One important thing to remember is that you generally earn miles on all partners (subject to various rules, ticket classes. etc etc which can be confusing)

You can be a member of an airline FFP, earn miles, redeem miles and yet may have never actually been on that airline.

As UA Mileage Plus member you earn miles on Thai (as both are Star) [check the rules!! I think this is true]

As Qantas FF member you can get a reward ticket on BA's Concorde for example,

For oneworld consider the Qantas and American

If read about the SQ FPP on this board you get the impression its not the best program (others may have different opinion)

Credit card and other bonus such as rental car and hotels can be earn more miles than airlines. The last 100 miles is more important than the first 100 miles.

Also look if miles expire, in say 3 years time

On long haul, like you will do, try to establish how long before you upgrade the status level in the FPP. At the next membership tier of these program you get more miles. Long haul adds up the mileage quick

Any FPP program depends on what you expect out of it:- reward tickets, upgrade, hotels rewards. Some program are better at getting reward tickets than others

Not much use earning miles if you can't use them.

This is a good site to check the distance between destinations http://gc.kls2.com/

Check this site for reward ticket availability. http://flyaow.com/classavailability.htm
(very few people travel full economy = Y, usually a lower class ticket)

BA QF AA redemption
redemption economy X
redemption business U
upgrade economy to business U
redemption first Z
upgrade business to first U

AIR NZ redemption
X - redemption economy
I - redemption business
O - redemption first
Z - upgrade business

I don't what other airlines use (can someone help?)

For me, saving a few hundred on a ticket is worth more than the miles earned, especially if am paying out of my own pocket and not the company.

FFP's are a long term thing. As you are back in US in 3 or 4 years time consider what miles you will earn and burn in the USA.

Another thing to consider is what address to use. Joining a program in one country can have different rules from joining in another country (and also possibly annual or joining fees). You should make sure you can change your address to the US in 3 or 4 years time when you return to the US. It may be better to join using a US address, and get the junk mail they send re-directed. You can always look on line to check miles.

As a lot of these FFP's are free, so just join them all:-.. United, Qantas, American, Alaska etc.

So just that spreadsheet working:-= airline FPP, ticket class, distance travelled, miles earned, status bonus, mileage reward needed for a destination


[This message has been edited by Mwenenzi (edited 05-19-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Mwenenzi (edited 05-19-2002).]