Originally Posted by
barely_flying
Some background info first: I live in New York, so could fly out of JFK or LGA (or even EWK if need be...) I fly only twice a year now. Once domestically to Detroit and once internationally to France. Usually I pick my ticket based purely on price and not on accruing miles, and I want to start collecting miles.
I'm not sure which airline I should stick to when it comes to building miles. It's dizzying the number of airline CC offers out there.
Right now I'm tempted to go for the AA 75k option. I read the major thread and post #2, all the FF have given great advice on how to procure the card(s).
Question is this... My goal one day is to fly to Asia on points. Am I on the right track to start with AA and their OneWorld alliance? I saw that Cathay and Japan airlines are in that alliance, but is there a better way?
I'd think seriously about Delta. They use JFK and LGA as major hubs, which would allow you to fly virtually anywhere domestically non-stop, and you'd have a million options for your DTW trip. Also, they offer great coverage to Europe both directly on DL and through their Skyteam partners like KLM, Air France, and Alitalia.
They also offer mileage bonus for even their lowest-tier elite flyers (Silver Medallion) which allows you to build miles quickly. The one downside is that if you cared about upgrades, you might be out of luck given that NYC has a lot of Delta elite flyers, but that doesn't sound like your concern.
As for Asia, Delta does daily non-stops to Japan, China, Korea, and is partners with Korean Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.
I have no idea what their CC sign-up promo is right now, but would encourage you to think long-term. A big bonus up-front is obviously nice but, to reach your goals, you are going to be tied to your airline FF program for some time to come.
Best of luck.