I was looking at status to make the domestic transcon flights a bit more palatable. I already have Aeroplan 25K for flying to Canada, but would prefer upgrades to premium economy for the BOS-Bay Area routes. Service out of Logan is best with Delta and JetBlue, while service out of SFO is best with United. Will only have enough spend to qualify for the lowest tier of status, so comparing between B6, AA, DL, UA for options. B6 is the only nonstop BOS-SJC service, but SFO is acceptable.

Further, if flying JetBlue, does it make more sense to go for Mosaic or AAdvantage?

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
Upgrades and award redemptions

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
50000 miles, 20 flights

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
​​​​​​Economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Mostly for pleasure, so can choose airline/class

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
Routes are dominated by domestic transcon: BOS-SFO and BOS-SJC with occasional BOS-YVR transcon

6. What is your home airport?
BOS - Boston Logan

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
Aeroplan 25K, few miles banked (most miles are with credit cards and transferred - 125K MR + 100K UR)

8. What airlines do you prefer flying?
ANYTHING except Southwest. I will easily pay $100 more to not have to fly Southwest.

For flights on AA or B6, AAdvantage status earnings will be based on the pre-tax fare paid, not the number of miles flown. Even on a B6 Blue Basic ticket, low-level status with AAdvantage would get you a free EMS seat on B6 at check-in, if any such seats still remain; a free checked bag; and priority boarding. It is also possible to spend one's way to AAdvantage status these days, with credit cards, car rentals, hotel stays, AAdvantage Dining, AAdvantage e-shopping, Simply Miles, Rocket Miles, etc.

AAdvantage status would also get you benefits when flying on AS -- which might be useful for BOS-SEA-YVR.

AAdvantage sometimes offers some very low redemption rates for BOS-XXX-SFO, if you were willing to connect on your BOS-SFO award redemptions:

I'm looking for a supplementary *A FFP for collecting/sharing miles as a family of 4.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
Collecting and using miles as a family, without transfer fees, etc.

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
Everyone does a long-haul from Spain to Singapore and back, and then I will also do another trip to SYD and back.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
Mostly economy tickets, sometimes PE

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Pleasure.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
As mentioned mainly Europe to SIN and occasionally to SYD. All other intra-European travel is usually with airlines outside the scope of any FFP

6. What is your home airport?
LPA

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
Finnair Silver. Got a few hundred K miles still with Finnair and Singapore Airlines.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
SQ, AY but for upcoming trips to SIN will try out new airlines like TK, hence the need to a *A FFP that will serve to scoop up all family miles.

Hi! I'm wondering if people can help me out. Travel for one

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
>>> Reply: Most direct flights associated with the FFP (with LAX, it's a bit of a wash), Upgrades, and Lounge Access. I also have AMEX Lounge Access. Airline Alliance somewhat important, especially wrt direct flights

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
>>> Reply: 70,000+ miles in approximately 20 trips/year

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
>>> Reply: Premium Economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: Mainly for work, sometimes for pleasure. I can choose airline and up to Premium Economy.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
>>> Reply: Mainly domestic USA (to Las Vegas, Portland, Philadelphia, DC, NYC, and Orlando), with a couple of transatlantic flights to Europe (Spain, Switzerland, Italy being primary destinations)

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: LAX

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: United Gold (60,000 miles), AA Platinum (negligible miles banked)

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: Don't care, want to find major airline to bank lifetime miles with. Future expansion of Airlines at LAX may be important to me, considering extant.

Looking at the LAX Airport Wikipedia entry, it seems like AA/AS fly nonstop to all of your domestic destinations, while oneworld partner IB flies LAX-MAD. One-stop connections to other European destinations would be through other AA hubs, or via LON (BA), MAD (BA), or HEL (AY).

If you want access to Admirals Club lounges when flying AA domestically, you mostly need to attain mid-tier or higher oneworld status via a foreign carrier, such as BA or IB. (There are exceptions when flying Business Class or higher on selected AA trans-continental routes.)

And welcome to FlyerTalk!

As you are flying mainly domestic USA are you 110% sure you are buying Premium Economy?
Premium Economy is a seperate class between economy and business class. Not the same as "economy +" or other USA airline jargon for an economy/coach seat with more legroom.

Yes, I get reimbursed for flights up to Premium Economy.

Unfortunately, Premium Economy is only offered on a relatively small number of domestic routes. It's far more common on inter-continental routes.

