(1) What is your home airport? SFO
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? When I'm paying, the cheapest for a given flight. For business, as long as it is economy.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? I will be flying every week to and from a client in the US.
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? No status, but I currently have US Airways: 6,000 miles, Delta: 13,000 miles, Southwest: 9,000 points, JetBlue: 1,000 points
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? The current plan is to rack up points while I am travelling for work for the next couple years and then use them on domestic flights for years to come or a big international flight in between jobs. I haven't started travelling for work yet, so I don't know if the upgrades, lounge access and all that would make enough of a difference for me that it is worth sacrificing a good point redemption rate (or even if it is much of a sacrifice, as I don't know much about FFPs yet)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Domestic US
(7) Preferred Airlines Southwest and JetBlue are my favorites, in that order, but I am not married to them.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Work for the next couple years, then pleasure.
I would also appreciate feedback on hotel plans. The plan here is also to rack up points and use them while I'm travelling for pleasure after a couple years. This is just my plan at the moment, if there is a more profitable way to use points I'm not opposed to other ideas.
Thanks so much for your help.
Umm, I'd suggest A3 for a couple of reasons.
1)you can get *G even if you aren't flying on *A for all your flights...
2)you get lounge access
3)A3's international redemption oppertunities are pretty decent and priced similarly to other FFPs
However, if you want upgrades instead of lounge access (if you are flying transcons, i would upgrades over lounge access, if you are flying midcons or short hops, I'd suggest lounge access...), I'd say go for United Mileage Plus, because you get E+/UDU when flying.