Originally Posted by Martinis at 8
Welcome to FT. Like you, I am also an IBO ^ Nice to see there are a few of us around, as I think our prespective on MR's, FF miles, points, etc. is a bit different than others.
Great...but I don't see how this pertains to mileage runs. With his planned travel, he should be able to make mid-tier without any mileage runs...with good planning banking in a single program.
Originally Posted by Martinis at 8
1. For anything in the Lower 48 US I fly Southwest Airlines.
Just so you know, an objective comparison of Southwest earning verses UA/AA for LAX-JFK.
AA/UA 2475 miles outbound + 2475 return x 2 status bonus + online booking = 10,900 miles earned per round trip.
5 round trips = 53,600 miles earned
50K miles earned =
1 unrestricted free domestic round trip or
2 restricted round trips on AA/UA
Southwest 1 credit earned each way. 2 credits per round trip.
Maybe 3 credits if there is a current promo. I will be generous and use 3 credits.
6 round trips on Southwest = 18 credits
16 credits =
1 free restricted round trip
Results: You earn at least twice as much on UA/AA.
This is not taking other things into account, like the fact you could be upgraded part of the time for free on AA/UA, or that UA only has economy plus seating on this route: it is a special route for UA, with an international business/first quality product in the premium cabins.
If you choose Southwest, know you are choosing them only for their cheaper last minute fares; not for their program. Their program/product does not compare!
The OP was asking who has the best FF program.
Originally Posted by dancyn4
I like to buy a coach ticket and upgrade it to business class using miles.
Originally Posted by Martinis at 8
2. For flights trans-Atlantic I generally use AirFrance, business class, and bank the miles on my Delta SkyMiles account. At CDG I loiter for a day or two and then proceed on to Africa or the Middle East, again on AirFrance business class, banking on the SkyMiles account.
I would only recommend AF to someone who goes to/from Africa and the Middle East a lot...because AF has better coverage of Africa than anyone else.
But this does not pertain to the OP! If you are deciding based on routes served directly, the OP will not be better served to his/her destinations on AF. If deciding based product, AF does not have the best transatlantic J product available. BA does.
If deciding based on upgrade possibilities, AF is terrible and UA/AA win.
Originally Posted by Martinis at 8
For trans-Pacific I fly Singapore Airlines and bank the miles on KrisFlyer. I will usually fly to L.A., or S.F., on WN, loiter there for a day or two, and then fly SQ to SIN and transfer from there for intra-regional travel on other SQ flights.
This one sounds like an excellent choice for
you, as you must be deciding based on product (not wanting to upgrade often), and SQ has one of the best transpacific products.
But this does not pertain to the OP!
I attempted to respond based on what would be best for the OP considering what the OP stated they were looking for; not what works best for me with what I am looking for.