Originally Posted by
CptnBarrySeal
Gotcha. Would united be a better program then? Or would you know of any programs that would best fit my situation? I could even switch to another airline in asia if they offer these sorts of upgrades and I can always fly out of somewhere like ICN and base myself in ICN. Goal is to be on business 50% of the time if possible.... or would it be better to just go the zipair route?
There's not an airline or frequent flier program in the world that just offers free long haul upgrades to elites. And generally speaking the US based programs (AA/UA/DL) typically offer more in the way of upgrades than their foreign counterparts.
One thing AA does is offer buy-up upgrades after you purchase your ticket, both online and in the AA app. So you buy your economy ticket then sign in to view your reservation and there will be an offer to buy up to business for $XYZ. Sometimes these offers are crazy ($2k+ one way) but sometimes they can be very reasonable (sub $500 one way).
Also don't forget about Premium Economy, which can oftentimes be not that much more expensive than economy, and offers a definite step up from normal coach.