iahphx

I find that hard to believe, at least from a US perspective. I would think Star would win hands down.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/fligh...&ak=93622.blog

I personally don't like Oneworld much because its seems like their members are most likely not to award you full mileage on a partner airline (Iberia and Qantas come to mind). This has actually kept me from qualifying for elite status in the alliance. Also, the BA/AA relationship seems awkward and incomplete, at best. And, in the USA, you have the fewest earning opportunities.

You've got to wonder who votes for these things.

MilesMark

It would be worth seeing the methodology used. The only alliance I use is OW and would, therefore, be unwilling to participate in a survey that asked me to compare it to any others. I'm very happy with OW, actually, but have no basis to say that it's better or worse. That's the problem with what seems to be popularity surveys. If more OW members were polled, it could account for the results. A more scientific survey with specific criteria would be more helpful.

jbcarioca

I use all three and have elite status in all three. They have different strengths and weaknesses, to be sure, and my favorite carriers are mostly in Star and OW, but a couple in ST also. People must rank everything, whether they know or not.

skywalk

I can never figure out who vote in these surveys. I am very surprised *A is not top alliance. I noticed Air new Zealand was voted high. I have only used them for economy but I would never pay to fly them. These survey are suspect to me.

Efrem

This mixes two issues: which is the best alliance, and which is the best FF program.

Some OW drawbacks mentioned here are more issues with specific FF programs. For example, several *A FF programs have similar fractional mileage earning problems. Geographical coverage, OTOH, is a true alliance issue.

Unfortunately, it's very difficult in practice for someone whose OW experience is as (say) an AA frequent flyer to separate these two areas, since everything they see of OW is filtered through an AA lens. It might be possible as an academic exercise, but people who fill out these surveys don't take the time to go through academic exercises. The bottom line is that comparisons such as this are essentially worthless.

iahphx

Good points. The reality of course, is that only a tiny fraction of the people who voted in this survey probably have enough experience/knowledge to offer a meaningful opinion. I'm sure the vast majority of travellers -- and even the majority of flyertalkers -- don't have enough comparative experience to form much of an educated opionion.

I will say that my Oneworld experience is more limited than with the other two alliances (I'm plat in both CO and DL), but I HAVE flown Oneworld airlines a lot. Because of the fractional mileage accrual problem, I've even tried to "shop" my Oneworld accrual to different ff programs. And maybe because I haven't been able to earn elite status in Oneworld (because of this fractional earning issue), perhaps I don't fully appreciate the benefits of this alliance.

But I doubt it. For the majority of frequent travellers, I don't think Oneworld is the best alliance.

Although it seems like it will be getting better. I understand the BA/AA antitrust agreement is likely to be approved this summer, so it will be easier to use oneworld benefits over these 2 airlines.

donmarco

Anyone can filter with their personal biases including the survey takers, so the result is next to meaningless for those already set in their ways. IMHO, I agree with the finding. Does that mean it is any more/less relevant - no.

Supersonic Swinger

Don't confuse your opinion with the majority of frequent flyers which is something subjective which is unlikely to ever be proven.

Personally I find Star now has so many members that if you aren't on your home airline, you earn points and status but aren't treated much differently than any other passenger. From my experience, OW as the smallest of the alliances treats alliance elites a little better, extending to top tier Emeralds being able to access partner First Class Lounges. Do I miss alliance wide luggage benefits, a strong hub in Central Europe and partner airlines in mainland China? Yes. Am I glad I don't have to hub through Houston or Atlanta or have to fly US Airways or United? Of course.

But that's all my opinion and to paraphrase Woody Allen, "Arguing about the best airline alliance is like dancing about architecture".

Efrem

Let's compare apples and apples here. "Top tier" isn't a standardized term. *A top tier (*A Gold) corresponds to OW mid-tier (Sapphire). *A has nothing that corresponds to OW Emerald. (I've had all three, now have two of them.)

efis123

I just wish Delta and Skyteam would get some more partner airlines.

joesmoe

Haven't OW's miles been worth the most for a while now?