I start a new road warrior job (60-70% travel) in 2 weeks. Would appreciate your help in picking new airline, hotel, car, credit card, etc. loyalty programs.

I've previously had similar jobs (have had status on American, United, Southwest, Hertz) but the last one was several years go so I haven't really been following the trends lately so could really use your help.

1.) I'm totally agnostic as to programs. I have no allegiances as long as they are the best ones for me.
2.) Will be regularly traveling to small, domestic, airports (i.e., JetBlue and likely Southwest will not work of me).
3.) Home base for now will be Las Vegas and then likely will move home to New Orleans in the winter.
4.) Very little / no international travel.

The usual stuff everyone worries about (e.g., ability to easily get upgrades, redeem miles, etc.) applies as well.

Please ask me as many questions as you need to help me make an informed decision. I really appreciate your help!

I start a new road warrior job (60-70% travel) in 2 weeks. Would appreciate your help in picking new airline, hotel, car, credit card, etc. loyalty programs.

I've previously had similar jobs (have had status on American, United, Southwest, Hertz) but the last one was several years go so I haven't really been following the trends lately so could really use your help.

1.) I'm totally agnostic as to programs. I have no allegiances as long as they are the best ones for me.
2.) Will be regularly traveling to small, domestic, airports (i.e., JetBlue and likely Southwest will not work of me).
3.) Home base for now will be Las Vegas and then likely will move home to New Orleans in the winter.
4.) Very little / no international travel.

The usual stuff everyone worries about (e.g., ability to easily get upgrades, redeem miles, etc.) applies as well.

Please ask me as many questions as you need to help me make an informed decision. I really appreciate your help!

(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 on travel, ability to redeem easily

(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: > 50,000

(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? Airline most flown? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: I can pick airline, not class of service. Currently I'm flying Southwest primarily but my new position will require me to travel to small, domestic airports so I will have to abandon them (and I'm OK with that). I travel for pleasure as well.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: US Domestic

(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: Las Vegas then will likely be moving to New Orleans in the winter.

(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: Southwest A-List (but I have no allegiances to them)

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: Totally agnostic

Ok, I'll bite. First, pick the airline that will be most convenient. Assuming you are flying over hubs to small cities then perhaps they are equally convenient. I am partial to AAdvantage if you're going to reach Executive Platinum. Good shot at upgrades, 8 systemwide upgrades to use on any international fare, very good customer service. Awards are reasonably priced, although it does seem AA is not offering as much premium space on its own metal as they once did. Also flying BA using miles also requires $$.

United, I was 1K and Plat for a bit, they treated me reasonably well but I'm just not a big fan of United in general, award cost has gone up astronomically, although Star does give more options than OneWorld. One thing I did really like about UA was their confirmed flight change policy, where you can switch to any flight with availability within 24 hours of your original flight. AA is only actual same day.

DL - don't know, seem to be a good airline but using Skypesos isn't that great and is getting worse.

What is most important to you though? Upgrades, using miles for premium trips, convenience?

I would add that it's important to know what you plan on doing with your miles. Years ago when I was living in Denver, I chose Frontier. It was very convenient and (even though this is changed,at the time) the service was good.

However, when I went to use my miles, I realized that I was limited in my destinations. Want to go out of the country? It's not so fun when you only have one or two choices.

Now I travel internationally, so my choices are very obvious and a small carrier won't do. However, since I had the past experience with miles, I would personally choose a tiny bit of inconvenience over having worthless miles. I want to go to cool destinations when I'm on vacation and I don't want to have to pay for flights.

I've been a low-level US Air / American elite for a few years now (formerly living in a US Air hub) but am now living in NYC and traveling just barely enough to maintain lowest-level status with one airline. I have AA Gold right now through 1Q 2016, and am unlikely to maintain it this year given my travel plans for the second half of the year (though it might be close and I could fall short by a few segments). I'm about to earn Delta Silver through a credit card bonus that will give me 20,000 MQM, which will keep my status at Silver through 1Q 2017.

