Shuttle between BLR / LHR and SFO a lot. Which OW status makes sense?
Questions
For members asking for information, to help people to assist you, can you please provide:
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
(upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Reply: Extra Baggage Allowance, Good Award Redemption Rates are things I'd prioritise over anything else. Lounges get covered by my credit card (Diners)
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
(<25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles - <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply: 100000-150000 miles in a year. All in Economy.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: I can choose any airline. International Travel is work and domestic is for work and pleasure.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: India -> US, India -> UK, US Domestic
(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: SFO and BLR (I spent equal time in both these cities)
(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
(AA Executive Platinum, QF Gold, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: Flying Returns Silver (Star Alliance Silver) where I have 25K miles. Vistara Gold (40K miles). Other than this, I have 25K in Asia Miles, and 7-10K miles in KrisFlyer, Etihad Guest, American Airlines.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: My most common international routes are BLR -> LHR, BLR -> SFO and hence end up taking either Cathay or Etihad respectively. Though also end up traveling quite a bit on Air India too coz of Direct flights to India from both SFO and LHR.
Since I already have a star alliance silver, I am hoping to get OneWorld status this year and hoping with atleast 6 long haul flights and about 10+ mid range (across US domestic/UK-US) flights, it should be enough. The only challenge is that all these flights are going to be economy. What would you suggest?
I am personally quite keen on Alaska, but also thinking about other alternatives. I am not very thrilled with the surcharges on BA