Originally Posted by
shuom
If Qantas upgrades non-status customers, are there any benefits to having status with them? Is this policy for domestic only?
I remember flying with AA when I was younger (10 years ago), and remember them having an older fleet. Is this still the case? I read that they codeshare with Qantas on transpacific flights; how do they compare with Delta? I flew the 777-200 on the way over (seat 30
) and found it pretty comfortable.
I spoke with a Qantas rep today, and they said they don't do seat upgrades for status, while I've gathered from the Delta forums that medallion upgrades are at least possible. Can someone confirm/deny whether this is true for international?
It looks like redeeming transpacific flights are cheaper with Qantas (PER-LAX) than Delta (MSP-PER). -- everything is at least medium cost. >.<
I'm deciding to not go with Alaskan Airlines since they only give a percentage of the miles flown.
SkyPesos(SkyMiles) is worthless, IMO. Many DL elites will even tell you that. I wouldn't worry about status based op-ups since those are so few and far between and neither DL or QF will upgrade you based on status as a matter of course.
I think your best best is to sign-up with AAdvantage, AA's frequent flyer program, and then credit your QF mileage to AAdvantage which is one of the easier programs to earn and redeem with. For a small fee, you can also initiate a "challange" on AA which is an easy to get quick elite status - with one roundtrip US-OZ in the appropriate fare bucket - you would have Plat status.
If you choose this route, make sure to either book the AA codeshare or the QF fare class that credits 100%. QF is fairly stingy with mileage earning and its cheaper fare classes.