Few things I am thinking about:
1. I fly ~15,000 to ~25,000 miles each year, mostly for work
2. My flights on AA and DL are generally in the same price range
3. I fly at least 1x/year to SLC (~4k MQM) on Delta to go skiing
4. I have two Delta credit cards that I can use to top up my MQM if I am falling short on re-qualifying status, and any excess MQM rolls over year-over-year
5. I also have the Amex Platinum card, which offers Delta lounge access
6. I have tons of AA miles and only a bit of DL miles, and care less about award redemption and more about my flight experience and seat/class of service upgrades

All of the above leads me to think I should switch over to DL, even though I suspect the mileage-earning and FFP are inferior to AA. Does anyone have any thoughts?

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
Upgrades, exit row / preferred seats, in-flight wifi, clean/modern planes

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
20,000 - 25,000 miles; roughly 20-25 segments, mostly domestic

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
Economy (cheapest), though business class / first class on 2-3 redeyes each year

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes, can choose airlines but must be reasonably priced (w/in $100 of cheapest). Roughly 90% work, 10% pleasure

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
Domestic USA, generally to: CLT, ORD, SFO, DFW; ~1x/year to YVR.

6. What is your home airport?
Preferably LGA, but can also fly from JFK and EWR

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
AA Gold currently (6 segments, 6k EQM); close to Delta Silver (4 segments, 5k MQM + 20k MQM soon through credit card spend). Have ~900K RDM on AA, ~150k on BA, ~130k soon on DL

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Don't care

Upgrades and then being able to use miles easily. Thanks so much!

Upgrades are probably first on my priority list with availability to redeem my miles for flights easily/readily (ie, not this of blackout dates). Domestic redemptions are fine with international a nice benefit.

Thanks!

besides AA might consider non-US programs for miles

for hotel programs, starwood is also good for miles

Hi!

My work travel situation is ramping down, in that I'll be traveling less, mostly for family/leisure, and only on specific routes. I have status on a couple airlines and am wondering if it's worth pursuing a status match on any new ones through 2016 for my new situation.

I am also wondering if pursuing status on Virgin America is worth it. My main routes are LAX-BOS, LAX-JFK/EWR, and LAX-SFO. I like the Delta LAX-JFK 767s a lot, but upgrades are pretty much non existent, even as a Platinum. I also really like Virgin America.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Companion perks, free bags, lounge access, mileage bonuses, upgrades.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
In the next coming years it will be about or maybe a little less than 25K.

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

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Airline most flown? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? Yes, I can choose. Virgin America is consistently my favorite. Traveling mostly for pleasure, but I could be doing more LAX-SFO regular business in 2016/2017. I'm interested in the Elevate status so I could regularly get free exit row seats and/or Main Cabin Select.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often

LAX-BOS, LAX-NYC, LAX-SFO, usually on Virgin, sometimes LAX-NYC on Delta

(6) What is your home airport?
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? Delta Platinum (will expire at end of year), Alaska MVP Gold 75K (I think through end of 2015, but might make it through end of 2016). Recently used most of banked miles for vacation.

(8) Preferred Airlines
Virgin, Delta. I like Alaska's service but honestly I like Virgin better.

I am a VX Visa cardholder, too, so a status challenge would be pretty easy, since the amount of points required is lower to get status.

It's also worth mentioning that I will have significant non-business CC spend in the next couple years, so I can use that for MQMs, status miles, whatever if I get a new credit card. I don't currently have a Delta card, and I have the regular VX Visa, but am thinking about applying for the next tier.

If you're looking for upgrades, one of the big carriers might be your last choice. I know that when I fly United, there are TON of people in zones one and two. I leave the lounge a few minutes early so that I'm not the last one in zone one.

Since many people use the large airlines to fly internationally, they'll have more miles than you'll ever have flying domestically.

I don't know what all of your options are, but when you're on a smaller carrier, there will be fewer people ahead of you in line.

As to hotels, what hotels are in the cities you're visiting? If you go to a town that only has Hilton properties, the choice is easy. If they have several choices, try to figure out what you'll do with your hotel reward points. Some hotels have better coverage overseas than other ones and if you want to use your hotel points to visit overseas, that might make a difference.

Start by understanding your new employer's travel policy. There might be preferred or required airlines, hotels, etc. Your new travel department might be able to arrange for instant status initially. Also, check the lounge situation at LAS and MSY.

Currently AA seems to have the best top tier program. They're also somewhat generous about offering status challenges for a fee. However, the merger is likely to lead to major changes in their program and perhaps a big operational and customer service mess very soon.

UA is still a mess, so I would avoid them.

