1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
(e.g., upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access)
Reply:

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
(e.g., <25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles and <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply:

<25000

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
(e.g., first, business, premium economy, economy)
Reply:Economy

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

5. Which routes do you fly most often
Transatlantic, Europe, US Domestic, Caribbean

6. What is your home airport?
DCA/IAD

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
No/None

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Reply: Aer Lingus, British Airways, UAL, AA/USair, Jetblue

If flying Alaska ffp you can earn AS miles from Alaska, BA, AA & DL. Many ffp's with a low amount of miles is not good. They may expire before you get enough to use.

Questions and answer about miles from credit card are best on the credit card threads
dcflyer10 has asked about credit cards here

True, but most people on the east coast (where the poster I was responding to is located) are going to find American's program easier to use than Alaska's, so I wouldn't credit American flights to Alaska in his case. And you missed the fact that's he's NOT going to be earning much if any in the way of miles - he's going to be earning via credit cards, and so there's no harm in that case in opening accounts with the various airlines, but only transferring points from Chase, AmEx et al. when he knows where he needs to spend them.

I did not miss the point. Is why I wrote "Questions and answer about miles from credit card are best on the credit card threads"

AA is a partner with AS so phyiscal location has little to do with it. In my part of the world AA & AS are popular ffp's, but we never see AA or AS aircraft (unless we happen in USA or other places where they fly to).

The reason I'm cautious about recommending AS as a place to credit AA flights (instead of AA) for east coast folks is that AS's redemption rules will restrict them to booking their entire reward on only one partner airline, while AA will allow them to use multiple partners on a multi-segment itinerary to reach their destination. That added flexibility can come in handy.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
good award redemption rate
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
<25k
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
I can but I typically travel for pleasure, on budget, and thus go with the cheapest airline
(5) Which routes do you fly most often
Transpacfic/Europe/Asia
(6) What is your home airport?
SFO/LAX
(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
None
(8) Preferred Airlines
None

Am currently a traveling student and looking for a good FFP, any advice would be appreciated(:

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Award redemption
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
~35k Economy. once a week until 2015.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
I can. I travel for work
(5) Which routes do you fly most often
SFO/SJC (Preferred) - LAX
(6) What is your home airport?
SJC
(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
Southwest Companian Pass. With 150k+ points
(8) Preferred Airlines
Trying to decide between AA, or Delta with United a distant third

I'll be flying the SJC - LAX route every week until August 2015, I've been thinking of switching to an airline that 1: has a better product and 2: allow me flexibility for international travel. Would love everyone's suggestions after considering the strength of *A vs Oneworld and of course award redemptions.

Questions
For members asking for information, to help people to assist you, can you please provide:
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
(upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Reply:
- Upgrades
- Award Redemption to europe
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
(<25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles - <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply:
180.000 miles, Member of the Mo-Thu travel club.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply:
Economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply:
Work, needs to be one of the cheapest tickets
(5) Which routes do you fly most often
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply:
I became diamond on Delta when my home airport was Savannah, GA (SAV). I have now moved to Lexington (LEX) and am looking to have to take a bunch of US Flights to travel in the north east without having to fly to ATL first.
(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply:
LEX
(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
(AA Executive Platinum, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply:
Delta Diamond
(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply:
Delta, US.
Question is, is there a status match to US? Can i match to AA and then use the status on US?

You can fly 1 airline and credit the miles to another airlines ffp, but getting status may be a issue
Alaska has both AA & DL as partners, so you can get flights from both airlines into 1 ffp. http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...-overview.aspx
I would also join United: nothing to lose.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
(e.g., upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access)
In decreasing order, I want: award flights for domestic travel, baggage allowance, lounge access, priority services, and upgrades

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
(e.g., <25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles and <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
More than 50,000 per year (typically 50-100,000)

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
(e.g., first, business, premium economy, economy)
Economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
I travel for work and do have some say in airline, though I can't stray too far from whatever is cheapest (say, within $150 of the cheapest on an international booking).

5. Which routes do you fly most often
(e.g., U.S. domestic, transatlantic, intra-Asia)
LAX to Asia, with some intra-Asia flying.

6. What is your home airport?
(e.g., SFO, LHR, HKG)
Im closest to San Diego (SAN) but would consider LAX my home airport, as it can be cheaper and more convenient to rent a car to LAX than a commuter flight from SAN, plus more international flights.

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
AAdvantage: 7,711 miles balance, 3,554 YTD elite qualifying points
MileagePlus: 27,326 miles balance (+11,474 this month), 18,354 premier qualification
Delta SkyMiles: 4,923 MQM's, 4 MQS's
Asia Miles: 23,071 miles balance
Emirates Skywards: 20,000 miles balance, 0 tier

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
I generally prefer Asian airlines over American ones. I absolutely detest Delta.

The problem is Alaska doesn't fly my route at the times I need it to. Same with United - so I'm really stuck with either WN, DL or AA.

You don't have to use Alaska miles on Alaska - you can use them to book flights on AA and DL.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
(e.g., upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access)
Reply: priority services, more variety in awards

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
(e.g., <25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles and <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply: <25,000 (total of around 13,500 for 2014)

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
(e.g., first, business, premium economy, economy)
Reply: economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: I travel exclusively for work, and I am able to choose the airline (typically basing the decision on lower fare).

5. Which routes do you fly most often
(e.g., U.S. domestic, transatlantic, intra-Asia)
Reply: exclusively U.S. domestic (all regions)

6. What is your home airport?
(e.g., SFO, LHR, HKG)
Reply: JAX

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
(e.g., AA Executive Platinum, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro)
Reply: No status in any FFP. I have small balances with AA, SWA, and US. This was my first year traveling, so I was trying to determine which I liked the best.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Reply: None are preferred at this point. Without any priority status, the experience has been the same with all three I've tried.

Additional background: My default is to stick with the rapid rewards program as it offers non-travel awards (headphones, sunglasses, gift cards, etc). I have the opportunity to travel more next year, so I plan on doing what I can to talk my way into as much field work as possible. Ideally, I would like to travel just enough to reach a tier 1 status.

It does not matter that Alaska does not fly your routes. You can fly AA and DL and credit the miles from AA/DL flights to the AS ffp. That is what partner airlines in a ffp are all about. You can get awards on partner airlines.

105proof Welcome to FT

You US miles will in time become AA miles, following the merger
If you fly different airlines United & Alaska (a good catch all) are worth considering joining.

Here on FT merchandise (~junk) is considered poor value compared to flying in premiumn cabins