Should I switch from UA / DL? DM or AAdvantage? Benefits? Differences? (consolidated)

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Feb 25, 2014, 11:23 am

#31

BoeingBoy

Join Date: Apr 2006

Location: High Point, NC

Programs: None

Posts: 9,171

Gotcha and you are absolutely correct - for some people the changeover date can make a difference.

Jim

Feb 25, 2014, 11:42 am

#32

goingbananas

Join Date: Aug 2008

Location: Always on the move

Programs: Something lifetime here and there

Posts: 1,867

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoeingBoy

Gotcha and you are absolutely correct - for some people the changeover date can make a difference.

Jim

Does anyone know what the date is for US on this to qualify for this year and next at CP level vs doing the challenge now and just getting the status good for this year?

Feb 25, 2014, 2:00 pm

#33

z8108

Join Date: Aug 2013

Posts: 74

Quote:

Originally Posted by scherzva

I have 90 days to earn 25,000 points (not miles) to keep my ExecPlat status. Points are based off fare class (so 1,000 miles flown on a N fare ticket is only worth 500 points while a P fare is worth 1,500 points). http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/el...quirements.jsp

Are these 25,000 points needed to come American flights or they can come from CX? I have two up-coming trips to HKG and is thinking about asking status match from AA.

Feb 25, 2014, 5:40 pm

#34

NickP 1K

Join Date: Jan 2000

Location: SoCal to the rest of the world...

Programs: AA EXP with lots of BA. UA 2MM Lifetime Plat - No longer chase hotel loyalty

Posts: 6,699

Quote:

Originally Posted by z8108

Are these 25,000 points needed to come American flights or they can come from CX? I have two up-coming trips to HKG and is thinking about asking status match from AA.

EQP/points are what counts for the challenge when I did it as UA1K/2MM and got Exec status. - If you fly CX you should consider ensuring it's an H fare or higher.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...hayPacific.jsp

If it might be a lower fare have your travel agency (or you) book the AA marketed flight number as those do NOT have the severe limitation on points, however do note that on AA G, Q, N, O, S fares will get full elite miles but 50% of EQP/Points.

http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...s/american.jsp

When I did the challenge I did not have the time then to do the ExecPlat challenge. I'm now on path to make ExecPlat by Sept with NO challenge this year; fully given up on UA now.

Feb 25, 2014, 6:20 pm

#35

Tennen

Join Date: Nov 2001

Location: USA, JPN, GBR

Programs: A3, AA, AC, AS, DL, NH, SQ, SK, UA; BW, CP, HH, IHG, MB

Posts: 1,950

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoeingBoy

US does indeed have basically the same although I think the date is different than AA's (later in the year for US I think).

I think you're right about the date for US. IIRC, it was something ridiculously late like October in order for the status to last for more than a few months.

Feb 25, 2014, 7:13 pm

#36

BoeingBoy

Join Date: Apr 2006

Location: High Point, NC

Programs: None

Posts: 9,171

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tennen

I think you're right about the date for US. IIRC, it was something ridiculously late like October in order for the status to last for more than a few months.

I'm thinking something in August/September - about the middle of the program year. But I could definitely be wrong.

Jim

Feb 26, 2014, 4:55 am

#37

Boogie711

Join Date: Mar 2011

Location: Kitchener, ON, Canada

Programs: UA 1K

Posts: 1,266

Quote:

Originally Posted by z8108

Are these 25,000 points needed to come American flights or they can come from CX? I have two up-coming trips to HKG and is thinking about asking status match from AA.

Sorry, CX does not count for status points challenge purposes. BA, IB, JAL, and QF do, so if you're going to Asia, perhaps you can use JAL or Qantas?

http://flyerguide.com/index.php/Challenge_%28AA%29

Feb 26, 2014, 7:40 am

#38

Shareholder

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Sep 1999

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat

Posts: 38,186

Go for USAir for this year. Since that's the metal you'll fly most, you will have better elite benefits for your flights since not all such benefits are reciprocal at the moment (preferred seating, upgrades, etc.). If you can't get a status match or challenge based on your UA status -- most STAR carriers won't match status from other STAR programs but after next month, US will be OW and might want to capture tens if not hundreds of thousands UA elites like yourself -- working your way up the tiers this year will get you some of the benefits while positioning you for the full merger next year.

Can't see the merging happening until next benefit year given the cost of sending out new kits mdi-year, etc.

Feb 26, 2014, 11:04 am

#39

Duke787

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Mar 2013

Programs: DL PM, MR Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 10,130

Quote:

Originally Posted by scherzva

It is impossible to find out what your chances to clear an upgrade instantly

Not completely true. You can use EF (looking for C or A space). Moreover the American website tells you if the SWU is available. The negative is it may say one is available and be referring to J ---> F or Y ---> F on the short leg and not the long leg. You can get around this with EF or by just checking leg by leg and seeing if it displays SWU availability

As for transferring from a 1K - I received the same challenge that scherzva laid out at the end last year and received EXP through February 15.

OP is likely better off going the US Airways route and if you end up on an AA flight by chance just credit back to US.

Feb 27, 2014, 10:34 am

#40

tegelad

Join Date: May 2009

Location: IND || CMI

Programs: AA EXP 1M, Marriott LT Platinum, Hyatt Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz President Circle

Posts: 631

With your travel patterns, if you have the money can afford it, I would go with US Airways, buy up to CP now (before the rates go up and you can't [3/1]), and earn away on US Air trying to make sure you fly enough to make their thresholds (if you are going for CP). When the new year starts my "guess" is that they will transition CP's to EXP and then at that point you will enter the land "of milk and honey" :-).

+-ADT

Feb 27, 2014, 3:41 pm

#41

z8108

Join Date: Aug 2013

Posts: 74

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boogie711

Thanks. I can only do CX or UA due to negotiated corporate fares. I guess I will have to stick with UA then.

Mar 1, 2014, 7:56 am

#42

born sleepy

Join Date: Nov 2000

Location: ATL/TLV/SDF

Programs: AA EXP, UA LT Ag, Marriott LT Ti, Hyatt Glob, Avis PC, Busted-Knuckles Club Grand Poobah.

Posts: 2,590

Well, thanks to @BoeingBoy I was able to get AA to semi-match my United 1K status to Platinum (not a challenge, an actual through-Feb 28 2015 match). I think it took effect today. Now I guess I need to book everything going forward since we're already in March on AA/US/AS to move that odometer from 0 to 100,000+.

Any idea if ExP systemwides can be used on US this year? I have some TLV travel coming up (and yes I know about the TLV ex-TWA brouhaha).

AA agreed to EXP challenge last year but I was unable to complete it.