Lifetime oneworld Emerald is a significant cut above LT Sapphire and Executive Club LTG will deliver Emerald benefits into and throughout your retirement.
To obtain LTG requires a bucket load of flying. Needn’t all be BA though. Flights on all oneworld carriers will count toward the end goal but qualification at 35,000 Tier Points will require serious commitment. Over 12 years, it equates to over 2,900 TPs annually or to put it in very blunt terms 20+ long haul business class flights each year. There is of course a wide range of methods you can follow to maximise the number of TPs earned per trip and the BA forum is awash with tips and success stories of rapid TP accrual.
I’d worry less about the minutiae of each programme and focus instead on what level of oneworld status you ultimately wish to aim for. Twelve years is a comparatively long time in the realm of FFPs and each programme will cycle through several changes in that period.
That said, each programme tends to offer a home advantage. If you are US based then AAdvantage will probably continue to offer a broader range of mileage earning opportunities than the Executive Club over the long term.
Interesting dilemma though
