JSSM Welcome to FT

1. To maintain QF silver you need to have 4 QF flights or eligible JQ flights in your membership year. If you do not get those 4 flights you will not get status, even if you have the required status credits on non QF flights. This own 4 flights rule is common with OneWorld airlines

2. Probably yes (your objective come with status). Even with the devaluation you are probably better of with AA (and no QF status). But would need a more detailed analysis. Will depend on what fares booking class you buy. Post 330 here is now out of date, but generally the same (awards cost more AA miles post devaluation)

Help - Newbie!
 

Hi All,

I am struggling with all these FF Memberships, It seems like there is a lot available for UK and USA flyers but I can't find anything related to me and how I can get in the frequent flyer band wagon, I am going to answer the questions anyways.

What is most important to you in a FFP?

Reply: Good Member benefits, Lounge access and good award redemption rates for holidays.

(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: I only fly economy, I have no set amount of miles per year that I fly but I want to be doing mileage runs as I just do it for collecting the miles, this is going to be a new hobby for me :-)
(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: Pleasure, I mostly fly AerLingus but their FF is not worth it.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: Europe Domestic, Transatlantic to USA.
(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: DUB - Dublin
(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: I have nothing at the moment, That's why I'm trying to pick.

Aer Lingus has been purchased by IAG. IAG also own BA & Iberia, so it’s expected that Aer Lingus ffp will be rolled into the avois freq flyer scheme.
So join the BA ffp, even with the recent devaluation.

The airline you fly and the airline ffp you credit those flights to does not need to be the same. That is what ff partners are all about.

You do not fly enough to get status, so unlikely to get lounge access from status.

In Eu, your flights will cost more than the ff miles benefits you may get. It is really only in USA that mileage runs work, but with recent changes to USA ffp’s that is decreasing.

Buy flights where you want to go, on price & schedule, and treat any miles/avios as a side benefit.

Thanks for the reply, I have received an email about the new FFP at AerLingus it will introduce the avoids into the program but I don't want to just book flights for where i want to go and have the points thing as a side benefit, If i did that i might as well book Ryanair and get to where i wanted to go, I want to get involved in the points regardless if its flying somewhere and back on the same day. I am just unsure on what program to pick, BAEC seems nearly impossible to make a dent on any status unless i fly Business class all the time.. I fly economy mostly. I read somewhere on this about an AA Challenge? I would be interested in this as it will give me status quite fast and all i have to do is keep the status but I'm not sure if it is still around...

AA closed the challenge offer some months ago. A few weeks ago AA had a large devaluation, with status much harder to get from now on. AA ffp will be a revenue based ffp (as are most other USA based ffp’s).
With AA (and BA, QF, CX and others) you need to fly 4 own airline segments/(flight numbers) to qualify for status

Flying a few low cost economy short haul flights getting status with any ffp will be hard to impossible: such is the way forward with ffp's.

Switch from AC FFP to something else (NA carrier)
 

Hi, looking for some advice, as I'm thinking about making a jump from AC Aeroplan to another program for next year via a status match or something like that. I recently changed employers and this employer has a strong policy on selecting lowest available airfare, which is rarely AC - so I usually fly United on routes where airfare isn't comparable. With AC's new requirement for AQD (dollar requirement on AC ticket stock to make status), There's no way I'll make SE next year. So, looking to find an alternative carrier - maybe UA, or AA, or DL, or something else - that's why I'm posting here for opinions from the experts. Really, I'm looking for a FFP that will allow me to earn a top or near-top status while staying within my company's airfare policy and being able to reward my family for my time away (on some small level) with points redemption for airfare for a vacation. Thanks much in advance!

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:
Priority services, upgrades, good award redemption rates, and better award access. The primary benefits to me for status are: 1) make the obscene amount of travel I do for work easier and more comfortable and 2) be able to redeem points for airfare to take my neglected family on vacation on a regular basis.
(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:
100+ segments/year, typically 70K miles. I always make status on segments before miles.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply:
Always economy/cheapest. Employer has a cheapest policy (unless the routing is just completely non logical. I often am booking in windows that are under 2 weeks out, which can push fares up - obviously, I have to try and stay near the lowest.
(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 choose my airlines, but must buy economy/cheapest within reason. Mostly for work. <5% for leisure/pleasure
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply:
I fly out of YYZ mostly. Currently doing minimal in Canada (but that will likely change soon once we hire a sales rep in Canada). Right now flying mostly to midwest and east-coast US. BOS, NYC, PHL, ORD, DTW, CLE, IAD, PIT, etc. Next year I envision mostly midwest, some east cost, and some Canada (PHL, CLE, DTW, NYC, ORD, YUL, YOW, YYC, etc.)
(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply:
YYZ/YTZ/YHM. Usually YYZ
(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:
AC E75K. I just qualified this year for SE100K next year.
(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply:
I historically have only flown *A carriers due to my FFPs. So I don't have much experience outside of AC, UA, and LH. I enjoy the service/product on AC & LH, but like the fares on UA.

