Originally Posted by
DouglasRocks
I like the idea of obtaining *A gold status with 20k miles and getting access to the lounge, but are you sure that would apply to domestic flights? I called CLT's US Air lounge and the lady said the *G rule only applies on international flights. Unless, of course, all american flights would be considered "international" to the foreign program (that would be a nice loop-hole!); am I correct there?
Yes, you would have access if on any *A flight so long as the *G status comes from a carrier other than UA, US or CO.
Originally Posted by
DouglasRocks
And from your guys' prior experience, what do you think is more important? Loyalty to prominent carrier or always being able to relax during long layovers?
This is a very personal question. What works for me might not work for you. If you're flying out of CLT odds of frequent, long layovers seems somewhat lower so I'd probably err on the side of the other benefits but, again, you'd have to decide for yourself.
The other thing to consider is the various other rules that come down from the programs. Flying on L fares (some of the cheapest out there for CO/UA) only earn 50% credit for A3, among other things. You would also need to consider expiry and other award policies in the valuation of the miles.
Generally speaking, IMO, parking the points in another program just to get lounge access is much more expensive than simply paying the $400 annual fee to get said access. Plus the *G lounge access only comes for you plus one guest; paid lounge membership would include the whole family (if that is relevant).
You note that most of your flights will be on US metal. I'd stick with US as a program based on that, partly for the upgrades and partly because their program actually doesn't suck too badly for the most part.