DL has some of the same revenue based earning rules for redeemable (but not status) miles, although you could do well with short segments. You could also probably maintain their top published tier, DM, on segments since if you do four segments per week, about 200 MQSs per year is substantially more than the 140 required for DM; MQDs are unlikely to be a problem either with this travel pattern. However, where DL does very well is operations and customer service, including IROPs recovery. IME this is very important for someone who travels a lot for business.

You seem to need a program with a large network, so these are your choices. You could also fly AA and (so far) DL but credit to AS, but this would put you at the bottom of the list for upgrades.

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: Lounge Access with a guest, priority service, good award redemption fees

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: It's difficult for me to calculate because I usually get much less miles than effective, but I think I fly 50k+ miles per year, around 40 flights (I've did 30 in 6 months this year, gonna do more in the semester)

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: Cheapest economy (K, L)

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: I travel for both, I can totally choose my airline or class but I always try to get the cheapest in *A

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: Transatlantic, Intra-Europe

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

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: Miles&More Frequent Traveller, gained this year from January 2015, with 30 flights. I have around 17k miles, always flight K just got some more by rebooking by Lufthansa for delays or problems.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: Lufthansa. Didn't tried much more beside Air Canada and Brussell Airlines, that are really bad.


I would like to reach gold with *A, so I'm trying to decide which other carrier I should collect miles with, because I'll never reach M&M Senator, they always give me less miles than normal.
So I was thinking about Asiana, Turkish or Aegean, but can't understand which is better.
Any help?

Which non-us programs?

I'm really just interested in hotels chains that are available widely (since I'll be traveling to some smaller cities) and where points are easily redeemable.

Thanks!

Thanks so much for your insight. Do you see any issues with DL's hubs? At least in the beginning it seems as if I won't be going to the east coast much so connecting through ATL seems to be a pain. I've read about UA and AA's issues/potential issues so not sure which is the lesser of the evils.

To switch or not to switch?
 

I moved to Hawaii last year and am now contemplating whether or not to switch airlines, and if I switch, which one. I travel mainly for work, but rely on miles to get free tickets for me and my family when we go on vacation. Thus I prefer to do all my traveling on one airline (along with their partners). The amount of traveling I do year to year varies from 50-100K miles, mainly within the US but some internationally each year. Back when I lived on the mainland, my work took me to South America frequently, and AA seemed like the leader there so I used them and their mileage program exclusively. However, I no longer need to go there on a regular basis. Last year I needed to do a lot of back-and-forth flying between Hawaii and the mainland as part of my move, so I made Executive Platinum, but I expect to drop down to Platinum next year now that I'm settled. I'm 730K miles towards million miler status.

I like AA's mileage program, and the most important elite benefit to me is upgrades (I usually buy coach tickets). I also like their partnership with Hawaiian Airlines, which I use for inter island, Asia and Australia. What I don't like, though, is that AA's service from Hawaii to the mainland is very limited. They only go to a few of their hubs (DFW and LAX, plus PHX since the US merger) and very rarely is any of those my final destination, meaning my mainland trips almost always include a layover. Their partnership with Hawaiian unfortunately does not apply to mainland flights. In particular, I need to go to SFO frequently and it frustrates me that pretty much everyone else goes there direct while I need to connect in LAX.

Since I have liked Hawaiian's service when I've flown on them (they especially distinguish themselves in coach), and they have many more direct flights from HNL than AA (including JFK, a frequent destination of mine), they were the first option I looked at. Unfortunately I found that their frequent flier program seemed sub-par, in particular upgrades seemed harder to get and more limited than on the big guys, even at the top tier. UA is another one I've thought about, since they have direct flights to lots of mainland destinations that are relevant to me. However I haven't heard such great things about their service, especially after their merger with CO. Other options which I haven't done much research on yet are Alaska and Delta.

So, what would you do in my situation? Hold on to my elite status and credit card with AA, keep working towards being a million miler, and deal with the mainland connections? Or make the jump to another carrier with more convenient mainland service?

Mahalo for your help!

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

"In particular, I need to go to SFO frequently"

Would OAK and/or SJC work for you? If so, consider flying AS, and crediting to AA or to AS, depending on which FFP works better for you.

Welcome to FT
Look and ask here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html
The airline you fly and the airline ffp you credit those flights does not need to be the same