Originally Posted by
smangalam
I have been an SE for the past year or so and, honestly, have found nothing special about it at all. The only benefit I gained is to not have to pay taxes/surcharges on an award ticket. The concierge service has been of no value at all on occasions where I have sought help, the upgrade process still remains cumbersome and stressful, and the steep 20k AQD requirement makes no sense at all. In addition, service on business class is pretty ordinary. I found the service in business class on even Ethiopian to be better. I would be interested to hear other SE experiences, am trying to looking for a reason to stay with AC/SA and not move to One World....
You are mixing apples and oranges here. Whether one is SE of not has nothing to do with the service in Business Class and how it compares to Ethiopian, other than being first in the pecking order for meals.
No fees /surcharges on an award ticket? Very good benefit in my opinion and not something to say has no worth at all. Of course the other Star Gold Benefits are worth something also, but obviously one not be SE to get them.
As to whether One World is better? Depends where you are flying to but for me Star Alliance has a better network.