Markie

Well basically, if you live anywhere but the UK you can do better with BA.

US members earn miles on all fares, and can get upgrades - the most popular award for frequent flyers I believe.

But in the UK - it's full fare only for AirMiles and no upgrades.

martin

Does that mean, that beacause most of my travel is transatlantic, that I'd be better off signing up with a US airlines FF scheme?

james

Martin - Air Miles is one thing and it's great to be able to earn flights for doing everyday things. But as for collecting miles by flying, avoid BA like the plague. Unless you are buying Business/First tickets for BA flights and you live in the UK, the game isn't worth the candle.

Yes, you are much better signing up with a US carrier if most of your flying is Transatlantic.

Delta are great if Atlanta and/or Cincinnatti are convenient gateways because of the systemwide upgrades they offer Elites. 5 Transatlantic segments p.a. get you to silver. If not AA might be the way to go - if you also do some flying to Europe/Asia, you can get AA miles for most non-Transatlantic BA flights assuming your fare class is high enough. The other main options are CO&NW or UA about which I don't really have a big opinion - except that UA being in Star Alliance is a potential asset for global flying or if your travel patterns change.

[This message has been edited by james (edited 10-06-1999).]

TRESY

Another BA Exec member. I agree with others that the points given for flights is pretty miserly. However, they do have a good promo at the moment when flying FULL FARE BUSINESS from UK to Eastern Europe. Effectively gives extra miles that would earn a free flight to any UK destination plus Amsterdam, Paris etc. I shall be booking a trip to Prague in the next 2 weeks to get the miles

Celestar340

Moi - of all people...have joined up as a BA Executive Member in the UK as well. I actually did it for a reason - to earn the 20K AirMiles that BA is doing (as opposed to 100K Miles on other programmes). But the 20K AirMiles actually stretches a lot further than its US Exec Programme counterpart.

So I'll see how it goes....but so far, the UK website seem to work fine despite protests that the US site never works.

Cheers!

martin

Re the BA website. As Merry has pointed out elsewhere, BA exec club members can also get their info from the airmiles site (www.airmiles.co.uk) and this site is updated much more promptly than the BA one.

groundhogbrit

Martin, point is not that Airmiles is not a good scheme, it is, if you choose suppliers on the basis of miles promos and what's more by being so general it keeps miles non taxable as a business benefit. My main gripe is that BA themselves are stingy, witness the US 'all classes' promo for flights taken. Any UK member taking bets on that crosing the pond?

Merry

Groundhogrit: I have said it before and I will say it again. The Executive Club is exactly that - designed for Executives - it is designed to reward full-fare business/premium travellers, and I think it does that well.

This is in-line with BA's stated objective of moving it's customer focus to business/premium travellers. If you are a leisure traveller or travel at Lesiure fares, it is probably not the best scheme and the promotions reflect this, the are almost all aimed at the premium traveller.


Nick

groundhogbrit

Merry,I meet the criteria you lay down, but still feel BA could do more to reward loyalty. There are plenty of business travellers who would like to use BA but go elsewhere on all classes of fare to keep the auditors happy.Point will be moot soon if BA carry on with plans to become 'business only' on certain flights.