (and by the way, its Newark, not JFK). Their FF program has mixed reviews, their aircraft to those secondary European markets are 757's.

I'll try not to be biased here, but consider Continental OnePass because:
- Since you'll be making a connection at EWR, you'll know you won't have to suffer the ordeal of travelling from one terminal to another (most Continental flights depart/arrive from terminal C at EWR, only flights to Chicago and DC depart/arrive from terminal A)
- Continental is arguably the best legacy carrier in the US
- Their BF menu is often heralded for the good food
- You already indicated that you use reward travel for trips to NYC, which EWR is located only 30mins or so to Lower Manhattan.

Another good carrier to consider is United Mileage Plus and Star Alliance because of the transcontinental p.s. service ex-LAX, which is a good service to use reward travel on.

I get to Norway and Sweden a couple of times a year, and find that the most convenient airline for me in Scandinavia is SAS, a member of the Star Alliance, particularly if you are flying within the region. Thus, your best domestic options are UA or US. Since your employer will only pay coach, then United's Economy plus (up to 5" extra legroom) will be important to you if you don't get an upgrade.

Agree, it sounds like UA and the Star Alliance is going to be your best choice here.

Company will pay Economy, but usually full fair.
...
The extra leg room would be apriciated, but I've never tried it (small fish and all).
Full fare on UA gets you into E+ even without status.

I would recommend UA and the Star Alliance since SAS is a member.

Thanks for all the suggestions. My next trip I will start flying United and accruing those miles. Thanks again, I've been overanalyzing this for a few months now, it's good to have a direction.

My next trip I will start flying United and accruing those miles.
Now you need to join the Mileage Plus forum to learn all there is to know about flying United.

Welcome to FT!