I guess this is how you end up with well over a million BIS miles - but all on different programs. I change my program when it is advantageous to do so, and generally fly that airline as my preferred carrier. Here's my sequence for the past 25 years or so (by primary carrier):

AA -> TWA -> NWA -> UA -> BA -> UA -> AC -> TK

Wondering if FT'ers are more loyal or less loyal. Early reasons for changing were primarily due to where I lived at the time, later were mostly due to program changes

I started out in 2005 on VS, mainly because it fitted all my long haul travel and all my short haul was on LCC's. I got VS gold two years running but started to change my travel patterns and could see me losing status, so I contacted BD and asked for a status match. They obliged and I spent the next four years as a BD*G until BA bought BD from LH, when my hard-earned *A status was turned into Avios. I have a long-standing issue with BA, so I asked NZ and TK for a status match. Both obliged but I started piling all my travel into the NZ account. Sadly, I got 800 of the required 810 points to retain Gold and NZ wouldn't comp me the rest (not surprising really as I hadn't flown their metal all year). At the moment I am trying to get some sort of status with LH as I fly with them most often, while in the meantime using the TK*G to get *A privileges.

So, in short: VS gold -> BD*G -> BAEC gold -> TK*G and NZ*G -> LH M&M

I'm really happy with TK at the moment, both as a passenger and as a frequent user of their lounge at IST. I haven't tried to redeem any miles yet, but I understand that can be problematic. At the moment still burning hundreds of thousands of UA and AC miles.

I was a Continental OnePass member from middle school onwards. Obviously i've seen been folded into United MP. I also maintain BA status and few years low level AF status until I vowed never to fly them again (whenever reasonably possible to avoid doing so). So I guess

CO->UA->UA, BA, AF->UA, BA

Oddly enough, I've never once been on any AF flight, nor ever passed through CDG in a lifetime of flying. Can't think of any other major European airline I can say the same about.

Please follow the thread as it moves to the MilesBuzz forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

I think the million mile benefit can keep some people loyal to a particular airline.

I would say FTers can be more loyal or less loyal depending on the circumstances. If we feel like there is better total value in another program (which can mean many different things), then most of us would jump ship.

Been with American since 1992 and never switched.

Haha, well, you are at DFW...

And I'm at SFO, a UA hub, and have switched from UA to AA.

More specifically, have been a UA 1K for the past 20 years. Then maybe eight years ago also became an AA EXP (rough equivalent of 1K). Starting next year, will just be an AA EXP. Why? UA has just gone way downhill in way too many ways since its merger with CO.

I've hopped around as various projects have been in various cities, with USAir as my fallback program until they practically abandoned PIT a few years back

I've been top tier on CO (client in Houston), AA (client in Dallas), Southwest (don't even remember where), and 2nd tier on UA (also don't remember where, but I have the card) while accumulating 2M BIS miles on US.

Today, I'm a bit of a free agent - hoping the US/AA merger brings me lifetime PLT on AA and some additional capacity out of PIT.

I was with UA when I started out in 2004 then when I stumbled on FT and found out about Starnet blocking moved to US. Now I am back in bed with UA.

Shows how out of touch I am with respect to the American market - I didn't even know that about US and PIT. I had some interviews at Westinghouse in Monroesville one year and remember paying a paltry sum to upgrade to first class on US. This was back before FF programs really took off and they had some sort of promotion where you could pay like $50 or so to upgrade to first. Those days are way, way, way gone.

I gave up on UA when they were extremely rude to my wife and actually made her cry for some reason I've long since forgotten. We would only fly them TATL and for awhile (maybe it's still that way) they just seemed to put the most abrasive, do nothing FAs on those routes. I did fly them again last year though and thought the experience wasn't too bad.