Originally Posted by
jpm2024
My wife and I are moving from Boston to Shanghai, which is exciting and terrifying. We love to travel, but have never invested in a rewards program due to us just buying the cheapest flight on many different airlines. This move is going to allow us to travel a great deal more than we are used to, so we need to get serious about miles ( I think). 75% of our travel will be together and for leisure, paid for out of our pocket. 25% will be just me traveling for work, where I will have control to pick my airline. Thank you in advance for any advice!
1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
>>> I'm honestly not sure, being able to get free flights and/or upgrade my long haul flights when I go home sound important.
2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc.
>>> I'm new to this, so I'm not sure, I will be flying round trip from Shanghai to Boston at least twice a year, so that is at least 16,000 miles for both my wife and I. We will have a tremendous amount of time to travel while we are there, so at least 5 trips within Asia each year.
3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> I pay myself, so usually the cheapest. I could entertain business on long haul flights if it was reasonable.
4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Most of my travel is for pleasure, so I have total choice.
5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Round trip between Boston and Shanghai will be the most frequent, but all others would be from Boston to US/Canada, or Shanghai to Asian cities.
6. What is your home airport?
>>> Shanghai/Boston
7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> I have nothing - this world is new to me
8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> The only direct flight between Boston and Shanghai right now is via Hanain, which would be great, but it does not look like they are a good pick for the travel in Asia (although I would love if I am wrong). If direct flights with Hanain are out of the picture then I'm not sure if a Delta/China Southern combo would best. I've read the Delta wants to expand their Shanghai presence and is considering direct flights to Boston. China Southern has a ton of flight from Shanghai to most of the other destinations I am considering.
Well, first, welcome to the madhouse.
It seems to me that you're not likely to travel enough on one carrier, or in premium cabins, to make elite status a high probability, so in that case I'd look for a program that will let you earn miles toward award trips using the greatest number of channels.
Your China Southern/Delta strategy might be reasonable, but Delta's mileage program (called "Skypesos" by cynics) has the reputation of not being terribly generous. (I have no idea if China Southern's program - BTW, China Southern's "handle" is CZ, like Delta's is DL, etc. - used here a lot - is any good; it's grounds for your own research.)
One thought that came to mind is probably a bit strange sounding, but Alaska Airlines' (AS) Mileage Plan is one of the best, and Alaska is partners with several Asian airlines that might be useful to you, including Hainan, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Based in Shanghai there are very few places in Asia - in the world, really - that you couldn't get to with one stop or less using any of those airlines. Alaska is also partners with Delta, so if and when DL expands its Shanghai presence, you could use your Alaska miles with them, too. Have a look at Alaska's program -
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/ - and see how it looks.
There's no substitute for homework and research as you embark on this, and you've come to the right place. I strongly recommend putting together a two-year "master plan" for travel and just do some "what if" scenarios using various mileage schemes to see how you could leverage the most out of your travel dollars and days.