bluestrudels Welcome to FT

Why family pooling and why Star alliance?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...post-here.html

Family pooling is very uncommon, and not always 1 to 1 when pooling. Any way you may be better off if each of you have a ff account. Some ffp's allow family transfer, but often with a fee (so often not worth the costs) Freq flyer miles are not equal to earn or burn.

The airline you fly and the airline ffp you credit those flights to does not need to be the same.

Alaska is a good ffp for some due to its many partners, including Emirates
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...ePlan-partners

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

"so far I've been to Paris, Texas"

I don't think that Paris, Texas is a very exciting destination. Paris, France on the other hand ....



In terms of FFPs, a lot depends on what you hope to use your miles for. If you want cheap vacation flights within Europe, BAEC's Reward Flight Savers actually provide very good value. And you don't have to fly BA to earn BAEC Avios/tier points. You could, for example, fly AA to DFW, QR to JNB (via DOH), etc., and credit those flights to your BAEC account.

If you credited your AA and other oneworld flights to AA, on the other hand, even low-level AA status would entitle you to AA's Main Cabin Extra seats when traveling in Coach (free at check-in -- if still available -- for Golds, free at booking for higher-tiers). AA award travel on partners other than BA and IB is also surcharge-free.

off topic
But will be better than Paris, South Africa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parys (I have been there)

Mwenenzi - Thanks for your tips and pointers. I'll look through the thread you posted. Maybe we'll go forth with ANA since they have family pooling. I just thought it would easier to achieve gold status with family pooling, and we both can mutually enjoy those benefits since we travel mostly together.

Family pooling or transfer of miles is often only redeemable miles and not status earning miles. But as is the way with ffp's nothing is ever simple or consistent between ffp's.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Reply: good award redemption rates, better award access

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply:<25000 - <25

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Reply:Economy, cheapest

(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 the airline but prefer to fly with the lowest cost, i usually fly delta but that's just a coincidence. I usually travel to visit family abroad or tourism

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
Reply: Flight route is usually SA> NA and East coast to West coast, round trips, soon i'll also be including YUL (canada) in the route.

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

(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: No

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: Any really, i usually fly delta but also united or AA

Hi all
Been a United loyalist for several years now, but after more mechanical delays and cancellations in 2015 than I've had total across every other airline I've flown - and no sign of UA updating it's fleet anytime soon - I think it's finally time for a change.

Any help / suggestions in picking an airline would be greatly appreciated!

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.

1. Upgrades
2. Priority Services
3. Good award redemption rates
4. 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.
70-100K miles, 75-100 segments

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
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?
Able to choose airline; 90% of travel is for business.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
Domestic USA

6. What is your home airport?
PWM 85% of the time, BOS 15%

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
UA: Platinum, 225K miles

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
No preference.

Also a previous United loyalist, mostly due to their hublet at my home airport, which is no more. Suggestions appreciated.

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: 35,000 miles, 15-20 round trip flights

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 am able to choose my airlines and class of service. I am a military reservist but I must purchase my own monthly ticket. 90% business or military travel, 10% leisure.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: Domestic USA... most often between CLE and Dallas/Ft. Worth

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: CLE (CAK is within convenient distance)

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: No status... 8,300 AAdvantage miles, 5,200 Delta Skymiles, 3,025 Southwest points, 22,600 United MileagePlus Miles

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: No preference

hello i have asia miles and qantas miles

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.
Upgrades, Lounge Access, 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.
<50000 <12 Flights <12 Sectors

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?
Economy, for work and pleasure

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
LHR-DOH-PEK most often

6. What is your home airport?
LHR and HKG

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?

Privilege Club Burgundy
Asia Miles (with 60000 miles)

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, OW airlines mostly


Thanks

Hi guys,
I've been earning points mindlessly for a while now, and been trying to use them to help upgrade a return leg of a flight from Sydney(or Brisbane) to Cairo. Haven't booked any flights yet - but my hope was to book an economy flight return and somehow only upgrade the return leg from Dubai to Aus.

I've had trouble finding any Classic Rewards on Qantas, and my Velocity points seem to be worth nothing.
Either way - I'd appreciate the help on choosing a good FFP in future.
Thanks in advance

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

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:
Usually twice a year - once from East Coast Australia to West Coast USA, once from East Coast Australia to Middle East

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply:
Usually purchase economy

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 - I travel for pleasure

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

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

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply:
Qantas approx 130000
Velocity 95000
8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply:
None

Daniel Selim Welcome to FT

As in infrequent economy flyer you have little to nil chance of getting upgrades. This is the hard reality. Far better to look for straight out business class award with your frequent flyer airline or their partners.

