1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
Reply: Lounge Access, Priority Services & Upgrades. Good award redemption is something I think everyone wants. I imagine I would be redeeming miles
mainly on leisure transatlantic travel in coach, or on European short-haul trips (again for leisure and in coach).
2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: 50000+ miles.
3. What fare class do you usually buy?
Reply: Economy.
4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: A mix of both business and pleasure, usually able to choose airline within reason but class of service will almost always be economy.
5. Which routes do you fly most often?
Reply: Significant transatlantic travel with US domestic connections to secondary cities, some European short-haul with mileage-accrual eligible airlines (and some on Ryanair
) and very occasional Ireland-Australasia travel (MH, EK, EY).
6. What is your home airport?
Reply: DUB/BFS/BHD (all are convenient).
7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
Reply: Negligible (<10k) miles banked with AAdvantage. I have never seriously considered mileage programmes before now as I have always taken whatever flight is booked for me without requesting an alternative, leading to high churn.
8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Reply: On TATL routes I have no preference but would like to avoid AC Rouge.
As there is little other choice from Ireland, I fly EI quite a lot both to the rest of Europe (UK and continent) and across the Atlantic. Occasionally this involves B6/UA codeshares within the US.
After the merger, AA will be the largest American legacy operating from Dublin too which is important.
To Australasia EY, EK and MH are all excellent (but the former two can get me there with only 1 stop).