I believe that on domestic routes, both AA and UA do offer fares that include seating in the extra-leg-room section of the Economy cabin. If you obtain status with AA or with some of its oneworld partners, you can choose Main Cabin Extra seats for free in advance, even on Basic Economy fares. (How far in advance will depend on status tier.)

Ah! I didn't know that. I guess I am looking for Domestic Flights most likely to Premium Economy / Main Cabin Extra seats too, then. I take it y'all think UA or AA is the way to go? I'm also considering the alliances; I do not enjoy multi stop flights, especially to destination cities that I travel for on vacation.

I wouldn't necessarily say that UA/AA is the way to go; rather, I'd say that Star Alliance/oneworld is the way to go. If lounge access for domestic flights is important to you, then attaining status in a foreign airline's program is necessary; if the possibility of domestic upgrades and better mileage-redemption opportunities is important to you, then earning status through UA/AA should be your priority.

Thank you! I get you, I do enjoy the upgrades more than lounge access (spend more time in the air than in the lounges, after all). I'm most likely deciding between the two; would you know if there are there any upcoming expansion plans for carries associated with Star Alliance/oneworld that may tip the scales on way or another? From my research, neither AA or UA are looking to increase their presence in LAX but I just want to make sure.

I've not heard anything, other than the rumor that Aer Lingus -- which flies LAX-DUB -- might join oneworld some day.

It is possible to attain status with AA by means other than flying, including credit-card spend, car rentals, hotel stays, AAdvantage e-shopping, AAdvantage Dining, etc.

I'm currently in the process of moving back to the UK/EU from The US where I am a Delta platinum medallion from a mix of business and leisure travel. I'm looking to either status match to a European carrier or build up status efficiently on mostly transatlantic, European and some Africa / Asia travel.
Virgin seems a good candidate, but I am wary of tier point systems that give poor value on long-haul flights vs mileage-linked systems. Have considered earning status with Flying Blue, SAS or Aegean or status match to Turkish (but find the detour to Istanbul rarely makes sense from Western Europe other than for travel to Middle East and Asia.
Open to BA/Iberia, but wary of high surcharges.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, lounge access
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
25000-50000 mostly transatlantic, US domestic, South Africa from Europe

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Premium economy, Economy

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Airline most flown? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes, Currently Delta Platinum, but moving back to Europe where status matches are less prevalent. Considered Turkish, but seems impractical to connect in Istanbul plus poor award system.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
Mostly Skyteam. Considered going back to Virgin (currently Silver) but tier point earnings are poor on long flights vs MQDs on Delta (though Skymiles are much worse than Virgin points)

(6) What is your home airport?
Currently BOS, will be MAN and LBA soon. Possibly Paris
Reply:
(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
Delta Plat, Virgin Atlantic Silver, Hawaiian Platinum
Reply:
(8) Preferred Airlines
Virgin, Asian Star Alliance carriers, Turkish, TAP, KLM

Hi Im a newbie I love traveling especially to the US, but as i live in London the taxes and fees are ridiculous, Mainly as i like to go Business on LH. Don't have the points opportunities over here sadly but any advice to help me travel to "the land of the dreams" will be most appreciated
1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
>>> Reply: Upgrades and good award redemption rates. I have unlimited lounge access with my Amex plat so not into that

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
>>> Reply: approx 14 flight per year, a mix of SH and LH

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
>>> Reply: SH Economy LH Business if redemption rates are good

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: I can choose and pleasure, not for work any more
5. Which routes do you fly most often?
>>> Reply: LON-Europe or LON to USA Most often to JFK or LAX

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: LHR, or any London airport to be honest

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: Have silver Virgin which i think i will lose shortly, 100K points, BA no status 150K points. AMEX plat with 100k

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: Open to all at present

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
>>> Reply: award access, redemption rates and upgrades. I prefer to fly business class for long haul international flights as much as possible.

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc.
>>> Reply: 4-5 transpacific/transatlantic/south america flights a year (> 50k miles in total) + a few domestic (counting in canada), about 10 flights in total

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: premium economy or business (for work), if business class is cheap enough (e.g. 3k for transatlantic) I will also buy for leisure.

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: yes. for both work and pleasure.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: trans-continental, about 2 USA <-> Asia, 2 USA <-> EU, and 1 or 2 other long haul.

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: SFO

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: UA 1K about 200k miles for now after I have used a bunch of them.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: JL or ANA for asia flights for the service. But again, I can fly Zipair without any service and be happy to sleep.