How does JFK-BKK get to 50,000?

JFK-HEL-BKK-HEL-JFK is ~ 18,000 flown miles. Finnair Business Class gets a 100% cabin bonus when booked on a C or D fare. (Finnair Business Class booked on an I or R fare only gets a 25% cabin bonus.) And Platinum Pro gets an 80% bonus on base miles. So, 18,000 + 18,000 + 14,400 = 50,400.

I also value domestic upgrades on AA.

Don't count on getting upgrades on AA unless you have status with AA.

I'd prefer to stay with AA, but the 30-segments to unlock Loyalty Rewards just isn't going to happen.

Fair enough, but will you get additional benefits by attaining oneworld Emerald status in a different program? If not, you're giving up potential domestic upgrades on AA for what? Admirals Club access on domestic AA flights is all that comes to mind. And you also have to consider how the value proposition from redeeming, say, IB Avios compares to redeeming AAdvantage miles.

Query: If I have IB Emerald status, can I reserve exit row seats on AA without charge?

Both IB Emerald and IB Sapphire get free MCE at time of booking. IB Ruby gets free MCE 24 hours before departure time.

Edited to add: If you opt to pursue oneworld status with AS, AS flies from LAS to three international gateways: LAX, SFO, and SEA. And flights on SQ also earn miles -- including elite-qualifying miles -- on AS.

If USA domestic upgrades are *very* important you need to stay with AA ffp. Or AS ffp to a lesser extent
AS freq flyers on AA have some upgrade options. AA-AS relationship is few steps more than just OW alliance partners

• https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alas...erican-aa.html
• https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alas...-2021-a-3.html

AA-BA-IB have a cross airline upgrade system (outside of OW), but has onerous t&c's

• https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...aster-thd.html

As far as sear selection goes a OWS & OWE benefit is "preferred seating". Each airline has a different definition that I have never seen published
AA changed its definition to remove MCE for OW alliance S & E status. Then a few weeks later bough it back for BA freq flyers only.

• https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...-restored.html

Subject to t&c's you can move avios BA<--->IB. But not status

From aa.com:

"Elite member access

Who gets complimentary Main Cabin Extra seats?

• AAdvantage® Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro and Platinum members
• oneworld® Sapphire and Emerald members with elite status on Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair or Japan Airlines

All listed members are allowed complimentary access for up to 8 traveling companions on the same reservation.

AAdvantage® Gold and oneworld® Ruby members*

Enjoy complimentary access within 24 hours of departure when seats are available.

*oneworld® Ruby members with elite status on Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair or Japan Airlines"

So it sounds as though all I'll be giving up is the possibility of domestic upgrades on AA.

When I was an EP, I was usually upgraded. As a PP, I am batting about a third, but usually on the short haul flights. I flew LAX-MIA last week on a 77W and neither I nor the EP next to me were upgraded.

I can make the spend requirement for at least PP, but 30-segments on AA a year just doesn't even come close since most of my flying is international long haul.

I value Emerald status due to first class international lounge access, and MCE seats on AA on domestic flights is very important to me.

I also like that Iberia is good for two years so I think I am going to give them a try starting in April.

Thanks for all the help!

Unless getting access to Admirals Clubs when you're flying a solely domestic itinerary is important to you, I'm not sure why your inability to meet the 30-AA-segment requirement for getting AA bonuses matters. Between cabin bonuses and status bonuses, I can't imagine that you would not be able to retain OWE status (at least Platinum Pro, if not EXP) with AA. You're not going to get the AA bonus if you're OWE with Iberia, Alaska, etc., so what difference does it make?
​​​​​
​​​​​​

It's not the domestic club access that is important to me. It's the international first class lounges that come with Emerald status.

I can make PP on AA, but without the 30 segments, all I will get beyond IB Emerald is domestic upgrades, which aren't clearing much anyway.

With IB, status is good for the qualifying year and two years thereafter.

IB just seems an easier route to Emerald without losing anything other than domestic upgrades.

OK. If the AA domestic upgrades are not that important to you, and if you think that it will be easier to attain and retain IB Platino (OWE) than AA Platinum Pro (which has been OWE since 6/30/21), then the IB Plus program might be right for you. And IB Plus does offer the possibility of lifetime OWE status, so there is that.

Good luck!

This looks like an interesting thread. I have life changes coming up soon, I'll explain:

Currently:
Live and work: TLV
Family: London (LHR et al)
Work satellite office: SEA
Work owners: LAX

Hoping to move to the US next year, so could look like;
Live and work: SEA or SFO
Family: London (LHR et al)
Work satellite office: SEA
Work owners: LAX

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?

Lounge access, priority security, upgrades in seats / class.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?

