Best Frequent Flyer Program for BWI
 

Hi.

I've been traveling pretty regularly for a while, but I've just started a new job where I'll be flying out and back every week. But I don't know where. I may fly to Detroit for 3 months, then to L.A. for 2 weeks, then to Dallas for a month, etc.

With BWI as my home airport, which FF program would be best for me? BWI's biggest airline is Southwest, but I don't want to make Southwest my airline. I want the perks (upgrades, lounges, first class, etc) that come with status from a standard airline.

So it seems to me that either Delta or United would be the way to go. But I don't really know which one to choose. Is one better than the other, can you earn status faster with one than the other? Does one have more/better flights to/from BWI?

Any experienced BWI based road-warriors out there that can point me in the right direction?

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

Welcome to FT!

If you Google "BWI airport wiki", you'll find a link to BWI's Wikipedia article, which should list all of BWI's current carriers and their nonstop destinations.

You really need to prioritize what is most important to you from an FFP: lounge access? upgrades? free flights (and if so, to where and in what class of service)? Are you willing to connect somewhere to earn miles in your preferred program, instead of taking a nonstop on a different carrier? In what class of service will you be flying when traveling for work? Does your employer restrict your choice of carriers?

Recommendations will differ, depending on your answers to questions like these.

United has a reciprocal relationship with USAirways - so if you sign up with UA and need to fly US, you would get the same mileage credit as if you were flying UA, including credit toward elite status.