DaveBlaine

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

Mwenenzi

denkmit Welcome to FT
I see no compelling reason to change from BA.

AA would be the only option. USA based airline ffp's tend to be more generous (status benefits/earn/burn/upgrades/award cost/award cash surcharges/expiry/affiliated credit cards/promotions) compared to non USA based airline ffp’s (even after the recently announced changes to some USA ffp’s)

For upgrades the general rule is you can only upgrade a flight marketed (flight number) and operated (metal) by the airline of your freq flyer programme (no codeshares) with your airlines upgrade instrument (e.g. SWU, miles) or complementary with status (if applicable). All subject to the t&c's of your FFP and your paid ticket. Low cost tickets are often not eligible for upgrades.
However as is the way with FFP's there are some upgrade exceptions
- on AA/BA/IB with higher priced economy fares using AA/BA/IB upgrade instruments
- on some BA tickets with Asia Miles

Lounge access is by status or class of travel or purchase a lounge membership. However AA status does not get you USA domestic lounge access on a USA domestic itinerary. But not likely to apply to you

Is the LHR-MEL flight (mainly) on BA or another Oneworld airline? BA codeshare on another airline? (And a good time to visit Melbourne)

The grass in not always greener on the other side
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...help-here.html

denkmit

Thank you! I've been a skimmer for ages but never had an account, but might be around a bit more with the new job!

Thanks for the advice! I've been thinking BA is the best people to stick with, but a few others who keep a similar schedule have suggested Emirates. I like the option to keep it direct from London though!

My MEL trip isn't booked yet (bloody last minute!) but after BA doubled their prices overnight, I think it'll be with Cathy Pacific or Qantas, which should give me enough tier points to tip me over into silver status. Weather seems good down there, so looking forward to getting out to some sunshine from a very wet UK!

denkmit

Thank you! Hoping the new job means I stop skimming the forums without an account and start actually posting!

Thank you for the detailed response - it confirms what I thought. The main reason I've been swaying is that some colleagues who travel the same routes are big fans of Emirates - but I'd rather fly direct.

LHR-MEL isn't booked yet, but it'll probably be with Cathy or Qantas, so I'll get my tier points and get my silver status thankfully.

Brunod

Hi guys, have been lurking here for a little while and finally decided to ask for advice on a program.

I will be moving from Brazil to Vienna for the next 3 years, and plan to choose a new frequent flyer program (currently Gold with Brazilian GOL Smiles).

I thought that Austrian Miles & More, with a Diners Club or Austrian Mastercard would be the best option. But browsing the forums, I did not see even once MM been suggested as an good alternative recently for anyone that fly coach.

A good partnership with a credit card is important, as that is the main way that I got miles. I don't know if any program allows to get status this way nowadays, but that would be nice. (P.S.: I don't have any credit score in the US).

I would very much like yiur help to choose a FFP! Here are the points:

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
Probably good award redemption rates and access first and upgrades second

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
Less than 25,000, 12 flights or so.

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?
Travel for pleasure, almost exclusively, but usually choose the cheapest fare

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
I will be flying to new destination all the time, for leisure, but expect to fly a couple times to GIG in the next 3 years (Rio de Janeiro).

6. What is your home airport?
Vienna International Airport (VIE)

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
Gol Airlines Smiles - Gold status (accumulated some 20,000 flow miles and some 50,000 miles via credit card in the last 12 month); some random flights and miles in TAM Fidelidade.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
I would be mostly be flying weekends on leisure with my wife, mostly to Europe, with a long vacation or two a year for a longer haul flight (have 30 days every year). Flying mostly economy, a few quick searches in google flights showed that I would probably be mostly flying Austrian.

Thanks for the help!

queglay

I've decided to ask these questions here since I've probably wasted 100,000 miles in the last few years from bad decisions.

My primary motivation for collecting frequent flyers is to be able to get upgrades for existing tickets to business class.

About a week ago we flew (family of 3) air canada from sydney to vanccouver (also a qantas leg from brisbane to sydney)
somehow we got a free upgrade to business class, they didn't even tell us. not sure how that happens.
I didn't realise I had to sign up for aeroplan before that flight to claim those miles so that sucks.

but now I'm wondering are there any star alliance member that would let you retroactively claim miles if i wasn't already signed up, and combine the points form 3 accounts into one? or even better, somehow convert those combined points form 3 people into aeroplan miles?

I have another 10,000 miles on Aegean, but I'm considering ditching them because aegean doesn't let you give points to other people, and the lifetime gold membership is over. I believe aeroplan would allow me to collect the points from my families names into one or two accounts, because you can trade them, is that true?

I usually fly air canada and qantas, and recently i've been flying around 30-50,000 points per year.

I'm also looking at getting a new credit card to collect frequent flyer miles to be used with air canada here. I use an HSBC card in Australia for qantas, but yet to pick one for canada/north america. I am ok with paying a fee, and I balance my card immediately (I don't do debt) I would estimate that I could spend at least 30,000-50,000 on that card in the next year and put all my purchases on it.

