Goodbye to BAEC but where should I go?
Mar 23, 2017, 10:05 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Reading, UK
Programs: BA Gold,, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 399
Goodbye to BAEC but where should I go?
I haven't been living in the UK for nearly 8 months and don't plan to be coming back anytime soon. My BAEC membership year just resent a few weeks ago. So I was wondering which airline program to choose. I am now living in the San Francisco bay area. I have at least 1 transcontinental round trip coming up next month with AA and then a trip to India with BA (I class). There will be at least another 3-4 trips to India / Europe and then a few transcontinental flights within the US. I mostly due I class business fares and cheaper first class fares in the US. In the past with BA, I was able to earn about 3000 TPs.
I really like Alaska and Virgin America and they do have a lot of flights from the smaller SJC airport. But they don't have reciprocal benefits with other airlines. Being able to access the Wing in HK as OWE is sometimes appealing.
There is also United who have a hub in SFO but I really don't want to move my loyalty over there.
I am finding that having lounge access on US domestic flights as BAEC gold isn't all that great. I have Amex Platinum and I find the Admirals Club pretty miserable. I usually hang out in a proper restaurant where I can get decent food.
Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I really like Alaska and Virgin America and they do have a lot of flights from the smaller SJC airport. But they don't have reciprocal benefits with other airlines. Being able to access the Wing in HK as OWE is sometimes appealing.
There is also United who have a hub in SFO but I really don't want to move my loyalty over there.
I am finding that having lounge access on US domestic flights as BAEC gold isn't all that great. I have Amex Platinum and I find the Admirals Club pretty miserable. I usually hang out in a proper restaurant where I can get decent food.
Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Mar 23, 2017, 10:30 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold but PlatPro thanks to LPs
Posts: 4,439
Why not just free-lance? Go with whatever airline best suits your needs in terms of price and schedule at the time.
"Loyalty" is overrated, in my opinion. Sure, it works great if you can concentrated your flights on an airline that also offers convenient schedules and decent pricing for the flights you need to take, but it can be a means of moving you into inconvenient schedules and higher prices.
"Loyalty" is overrated, in my opinion. Sure, it works great if you can concentrated your flights on an airline that also offers convenient schedules and decent pricing for the flights you need to take, but it can be a means of moving you into inconvenient schedules and higher prices.
Mar 23, 2017, 10:50 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: BA Gold, DL PM, , Hilton Diamond (from being in a bed), SPG Plat, MR Plat
Posts: 922
Sounds like Alaska might suit your needs. The good thing about AS is they have so many different partners it is almost like going frelance. You could fly BA on one trip to India and Emirates on the next and still earn miles for both. They have great mileage earnings for premium fares and the best reward chart for aspirational awards. If I wasn't in so deep with BA that is where I would go.
Mar 23, 2017, 10:55 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: BAEC Gold, Delta Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, AMEX Platinum (US)
Posts: 18,487
I have a similar travel pattern to you (about 2500-3000 tier points annually, all premium cabin with a mix of transcon/shorthaul F and longhaul F/J).
If you're doing 3000 tier points you've got enough room to whore yourself out a bit, if you want to keep BA Gold for the OW Emerald benefits.
If you're doing transcons have you tried Jetblue Mint? They have solo suites on their A321 aircraft that are, IMO, better than AA 321T First, and starting at $599 each way between SFO and JFK. I think they're brilliant and are about the only airline I'll specifically pick ahead of my oneworld preferences.
http://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=979653
Personally I'm going to stick it with AA/BA/BAEC because I'm striving towards BAEC Lifetime Gold but if I weren't I'd probably hit BA Gold and then start flying other airlines. Living near JFK and with easy access to LGA I've got very decent DL, AA and B6 service.
If you're doing 3000 tier points you've got enough room to whore yourself out a bit, if you want to keep BA Gold for the OW Emerald benefits.
If you're doing transcons have you tried Jetblue Mint? They have solo suites on their A321 aircraft that are, IMO, better than AA 321T First, and starting at $599 each way between SFO and JFK. I think they're brilliant and are about the only airline I'll specifically pick ahead of my oneworld preferences.
http://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=979653
Personally I'm going to stick it with AA/BA/BAEC because I'm striving towards BAEC Lifetime Gold but if I weren't I'd probably hit BA Gold and then start flying other airlines. Living near JFK and with easy access to LGA I've got very decent DL, AA and B6 service.
