AADFW

I am an AA Executive Platinum member in Hong Kong and fly CX nearly every week, always in Y, B, H or revenue C or F buckets under my AA number. I could easily qualify for Marco Polo Diamond status (or get a match), but I can't find any evidence that Marco Polo awards it's Diamond members with double miles as AA does it's Plats and EXPs beyond occasional promotions. So I am afraid if I switch, I may get some free CX upgrades but far less free award travel than I do currently with AA.

Are these concerns well founded? Can someone help to educate me on this?

ANZ787900

Indeed, no bonus miles on Marco Polo Club. The only advantage might be for when you do book in Y, you could get better chances of upgrades to Y+.. That in itself seems to pale in comparison with bonus miles which can be used to redeem F tickets on CX. Maybe an extra 'bonus' would be the onboard greeting by the purser and/or ISM. So you've summed it up correctly. I'd personally stick to AA.

AADFW

Thanks so much! Really interesting. Curious as to why more folks living in Asia don't go with AA on this basis -- from what I understand AA only requires travel on 4 AA flights a year to attain elite in addition to the mile/point/segment thresholds, which can be accomplished pretty easily via codeshares.

I suppose the corollary is why wouldn't CX want to give it's Diamond members double miles as an incentive in the first place?

pvgman

I switched to AA for this reason,
It is also much easier to gain status with them if you fly in the front (1.5 EQP).

Also very low taxes for redemption (30USD except for BA flights).

for each 3 round trip to europe I get a free roundtrip in J or F more or less.

No brainer for me.

correctioncx

Because miles are not everything. The non official benefits of DM are much better. Do you get Guarantee Y seating with AAEXP?
ARe you sure you can get comp to DM? YOu know the requalification or attaining DM status is a lot harder than AAEXP.

Also I don't know of any credit cards in HKG that credits to Aadvantage.

Another point is that the US/AA merger. too many uncertainties on what will happen to you lor (prob some type of devaluation will be coming).

CrazyJ82

Quite a few reasons:

-- If you fly on cheaper Y fares, earning is possible in AM/MPO but not in AA. For HKG hub captives like me, this is an issue.
-- Non-flying earning opportunities in Hong Kong.
-- Ability to upgrade on CX flights with Asiamiles, and ability to waitlist for awards on CX.
-- Not an issue for OP, but for lower-level elites the ruby-equivalent in MPO gets CX lounge access, which an AA gold would not.
-- Also, the seat guarantee at GO and DM levels, which in the Y cabin includes mid-range fares (on BA, in comparison, I think their sapphire-level seat guarantee is only for full Y, and I don't think AA does anything at the sapphire level). This saves me and my company several hundred USD per year.

Plus, as correctioncx says, a lot of the unpublished benefits in MPO are quite good. I think the conventional wisdom around here is that if you're flying a lot in paid premium cabins, AAdvantage can be a good option. But for Y flyers, or hub captives in Hong Kong, MPO offers some good benefits. Although the lack of tier bonuses is annoying.

jagmeets

AADFW, pvgman, while I agree that a) its easier to accumulate AA BIS miles than CX BIS miles, b)in general an AA mile is worth more than a CX mile (also evidenced by some mileage brokers selling CX/SQ miles for 1.6-1.8cpm, and US program's miles for >2cpm), c) top tier is easier to attain; things are not exactly Black & White.

To add to what correctioncx and CrazyJ82 have pointed out:
1) Ease of redeeming awards on CX - I have had a *very* good experience (knock on wood!), even during peak periods (not always, but much better than i'd have thought). I troll the AA boards occasionaly, and I think AA's nowhere even close to CX in opening up award inventory for top elites
2) Value of, and ease in Companion Awards
3) Value of oneworld Multi-Carrier Awards
4) Very very good inflight/onboard experience
(one of many examples: Wife and myself literally bought most of our household stuff in the US, when we were setting up home here, I was prepared for a bit of excess bag fees, only to be met with a 'Oh -we're not crazy to be charging you anything' and Red boarding passes (op-up) when i enquired how much I'd have to pay at check-in @ SFO for SFO-xHKG-SIN).

I had toyed with the idea of banking my miles with AA (even though AA codeshares aren't that easy on my travel pattern, I would probably have eked 4 AA flights a year), but it came to this: 'Get top level status on the airline that you will travel the most with'.

And while AA doesnt upgrade me for free each time I fly with them, I still get priority seats/boarding/baggage, lounge access (that AAdvantage Exec Plats do not) and a free sandwich/drink inflight.

If earn/burn, and largely not on CX is the only criteria - yes, for sure AA. Else- you got thinking to do- Good Luck!.

PS: I am not even HKG based, and even then the non-BIS mileage earning for me is very good!
PPS: in a way, we might be happy to see you bank with AA- CX would love us more!

AADFW

Wow, so grateful for all the great advice and information! I can definitely see this is not a black and white issue, but unless the merger really devalues AAdvantage I think I will probably stick to AA for at least 2013 since the miles are more valuable to me for the time being, particularly with the 2013 AA Elite Rewards (100,000 bonus miles on top of double miles for attaining 150,000 EQP which I will almost certainly top means >400K for the year).

bagold

Do you fly enough to maintain both CX DM and AA Plat or EXP?

I maintain CX DM, BA Gold and AA Plat each year. I put just enough to get CX DM that allows me to claim awards easier than a non-DM. Rest miles go towards BA and AA so I get the better miles bonuses and redemption through them.

Pretty much always fly best class available so upgrades don't matter to me. I do it purely for award in F or J for our family vacations.

Jane's Addiction

For me the analysis is simple - CX treats DMs very well. Materially better than any other program I have been in in the past at top tier (AA, UA, SQ).

That matters to me more than mileage earn / burn levels (though I admit to being jealous at how cheap it is for an AA members to accumulate and use miles for longhaul F redemption on CX)

AADFW

Impressive. Doubt I'd be able to achieve both DM and EXP within a calendar year.

Worth mentioning that the systemwide (VIP) upgrades are quite useful when stuck flying AA in Y or J, and I don't think CX offers these to DMs. (Then again, I'd rather fly CX long-haul in J than AA in F, which really says something about both airlines.)

APeverell

I have my DM primarily through Amex Centurion (though I also fly almost there), but I still bank my miles in AM, mainly because my mileage usage pattern and ease of award redemption. Plus if you have access to the CC in the region you can accumulate AM even faster. I thought about putting the miles in AA, but it just doesn't fit our travel patterns.

correctioncx

BTW is there a definitive answer on Centurion? I called my Centurion rep recently and they told me CX MPO renewed the programme another year, but he is not 100% sure if u don't meet the requalifying miles whether you get the DM? Because I am DM already so I never asked to be comp

JTK

Just to add to the mix, I was flying on CX 830 (HKG - JFK) in Y+ as an AA EXP. When we went to board the red light came on and I was upgraded to business class. I was in the last seat so I was making my 1st 2nd, 3rd choice menu selections. When they started the meal service the FA come to me and asked what I wanted before they started serving the meals. I guess they treat the AA Exp pretty good. What else would a DM receive?

jagmeets

The scanner blinking red a lot more often, smuggled goodies from upper classes, the meal that you chose if there was just one left.