For upgrades the general rule is you can only upgrade a flight marketed (flight number) and operated (metal) by the airline of your frequent flyer programme. Low cost tickets are often not eligible for upgrades.
With non USA based airlines always expect to fly in the cabin you buy: upgrades are not given out like with USA based airlines. Upgrades, with ff miles, upgrade instruments or free due to status on non USA based airlines are not common. Cross airline upgrade are very uncommon and require expensive flights if available. Some Star airlines and on some AA/BA/IB flight have possible cross airline upgrades.

QF have an upgrade bidding system & upgrades with QF points on some flights, if eligible General term here on FT is a lottery.

As for if any ffp is better than QF/VA when living in Australia it does depend a lot on the airlines you fly and cabin class/booking class and if you earn points with non flying activity (credit cards). With economy travel you will not get many benefits. Earn to burn and co pay fees on awards is what matters. Have a look on the forums of the airlines you fly with.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...s-seconds.html http://www.awardace.com/
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...demptions.html

Total newbie here though I've been reading quite extensively the last few weeks trying to educate myself about various FFP's, most efficient ways to spend miles depending on the airline, elite bonuses, mileage runs, & credit cards ect.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, good award redemption rates (Hoping to get platinum status to get elite bonus to be used for rewards tickets and hopefully get upgraded based on status as I'm about 6'5" with out of proportionally long limbs and don't fit particularly well in economy.)

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? 50000 miles and 20-25 flights (though in the past many have been reduced fair rates because I'm quite flexible and fly whatever is cheapest day the entire month). Hoping to fly more as well as join a loyalty program and spend a bit more but get more out of it and perhaps network in business class.

3. What fare class do you usually buy? economy, hoping to find some occasional reasonable business fares in the future as well for mileage runs

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Yes, I'm very flexible with everything including dates as a freelancer. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? Both, I'm self employed and pay for all flights.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
within Europe, transatlantic, domestic USA, hopefully Asia and South Pacific this year

6. What is your home airport? I've been in the UK but I think I am moving to Budapest in 4 months (most of Europe is easily accessible through discount airlines) For this reason thinking KLM/Air France because of easy enough 70,000 miles required for 100% elite bonus and having many partners? Also if I can reach platinum status and retain it 10 years I like the idea of lifetime membership. Though KLM has no credit card I am eligible for. Also considered challenging for American and doing a mileage run to get status with the cheap business class LAX-JFK-PTY flights to get the 100% elite bonus quickly. Because I rarely travel when it's expensive I don't think I will spend enough to meet minimum spending of higher status's with Delta and United.

7. Do you have status in any FFP? Unfortunately not. How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any? 30,000 united and 30,000 Delta with 6 skyteam flights coming in the 2 months. More flights will be booked the rest of the year.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any? I'm up for any!

Thanks for your time and advice!!

Before I start booking travel for the year, I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing by just defaulting to United all the time. I'm ready to consider alternates.... Questionnaire below:


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

Upgrades and priority services, and good non-stop connections on the airline.

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

Currently 25-50k, and usually less than 10 flights. Maybe more in the future.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?

Mostly economy, but some business going forward.

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

I mostly travel for work. I have some choice of class, within budget. I can choose the airline.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
6. What is your home airport?

Home is SFO (I live in SF so I don't fly SJC or OAK). I mostly fly to ZRH, NYC (historically JFK but no more United there, so...??), PDX. Occasionally elsewhere (domestic, europe, asia).

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?

Not currently. I have mostly flown United. Once upon a time I was UAL 1k, and I do have about 300k lifetime miles on them.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?

So far I mostly fly United because of good nonstop connections and prices out of SFO, and because I don't fly enough to have a chance of FF status on multiple airlines.


Thanks!!!

Hi,

I fly about 8 times per year from London to JFK and then some 5-6 more intra US flights a year. All economy/cheapest possible. Nevertheless, I thought I would be a super-dooper mile club by now (since I managed to get to delta gold a few years ago with many fewer flights), but all programs seems to have devaluated so much that it is hardly worth doing any of that. I'm currently silver on VS and managed two upgrades from economy to upper class in the last 18 months, but that is about it and I also have a virgin CC.
Any ideas which loyalty program should I be using given my pattern? BA seems super stingy with miles. I also can't do EWR since it is oppose where I need to go on long island.

Thanks,
a.