Hello fellow oneworld flyers!
Having been AA exp for years, I am thinking about switching to BAEC due to an upcoming change in my travel patterns, which would make more sense to me and also keep my long loyalty to the alliance.
Although I don't think BA is offering any kind of status match/challenge from its partner (correct me if I'm wrong), is there any way I could continue to enjoy OWE perks (lounge access, extra bags and first class priority) while working my way towards earning BAEC Silver/Gold status? Surely no one wants to start from the ground up.
Per AA's T&C, it does not endorse receiving status-based benefits and crediting miles to a partner ffp, but practically how is this enforced? Say if I'm traveling on BA metals, can I add my AA ffn at time of booking then change it to BA at gate before boarding? If the ticket has multiple legs, do I need to do so before every flight?
FYI I mostly fly AA (US-domestic), BA (TATL) and CX (TPAC and intra-Asia).
Cheers.