USA based flyer with no status in any FF program.
I have an upcoming flight and I am trying to decide where to credit.
IAH-DUB-IAH in a mix of Z and J fares on Skyteam carriers.
According to FlyingBlue calculator this round-trip will earn a total of about 16,000 miles. One of the transatlantic segments is Delta so I'm not sure if that changes the equation other than less redeemable miles.
The goal is to gain status in a Skyteam or partner program (or Alaska? Virgin America?) which could then be used to eventually challenge match to another USA program.
If the mileage calculation from the Flyingblue calculator is correct I would need to earn ~9000K more miles to reach 25K which seems to meet lower status in most programs. If I credited to Delta I could also apply for a credit card and get additional MQMs to negate some of the flying requirements.
I searched for a status challenge not requiring existing status for any of the alliances but couldn't find anything so if anyone is aware of one that would be great.
Any other advice would be appreciated.