Originally Posted by
garycal
I fly a lot on Alaska, but last year I kept putting my Aadvantage number in. New year, new start, I've got my first set of flights tomorrow. So do I try for MVP or stick with Aadvantage? I don't see the benefits of MVP over AAdvantage, but I figure the folks in this forum would know.
Oh, and I was Aadvantage Gold last year, but didn't requalify for this year.
Thanks!
Advantages of AS over AA:
If you normally fly more than 25,000 miles a year, you get a 50% mileage bonus on AS for MVP vs. 25% on AA for Gold. Also, if you fly AS more than you fly AA, you'll be able to get upgraded to First... and as you probably know AA's upgrade policy for Golds is fairly weak.
You gain the ability to use NW/DL for EQMs and CO for RDMs. That means if you're a price-conscious traveler you have a few more options when you're looking to buy a ticket. The same goes for award tickets, you get additional options for redemption (including KLM/Air France, and Korean Air).
You can fly BA out of the US and still earn/use miles. If you're with AA you can only earn or use miles on BA through Canada or Mexico, which means there's greater award availability on BA via AS than AA.
A *great* credit card program, especially if you frequently fly with a companion. The $50 companion coupon is good for any type of fare, so for instance you could buy a first class ticket to Hawaii and add a companion for $50 plus tax. IMO it's a HUGE advantage over other FF programs.
Disadvantages:
With AS you can't use multiple partners for award tickets. For instance, if you're flying to Berlin, you can't fly Alaska to ORD, AA to LHR and BA to TXL. You'd either have to fly the entire trip on BA, or fly AS to somewhere that BA flies (SFO, YVR, SEA, etc) and then fly BA to LHR and then on to JFK. With AA you can use a different partner on each leg of your trip if you so choose, which can be handy when there is limited flight availability.
With AS you have to pay a fuel charge for BA award tickets, AA doesn't have to pass on the fuel charge. AA has enough muscle to prevent BA from passing its fuel surcharge to AA customers, AS was forced to do so by BA this fall. BA assesses this surcharge on its own customers, so this isn't a case of Alaska being greedy, just a case of AA being able to dictate terms to some degree. The surcharge can be pretty expensive, so if you regularly fly BA for award travel, it might be worth sticking with AA.
I made the switch from AA to AS and have been quite happy with my choice, however know more about your individual flying patterns will help people here be able to help you make your decision.