Observer Members AI Air India expected to join *A in 2010 CO Continental and FAQ NOTE - CO is expected to join *A 25 October 2009 JJ TAM expected to join *A in 2009 or 2010 SN Brussels Airlines expected to join *A in 2009 or 2010
For the latest rules use the link above (other versions of rules included for completeness/comparison with discussion threads, and so I don't lose the links to alternate sources)
Randy's advice from the Official Frequent Flyer Guidebook (courtesy of Patron)
Quote:
“You want to earn free travel and other benefits of membership as quickly as possible”.
Most frequent travellers enjoy comfort as much as earning miles. There are many choices and benefits in each FFP and it’s best to understand the difference beforehand:
It all begins with location and destination: You need to find an airline that meets your basic travel needs
Decide what you want (eg elite status, upgrade awards, free tickets to South Africa)
Take a closer look into FFPs your favourite carrier participates and choose this FFP that will serve you best.
Randy outlined five questions you should answer before you choose your FFP:
What is the minimum mileage your program offers?
Does the program complement its minimum mileage or actual mileage earnings with COS bonuses?
Does your program offer promotions throughout the year?
Are the partners affiliated with your program convenient and beneficial for you to use?
What are the rules & rates of earning with partners (it’s evident, that a lot of us earning miles without flying like using CCs, telecommunication, miles for clicking, etc)?
Four other questions you also may consider to answer:
How important are criteria like price, schedule, safety feelings, ground & on board service, FFP to select an airline?
How many upgrade certificates to you receive as an add on?
What kind of flight awards (eg upgrades, awards on long haul flights) on which airline do you like to use?
What is generally more important to you with Frequent Flyer Programs, to reach as many awards as possible or the elite membership with its benefits?
I recommend that you decide step by step or in other words: Choose your favourite airline first and then let’s talk about which FFP fits best for you.
Excellent work Kiwi Flyer. This is a very useful thread.
Add my vote for this thread to become a sticky.
__________________
Latitudes.
For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)
According to this post from BlondeBomber, AC *G members can access *G lounges when flying non-*A carriers if there is no *A carrier on the route. Also a current thread discussing more general *G case. Is this limited to AC or is it a rule we can all benefit from?
StarGold members have (ZRH StarAlliance-lounge information and experience of BlondeBomber and myself too several times) access to Star-lounges with the StarGold sign outside when travelling on flight segments not served by any Star-carrier - but I very much doubt that this 'rule'/policy is known to many Star-lounge-staffs beside LH in Europe ...
According to this post from BlondeBomber, AC *G members can access *G lounges when flying non-*A carriers if there is no *A carrier on the route. Also a current thread discussing more general *G case. Is this limited to AC or is it a rule we can all benefit from?
StarGold members have (ZRH StarAlliance-lounge information and experience of BlondeBomber and myself too several times) access to Star-lounges with the StarGold sign outside when travelling on flight segments not served by any Star-carrier - but I very much doubt that this 'rule'/policy is known to many Star-lounge-staffs beside LH in Europe ...
Definitely not widely known, I've seen quite a few *A G members turned away from BD lounges. Are you certain this is Alliance-wide policy? If so, where are the rules to quote from. *A lounge access would be quite handy when travelling on a low-cost carrier
Well Done!
