Help Needed. Which ff program to use on CX?
 

I am going to take a flight from LAX-HKG-Singapore soon. It is booked on K class. I have membership with Qantas, BA, NorthWest, Virgin.

Two questions:
Which other program should I consider besides these? BA I know doesn't give me credit for K and thus is automatically out.

- Is Marco Polo or Asia Miles any good or do they, like BA, have many limitations?

Thanks for the help. Flying in 2 weeks.



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Wildviper
- Better to be slippery than slimy!

I'm sure you could get credit for K class on Asia Miles/Marco Polo. Not too many benefits in this program, however, no tier bonuses, no upgrade vouchers, nothing like that.

Another option might be to consider joining AAdvantage, but this is only good if you've got, or can find, a Canadian addresss (to get credit for K class).

I would recommend AAdvantage since it is very flexible and you can get mileage upgrades even when flying CX.

As I understand it AsiaMiles is only really designed as the mileage accruing part under different airlines' loyalty programmes... thus if you have an address in Asia, BA EC, Marco Polo and (I guess) AA will provide the loyalty bonus stuff above the basic miles.

Marco Polo is not bad in that respect... all the usual OneWorld benefits, plus on Cathay they will guarantee a seat in any economy subclass at 24 hours notice with a Diamond card (so you never need to pay more than the cheapest prices). No guranteed upgrades, I agree, but then upgrades on Asian arilines are worth much more than on, say, domestic US flights.

First of Thanx to all who replied.

Couple of more questions. If I can produce a Canadian address, does AA offer better advantages? Can I change the address to the US after I get my membership?

The other thing is that I have about $15K on Qantas. I usually travel internationally rather than within US.

In that regards, I would think Qantas would possibly be better. Do you guys agree or disagree?

Thanks again

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Wildviper
- Better to be slippery than slimy!

Yes. You can earn miles on CX for almost all the fare subclasses, including K, barring a very few such as N and V. If you are an elite with AAdvantage, you will also earn elite bonuse and your CX flights will be counted as status miles.

IMHO, AAdvantage for Canadian members is the best FFP program.

You sure can but after you change the address to one in the U.S., you will not be able to collect CX miles on most fare classes.

Gold or Diamond status with CX entitles you to a guaranteed Y seat within a certain time frame and you will also get lounge access even with Silver membership. You can also get miles on almost any fare classes with CX and AA. You can also upgrade a range of flights with miles on CX and perhaps BA and LX?

But other than these, I do not see much benefits, either, as Commuter says.

I do not think it is a good program even compared with other Asian airlines. It really offers little.

People often forget the other programme that gives credit for most economy class fares and though you won't earn status miles, you would be able to upgrade from economy to business class on (again) most economy class fares that normally earn miles.

That programme is QUALIFLYER.

Okay so they might be a little iffy right now, but it is one of the few programmes that permit upgrades on CX in as little as 24 hours notice without any 'expedited' fee , space permitting. You'd just have to get your ticket over to a SWISS AIRLINES office to get the 'sticker' notice.

PLUS, you can earn miles on QF (certain routes only) and AA.

The only thing now is to WAIT for SWISS AIRLINES to join ONEWORLD, and then QUALIFLYER will come out the winner.

Yes, you can but then you won't be able to earn mileage on fares that Canadian residents can take advantage of. So, better keep your mailing address in Canada.


Even though I love to fly QF, I find their FF programme a fair bit flawed. Redemption is a major issue just as the cost of award seating. Just because you have your points/miles does not mean that you can have a free flight on QF. It is totally different on AA where the premium agents (in the US)will go out of their way to try and find you a seat even on partner airlines.