Mar 23, 2017, 11:13 am
#7
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Pasadena, CA
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hyatt Plat, Amex Plat.
Posts: 651
It is an interesting question in light of your location and the key benefit of GCH in the US which is lounge access. Free Guoc in the afternoon at SFO AAdmirals only goes so far. If you were down here in LA, it would be a little easier to decide, as flagship access would be a huge upside (that is, when it opens). Longest lounge revamp in history and flagship accommodations currently dire.....
Mar 23, 2017, 11:30 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHX, SEA
Programs: Avis President's Club, Global Entry, Hilton/Marriott Gold. No more DL/AA status.
Posts: 4,422
In my experience, aside from increased mileage earnings, a lot of the loyalty perks are similar to what you gain by purchasing J/F (check-in, priority boarding, baggage allowance). If you are flying in the premium cabins you might just want to stay with the cheapest and get a feel for various airlines and tour the competing hard products.
Switching from BAEC to Aadvantage for your oneworld flights doesn't seem to get you anything, but I say that looking at the status perks, and not how easy or hard it is to earn TPs versus EQD/EQM.
And while I don't blame you about United, what about other StarAlliance partners?
Switching from BAEC to Aadvantage for your oneworld flights doesn't seem to get you anything, but I say that looking at the status perks, and not how easy or hard it is to earn TPs versus EQD/EQM.
And while I don't blame you about United, what about other StarAlliance partners?
Last edited by Gig103; Mar 23, 2017 at 12:01 pm
Mar 23, 2017, 11:32 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: BA - Blue > Bronze > Silver > Bronze > Blue
Posts: 6,812
Doesn't sound like you're getting much benefit from your BA status, so as others are saying, if you're flying business, so get most status perks anyway, you'll be better off forgetting status and booking what suits/ prices best.
Mar 23, 2017, 11:47 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: BAEC Gold, Delta Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, AMEX Platinum (US)
Posts: 18,487
If the OP is already flying premium then the main draw of EXP is gone. Bar perhaps the SWUs if they choose to downgrade some of their trips to save cash and use the SWUs in place of revenue J.
Mar 23, 2017, 12:03 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: CA
Posts: 304
Plus you can fly AA and earn Alaska award and elite miles (and vice versa):
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...-airlines.aspx
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...a-airlines.jsp
Mar 23, 2017, 12:09 pm
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Pasadena, CA
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hyatt Plat, Amex Plat.
Posts: 651
Mar 23, 2017, 12:30 pm
#14
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Flying between BER, ZRH, EZE, COR
Programs: LH SEN, UA 1K, A3*G, AR Platino, BA Gold
Posts: 113
Loyalty is highly overrated these days.
Fly the airline that best suits your needs in term of pricing, schedules, and product, and then you still can earn miles and optimize that.
Maybe earning with AS, BA and a *A Partner would suit your needs?
BA has some strengths when earning and redeeming (eg household accounts for your family) while AS is great too.
Fly the airline that best suits your needs in term of pricing, schedules, and product, and then you still can earn miles and optimize that.
Maybe earning with AS, BA and a *A Partner would suit your needs?
BA has some strengths when earning and redeeming (eg household accounts for your family) while AS is great too.
Mar 23, 2017, 12:41 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,018
I haven't been living in the UK for nearly 8 months and don't plan to be coming back anytime soon. My BAEC membership year just resent a few weeks ago. So I was wondering which airline program to choose. I am now living in the San Francisco bay area. I have at least 1 transcontinental round trip coming up next month with AA and then a trip to India with BA (I class). There will be at least another 3-4 trips to India/Europe and then a few transcontinental flights within the US. I mostly due I class business fares and cheaper first class fares in the US. In the past with BA, I was able to earn about 3000 TPs.
I really like Alaska and Virgin America and they do have a lot of flights from the smaller SJC airport. But they don't have reciprocal benefits with other airlines. Being able to access the Wing in HK as OWE is sometimes appealing.
I really like Alaska and Virgin America and they do have a lot of flights from the smaller SJC airport. But they don't have reciprocal benefits with other airlines. Being able to access the Wing in HK as OWE is sometimes appealing.
What do you used the ff miles for?
Do you get ff miles from non flying activities?
So the choice is AA (Oneworld) or AS (many OW & Skyteam partners) with UA as a second ffp, where OW does not work out (schedule and/or price)
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...rline-partners DL will cease to be an AS partner soon.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...help-here.html