It varies. Assuming there are not too many COVID variants, I might fly TLV-LHR ~3 times a year, TLV-SEA 1-2 times and TLV-LAX 1-2 times. So we can say maybe 40,000 plus minus.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?

If I'm paying Economy or occasionally Premium. If work is paying, Business.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?

I can choose airlines, class as above. I travel for work and pleasure as above. Presumably if I move to the US I'll do more of my pleasure travel within the US.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?

See (2) and (8).

(6) What is your home airport?

Currently TLV, next year probably SEA or SFO.

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?

Mostly American, hoping to save Platinum through 2023 (see thread on the subject). 59,205 award miles.
Also BA Bronze with ~16,000 Avios, Virgin Red with ~14,000 points.

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?

I like Virgin, Swiss, Lufthansa, but they don't often suit my routes so I usually find myself flying American / BA, and I'm generally okay with them.

What does the font of all knowledge think?

If you want lounge access for domestic flights in the U.S. on AA/AS, you would need oneworld Sapphire or Emerald in a non-U.S. oneworld FFP. BAEC/Iberia Plus seem the likely candidates for you. And oneworld Sapphire or Emerald with BAEC or IB+ would also get you Main Cabin Extra seats at time of booking on AA.

But if you're looking for free class upgrades on AA or AS, you would need elite status in either one of those programs. That said, if you'd only be able to attain relatively low-level status with AA or AS, you might find that your upgrade percentage would be relatively low.

Edited to add: For Business Class roundtrips from TLV to U.S. West Coast, you would likely achieve oneworld status faster by crediting to BA, as long as you were able to fly the minimum number of BA flight segments. In fact, you could attain OWS status after just one roundtrip if you included one domestic segment on AA or AS. For example: LHR-TLV-JFK-LAX, or TLV-LHR-SFO-SEA.

Hi. has anyone ever had issues with securing main cabin extra seat on AA or preferred seat on AS while being AY gold or AY platinum?

i booked an alaska flight and can't choose preferred seat and shows me also baggage fees. i didn't have this issue with my BA status

More of a question for AA AS or AY forum as your other thread https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alas...l#post33822945

I hated that AA can keep this discriminatory policy. I've written to CX several times that they should take away AA élites' benefit of booking exit row seats on CX flights for free. Sadly CX doesn't seem to care.

I would appreciate some outside opinions on this as I'm stuck in analysis paralysis. With the changes to AA was looking to switch to a new program and I'm torn between BA, AS, or staying with AA. Thinking of doing a status match to AS and then flying the 20k needed to keep it, which would also get me the 12 segments for 75k.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Lounge access during international travel and good redemption rates. Don't want to pay $1,000 plus miles for each business class award. SAN only has a contracted club which is accessible with Priority Pass but not sure if BA status would grant access when flying AA or AS.
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
25k-50k with a max of about 20 segments.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Domestic: coach with family or business/first when solo.
International: business or PE
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
For non-work trips, yes. For work trips generally no.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Work: Bay Area 10x/year or East Coast 2x/year
Non-work: East Coast or Florida 2x/year and random trips to Europe or any good deals
(6) What is your home airport?
SAN but also drive up to LAX if need be since AA quit flying SAN-LAX
(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
AA EXP and 1MM. Have ~65k miles with AA and 2 J r/t awards booked which is worth another 300k if covid forces us to cancel. Also have 55 500 mile upgrades that I haven't been able to use during my time as EXP, which I could maybe use if I drop down to gold from 1MM.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Been AA EXP for the past 6-7 years and platinum for about 10 years before that but that is usually through flying partners. SAN based so a lot of AS options and fewer AA options than in the past.

Also, I currently have the following booked for next year:
AMS-HEL-LHR-JFK-LAX//SAN-DFW-JFK-HEL-LHR-BCN all in business with almost all BA codes
CMN-MAD-LHR-MIA in business and first (LHR-MIA) with IB and AA codes, which makes crediting to AA pointless due to the "sale" price.
If my math is right that is 1030 TPs with BA or ~38k EQM on AS.

All you really need for lounge access is OWS on BA (or maybe IB). If you are unlikely to achieve OWE, I would just concentrate on attaining OWS. BAEC is not bad for nonstop Economy Class redemptions on AA/AS within the Americas; no cash surcharges apply. And BA has a generous policy for cancelling such redemptions: you only forfeit the $5.60 September 11 Security Fee you pay each way when you book. But both BA and IB charge extra Avios for each flight flown, so connections are not free.

IB, on the other hand, has relatively low cash surcharges when you fly IB between the U.S. (including LAX) and MAD. So I think it's really a question of how you plan to redeem the miles/Avios you earn on paid travel.