Realistically with the move by North American airlines to revenue based ffp and status that is not going to happen.
Join the ffp of the airline you will fly most with.

USA frequent flyer programmes are moving to a frequent(large) spender model and not frequent flying.
The days of easy ff miles and status are gone in North America.

Not quite yet. Alaska still awards based on distance, and AA's changes aren't taking place until sometime in the second half of 2016. There's still time to accrue miles if you're buying lower priced fares.

So, I've been a regular but infrequent flier for the past 25 years or so, and
have constantly failed to maintain membership in any sort of programme/scheme,
though even if I had, due to intervals between flights and randomly changing
carriers I'd probably be still at "mouldy rust" status allowing
me to sniff discarded business class boarding cards

Anyway, it's likely I'll be making an annual trip (in business) from Tokyo
to the UK (and back) for the next couple of years, plus the odd other
Japan-Europe or Japan-North America trip (sitting at the back)
so would like to establish whether all these miles and points would
add up to anything useful.

Upcoming trip is on Finnair in business class; I've signed up for the Finnair
programme. Any advice gratefully received, the more I read this forum
the less I understand.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
Anything which makes flying less unpleasant. I mean, I kind of like being on airplanes, and sitting on the observation deck at an airport with a beer watching them landing and departing, it's the bits inbetween which are annoying.

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

Typically 25000 ~ 50000 (though so far I've not flown once this year); see (5) below.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
economy (usually), premium economy (rarely), business (seldom, probably 1x annually from now on)

4a. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service?

Depends on timings and budget available; some leeway regarding
airlines/route generally possible.

4b. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Both

5. Which routes do you fly most often?

In a typical year:
1 x Tokyo ~ UK (pleasure)
1 x Tokyo ~ Canada *or* Tokyo ~ Europe (work)

6. What is your home airport?
Tokyo (Narita or Haneda)

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
Nope. Well I have vague memories of signing up for these things then forgetting about them.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Any not called "Aeroflot" or "RyanAir" and which don't allow live goats into the cabin.

Hi all,

I'm moving to India in a few months and I'm looking to becoming a "super-commuter" with weekly roundstrips between BOM and GOI. I was trying to find out if I could easily obtain status by segments somehow but can't really figure it out. Currently I'm Skyteam Elite Plus, but I won't be able to sustain that while in India. I'm mostly interested in priority services, if I could get status with one of the big alliances that would be a plus but not neccesary. Emirates f.e. could be interesting as well, but they only allow status by segments flown on EK operated flights. (Jet Airways partners with Emirates)

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: Priority services

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: I'll end up at around 40 roundstrips (80 segments) BOM-GOI-BOM, and 4 rounds trips to Europe a year. Obviously not going to be a lot of miles

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
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: Work and pleasure :)

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

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

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: Flying Blue Gold

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply:

What airlines do you typically use when flying domestically in India?

Anything that fits my schedule, I like Jet and IndiGo best. I could switch to a single airline though if that benefits me.

1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Reply:
Upgrades, baggage, lounges. Good (single) companion benefits are a big plus.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply:
I'll be over 100k miles on 50-ish Y segments next year.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Reply:
Economy with a small amount of First thrown in.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Airline most flown? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply:
Travel for both. This year about 50-50 but next year more work which requires cheapest within a small allowance. Can travel whichever airline that is.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
Reply:
US Domestic on Delta (IND<->CAE,RDU,FLL/MIA are common).
Next year will involve several trips from IND to BOM

(6) What is your home airport?
Reply:
IND

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
Reply:
Will be diamond on Delta through 2016 and currently over 200k skymiles.

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply:
Fly almost exclusively Delta currently. Not being able to get even one companion into Comfort+ at booking has greatly reduced how valuable their program is for me.

Very unlikely any other ffp will be better for you. More so with no status, if you join another ffp.
Upgrades & better seating are not an entitlement (far too many people with top level status for that)
Such is way forward with ffp's.

Hi,
I am a Air India Flying Returns Gold member (Star Alliance Gold). I want to start collecting all my miles in United Mileage Plus from now on. If I travel on a *A carrier and list my United Mileage Plus number while checking in, will I get lounge access if I show my valid *A Gold Card from Air India, even if I am not collecting the points in that program?
Thank You!