I'm considering one from BMO that apparently can be converted into any kind of miles/aeroplan/quantas frequent flyer points you want, the BMO World Elit Card

I also wonder if a card would work well in USD as well as CAD.

Thanks for any tips, I'm sure any info will save me from wasting as many miles as I already have in all these different accounts.

Mwenenzi

queglay Welcome to FT

On retro claims most ffp's require you to be a signed up member at the date of the flight. Some info in the thread linked below.

Most ffp's allow you to get an award flight for other people/family with your frequent flyer miles.

Very few ffp's allow ff miles to be transferred others. QF is one of the very few that does to family members. Some do with a fee that makes it poor value, so effectively useless.

Very few ffp allow family pooling on flights and/or status earning.

On FT Aeroplan has some unhappy frequent flyers who a looking for a better ffp
You should be able to credit the Air Canada flights to Aegean (Star Alliance), if an eligible earning flight.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html

Stevie89

Thanks for your welcome goldencondor, much appreciated, just trying to find my way around the site.lol.

Stevie89

We were also given a free upgrade on our BA flight from New York to London Heathrow.....and was unaware of it until we actually boarded and found our seat number....once my wife and myself were given a glass of champagne each and settled into the leather seats with massive leg room we finally knew that we had been upgraded and didn't have to use any Avious either....so thanks B.A. much appreciated.

goldencondor

I've been here a long while and there are parts of the forum I still haven't visited!

Just stick to the parts most relevant for you personally

queglay

Thanks Mwenenzi. I'll answer those questions.

Questionnaire: Copy and paste into your post
Provide the requested information.

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:
Upgrades to business class and baggage allowance are the most important things to me.

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 usually fly 4 flights that are around 800 miles each in Australian domestic, and between 2-4 international flights from Melbourne or Brisbane to Vancouver, or somewhere else in Asia.

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:
I usually get to choose the airlines, but the routes normally limit me to Air Canada and Qantas

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

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

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply:
I have 60,000 points with Quantas, and 10,000 points with Aegean.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply:
Quantas and Air Canada

So I'm wondering if its worth me getting an aeroplan or just putting all the air canada flights in with aegean? I'm about to get a canadian credit card and I'd like to maximise points with that too into whatever FFP makes the most sense in Canada.

I also just had a flight to canada, but I dont think aegean will let me claim the points for my partner and daughter.

emika

Looking for a secondary Star Alliance FFP to join to diversify my miles a bit. Or just get away from UA MileagePlus.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
No mileage expiration or the ability to keep your miles with some small activity (such as a survey) once a year or so. Good award options hence why I'd like a Star Alliance program because they fly to most places that I want to go to.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Economy. I have bursts of travel in some years while others I barely travel. So it's all over the board.

(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?
Pleasure, I fly United most often.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
US domestic - transcons, west coast, possible SFO-LAX next year
US west coast - Asia

(6) What is your home airport?
SFO

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
No status, about 60k UA miles which will be spent soon on award travel.

(8) Preferred Airlines
Virgin America. I'd enjoy not having to fly on UA but I end up flying UA a lot due to availability of routes from SFO & cost.

gingham

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 and lounge access

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: 25,000, 3-4 trans-pacific round trips

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: Yes. Work and leisure

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: Mostly between North America and Asia (Toronto/Boston/NYC--Beijing/Shanghai/Hong Kong)

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: YYZ/JFK/PEK

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply:Air China silver - long time ago

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: Emirates - but not as useful for me most of the times. Otherwise United/Air Canada

Thanks guys!

nevillek

Hi guys,

I'm considering changing my mileage program from UA. I've accumulated 28k miles in my a/c, 16k in mom's and 18k in dad's. I want to use all of them together and get rid of them if possible. Here's why:

I am an international student/worker in Canada with home in India and travel to and fro atleast once every year. I joined United's Mileage Plus program last year as I found they were crediting 100% for many of my Lufthansa/Air Canada flights (ones that I fly most often) but of late, I noticed that they've had some policy changes and I got credited only 4000 award miles this time for a Toronto-Mumbai AC flight instead of 8000 last year. So I'm considering changing my mileage program.


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: Lots of award miles to be able to book free tickets.

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: Less than 25000 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: Yes. Pleasure.

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

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

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: United's Mileage Plus - 28000 miles

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: Lufthansa/Air Canada and possibly other economical ones.

Thanks guys!

tom911

Delta is similar to UA in that they award miles based on the price of your ticket (for general members, UA awards 5 miles per dollar spent, less taxes). AA still awards miles based on distance flown (my current Scandinavia trip will bring in around 25,000 miles on a $700 fare), but they've announced they're going in the same direction as UA sometime in the second half of the year, and it's anyone's guess what that date is.

I'd look at Alaska which has a lot of partners (BA, AA, DL, CX) and see if they might work for you. I'm not up on programs outside the U.S. to really comment on those as alternatives.

There's no way to pool miles from 3 different family members. I know BA offers family accounts, but don't think any U.S. carriers offer that.