Sorry if its been answered before but I am in a spot of personal termoil.

1st the standard Q & A

(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: LHR or Manchester UK

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
Reply: 25K-50K

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ? ( First, Business, Economy etc.)
Reply: Economy (reduced tier points), via corporate web based Tool (company policy)

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or, class of service?. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes i can choose Airline, no i cant choose class, Travel for work only.

(5) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: I fly in EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) with occasional flights to USA (transatlantic)

(6) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline at present? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP? (AA Executive Platinum, QF Gold, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: BA Silver

(7) What is most important to you in a FFP? (upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Reply: Lounge Access and the ability to actually use points to UG flights.

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: BA/Emirates/Etihad/Air Berlin (basically any non budget airline)

So, am 4 years into a job that is crazy mad travel all the time, but we have to use Concur - an american express tool to book flights and travel - no exceptions, and for the second year running i am a BA Executive Club Silver member - priority check in, priority boarding and Lounge access.

What i am seeing thought is becuase i have to use Amex to book the flights - they are always the reduced tier flights, so its almost impossible to maintain Silver this year as each year the tier points earned seem to be less and less per segment - now its 10 points and i need 600 to maintain silver.

Since August (when they Zero your Tier Status) i have worked my arms off flying every week and have only accrued 330 tier points.

Whenever i try to UG a flight i get a pop up telling me its impossible because of the class of ticket (always economy - but apparently there is different levels of economy)

I heard rumours other OW loyalty schemes are not so restrictive or ungenerous for your custom, regardless of which OW member you fly with.

For me personally the 2 must haves are Lounge Access and Using Miles to UG a ticket regardless of class of ticket.

As i travel so often a lounge is a life saver and somewhere to get work done.

appreciate the help, appologies for droning on and on.

I have other Airlines i use as backups for flights to the Middle East as BA doesnt fly everywhere i need to go, but generally its BA i end up flying with as i am UK based and its the only direct flight operator (mostly).

Edited to add - am sat in Vienna Airport and YET AGAIN my effing BA flight is Delayed, i can honestly say none of my BA flights have left on time since i can remember.