Greetings- Long time reader, first time poster.

I am new to the site and realize that by asking which Airline offers the best elite program, I would be asking a question that has been asked many times before (or has it?).

Could someone point me to the thread that talks about the best elite status programs? If there has not been an updated discussion recently, I would like to get some feedback to FTer's comments about best programs and reasons.

I am currently a AA plat but not adverse to changing programs. Also from the NYC area if that is also a consideration or factor.

Thanks in advance

Welcome to FT!

I'll take a shot at passing on some advice about the various programs, seeing as nobody else has yet. The sister website to FT is Webflyer,

http://www.webflyer.com/

and offers lots of useful insight into the various FFP's, including a head-to-head comparison chart. You'll also have to be careful throwing around terms like 'best': do you mean best upgrade record/convenience, or best earnings & partner possabilities, or best reward options, etc. Maybe you can fill in some details about what you like or dislike about AA Plat and even why you'd be open to a change. Most FFP's will comp elite status, but it's usually a one-off kinda thing. Use the search feature in the individual airline FT forums and try entering search terms guaranteed to pull up lots of previous threads, such as "elite status comp", or "elite comparison". You get the idea.

Sometimes from smaller centers, there aren't many real choices, but seeing as you're from Noo Yawk, there won't be any shortage of airline/airport choices.

There is no single FFP that works the same for everyone, so a little time invested researching the various in's & out's, quirks of each FFP will help you get max. value for your paid flying dollars. And in a nutshell is what FT is all about.

I would pick the airline that has the best (for you) service to the places you fly the most, whether that means most convient times, friendliest staff, best food, or whatever you value the most. Being elite on your "home" airline is probably more valuable than being an alliance elite. You're more likely to get good treatment during irregular ops, or op-ups, and you can take advantage more easily of mileage bonus opportunities. Others might have a differing opinion, but I feel pretty strongly that if you fly one airline much more than any others, and you gain elite status in their program, they're going to usually treat you much better.

Of course, if you're in NYC, you're very lucky & you have a large number of airlines to look at.