Originally Posted by flushy
Happy New Year to everyone!
It`s my first post here, please bear with me. I`m currently AZ Ulisse member and expect to make 50 k miles in 2006 to qualify for Freccia Alata but I`m not sure whether Millemiglia is the best program for me as I normally fly with CO or Delta. Which program should I choose?
Welcome to Flyertalk. The 50k for ST Elite Plus is not bad and gets you a lot of perks on the ST network. It all depends on a) your travel pattern and b) your preferences. If you have a lot of intra-US travel, you might want to consider a program with free F-class upgrades; if you have a good # of intra-Europe flights, look for a program with a generous min. mileage accrual (AZ is not bad with 1.2k!). 50k does not get you far enough on CO and DL to get international lounge access, FB does this with 40+k miles. The 50% elite bonus with AZ is not very impressive and you can get up to 100% bonus with the US programs, or 75% with FB. It is less important on which metal you fly, it is more important to find the little annoying details in every program (e.g. certain booking classes earn none or reduced mileage). e.g. I am FB Plat, but I often fly DL, CO, or NW to earn my miles, since KL and AF have some nasty 25% earning classes. I am not sure about CO<->DL, but NW/CO and NW/DL will not earn 100% EQMs in all booking classes.
I would think about what is important for you (lounge access, F-class upgrades, elite bonus) and check the various programs regarding mileage accrual with your std travel pattern. Hope that helps.
Christian