Hi

following a discussion that started elsewhere about benefits of silver status in star alliance , me and Stil came to the conclusion it would be good to have a base where we can compare FFPs over alliances , not only one against the other (regardless of alliance) or two FFPs from same alliance

This is not a thread to re-explain how the world works to those who know , but rather a starting point , about explaining (if we know what we are talking about) and comparing levels and benefits for star alliance vs skyteam , especially if it can help those who dont know much or those who are hestitating to make a choice based on real unbiased data , and not the marketing BS airlines gives

The Global Airline Alliances have 3 child sub-forums but no root folder where we can post this thread , so we landed here . If a mod/admin think its not the good place , feel free to move it , , and maybe we can even make a sticky thread or wiki out of it

We will try to compare more about levels , not FFPs in particular , but of course it is possible to go deeper in the conversation

I do have extensive experience with many FFPs from star alliance airlines (LH, TP) and to lesser extent A3 and TK . On the skyteam side , i think i know quite well those (AF/KL, OK , UX)

And Stil has his share of knowledge with = ***** placeholder*******

1*) OVERVIEW

Lets start with the fact , that star alliance gold and his equivalent , skyteam elite plus are very useful and good to have , even better if you have both together

The first takeaway from our conversation is that silver level in star alliance is essentially useless (besides when flying with the airline which granted you this silver status) . While silver level (skyteam elite) grants you something with all airline members at least

2*) STAR ALLIANCE

With star alliance you have a very extensive network over 5 continents and can easily find at least one member airline flying where you wanna go , giving you more options about your route . Wether its revenue or awards ticket

In star alliance you have some airlines where the requirements are low , and some which can grant you gold (from silver) in 2 trips only (but you need to plan carefully) . Other significant advantage , for some star alliance FFPs, the status can be valid for two years , while no skyteam FFPs offers that (as far as i know)

If you reach the highest level of your FFP in star alliance you will have far more benefits than most equivalent levels skyteam FFPs can offer , and thats a reality no one can deny . I would gladly give a try to miles and more HON circle or UA 1k for a while

However as extended the benefits can be when flying your main airline , they essentially become pretty basic (free bag , priority , fast track) when flying another airline or sometimes even hilarious .

For instance , many star alliance airlines dont pay for lounge access at remote stations , sometimes they pay only for their elite + J paxs , sometimes only for J paxs , sometimes nobody gets lounge access . While it would be fine if written somewhere , it is almost never the case , so the only ways you can find out are by asking on flyertalk or directly at the airport , from my side i got so tired of it , that i am considering dragonpass in my travel toolkit

One detail drawback is the major trickery regarding miles earning (especially status) , as A3 , TP or AC are doing , for those flying with them while being a member of another FFP . The usual system is to consider the first letter of your booking class as the critera used against the table . However the evil must work for one (or all) of these 3 airlines and you need a master thesis from a wizard school to know if you will even get status miles before purchase . So for instance if you fly A3 and is a miles and bonus member , or TAP as a miles and go member you are totally fine , but if not you are essentially screwed

In star alliance , you essentially should fly with your airline to keep your status without headache and then fly with whoever you want to enjoy it (it is my opinion for some cases and a requirement for some star alliance airlines like A3)

3*) SKYTEAM

With Skyteam , story is a bit different .

The network is not as great as star alliance , they even are loosing members = (AZ , SU , CZ) and will most likely soon loose more (RO, OK , UX) .

Only recent newcomer is VS . Please dont talk about ITA cause its a skyteam member as much as i am a member of the avengers

Therefore they have huge gaps in many parts of the world which are either not covered (or undercovered which is almost the same) . So , depending where you fly , you can often find yourself with only 1 skyteam airline (if you are lucky) , and the price (or other requirements) might not be good at all compared with star alliance competition for your journey .

While not being as exciting as some competitors (talking about benefits at FFPs level) . Their skypriority product and their requirements for each level , means the benefits are streamlined and "always" (this word needs to be confirmed) similar across all airlines.

Unless you book those basic economy restrictive fares with AM (for domestic flights only) and DL (in general) , you can easily deal with the restrictions . You will still have free luggage (even as silver / skyteam elite), or you can even bypass these restrictions to book your seat for free by using some tricks

When at gold level (skyteam elite plus) or higher , you will have lounge access 90% of the time . There are restrictions of course , but those are part of written rules about skyteam lounge access . Some airlines apply them (but this group is a minority) , while some don't . Only few occasions when no lounge was provided to me in recent years was when flying on some seasonal leisure routes to small regional airports

Not all , but some skyteam members works also with the segments concept to grant status , 1 international flight = 1 segment , so you do not need to worry about how much status miles the airline you decide to fly with will graciously offer you , and you can even keep your status by never flying the airline of your FFP . On the other hand , if you want to qualify with miles , you will need to fly premium or business class only .

One thing i noticed is that most skyteam airlines i have tried recently allowed me to select my seat for free as elite plus member even on basic fares , while i know some star alliance wont let you do that , but its a question of time before this become an industry standard unfortunately

Now the stage is yours Stil , feel free to share your knowledge