rodsren

I am sure AA with giv eyou 100K exectuive platinum status, which has some great benefits (8 Systemwide upgrades from any published fare, leaves UA in the dust) + most of the people that are both UA 100K and AA EXP note that they have a mych higher ratier (something like 76 % versus 95% upgrade success.) I have noticed this many times. They will give you EXP the first year and then you will have to see if you like it, but having 8 SWU's can make a mileage run very comfortable (you can go 2 continents one way with only one SWU, versus 2 if you used miles & $ and were not top tier). It's a very solid program. FOr your companions, the 500 mile stickers NEVER expire, as long as you are some form of elite with them (UA used to have a one year expiration, I don't know what it is theses days as I left them or any thought of really using them so long ago many things have probably changed. I would sugest mild level in *G and do a cople mileage runs using the SWU's to do it all in buiness (oten quoted is LHR-LAX-China and raturn for 2 SWU and a 20K miles) or FRA-DFW-GRU and return for again 20+ miles and never have not gotten an upgrade on both 5,000 mile + segment for one SWU. It's pretty generous I think. A ticket like that properly planned is about 1,000 but if you are like me it works out to more like 2,000 as you need to buy a connecting MIA-DFW-FRA to get it started and ended (even that is a nice 12K bumo.) You moight find you only need to do one mileage run (back to back tickets) to have *AG and OW emerald. Life has not ended as you, it just takes a little accomidating and adjusting to the new system. SOunds to me like you could leverage the Emerage Exp. to 1K *AG and have the best of both worlds, something I simply can't afford as this is more a hobby than a business for me.