Any US based MPC member tried this?
 

I'm trying to get the best of both worlds, stick with CX service while piling up AAdvantage miles to take advantage of their ridiculous mileage give aways.

Is any USA based MPC members flying with CX with AA codeshare? That way you can accumulate AA miles while flying CX?

Since one can use AA miles to redeem CX flights anyway, why not? Plus I will easily rack up 100K+ miles a year now and can easily be AA EXP member (OW Emerald)

Just wondering has anybody done this.

Are you sure this will work?

I hardly ever fly AA, so only use my MPC number on JFK-HKG flights on CX, but I do a ton of domestic US flights on United. UA also has mega bonus offers going this year to combat AA, but in those offers all flights have to be on UA metal to get the bonuses.

you can always get AA miles by flying CX (even with CX code, no need to be AA codeshare), and the 100% elite miles would apply to CX too. and you don't need to be US residents to do it either - I was AA EXP for like ~5 years before moving over to MPO.

the only key place where you need AA codeshare is for the qualification in the initial Plat challenge (plus officially you need 4 AA sectors a year to keep the status, but I'm not sure if it's really enforced).

edited:
oh sorry - just read more carefully - of course you can be "US-based MPC member", but your miles earned this way will all go to AAdv and you'll just be the most basic Green MPC member while you might become AAdv EXP...

Really depends on your pattern and the fare you buy Cathay Boy, for me I'm just finished transitioning from CX MPC to AAdv.

For AAdv to work
You buy CX F/J or YBH, or AA codeshare fares for US-HKG
Your pattern restricted you to fly US/CAN-HKG since asia travel in YBH fare tend to cost a lot more
You actually fly AA for domestic trips or else the domestic comp upg are wasted


For CX MPC to work
You fly on a last min schedule so the seat guarantee can be used
You fly on lower class CX Y fares
You get way higher chance on op-up
and you can use your CX miles to upgrade

I switched programs because i can afford the J class or YBH fare, my patterns were 80% Domestic, 20% int'l and i never used the seat guarantee since I booked early out usually. The result was that I ended up getting 140K on RDM from AA this year. You may be a little late to change over this year as the DBLEQ promo is over in Dec 15, check over at the AA board. AA EXP is a little hard to earn then CX Gld but not impossible and certainly a whole lot easier to get than CX DM.

Thanks much for the good answers. Hmmm....

So it seems like:

If I fly CX mostly and to maximize op-ups I should try for CX DM
If I fly domestic USA and Asia then I should try for AA EXP

I don't really care about other benefits as I almost always plan my trips early.

Since I have zero luck with op-ups so far, I think I'm leaning more towards AAdv now.

Thanks guys

Cathay Boy, you got the gist of it but I'll pay very close attention to the fares you're booking or you can be SWOL really bad otherwise. What status are you now because I doubt you can become a EXP starting this late in year.

Since you ask here's my plan.

I have paid the $200 to their Platinum challenge, so I will make a flight in Dec. to get that (only 10,000 points)

I have already met the quota for MPO SL for 2010, so I'm safe there (in a way.

I'm really thinking ahead for 2010, what should I do? I would definitely get 120K flying miles. Should I go with CX or change to AA? That was my question.

120K will not get you from SL to DM (there is GO in between), but 100K will get you EXP. In the end, you have to decide which is more useful for you - CX GO/DM or AA EXP.