Hey, thanks a lot to the community here for your help. I've answered the questions below. Our BA silvers expire this year but we've got a couple TATL cash J trips planned in the next few months, so we're figuring out what to do. We can choose the airline for these. Thanks!

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
US domestic lounge access, premium seat selection (e.g. AA MCE)
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
JFK<->LHR 2-3 times per year in cash business. Then 10-20 sectors in US domestic economy on vacations. I'm a Brit living in NYC. Other long haul trips would like be award flights so not relevant here.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Business for TATL (company pays), economy SH/PE LH if I'm paying.
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes I can choose for work trips. I fly for both work and pleasure.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
TATL.
(6) What is your home airport?
JFK
(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?
Myself and my wife both have BA Silver (OWS). This expires this year after a quieter year of travel, but we have multiple cash business TATLs planned in the next 6 months.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Only ever flown BA TATL. It's fine, happy to try something else if it's better.

JFK-LHR r/t is almost 7k miles distance. Not great for distance based earning programs.
IB just announced changes to their program but they're counting in Euros, not GBP.. 7500 Euros for Oro (OW Sapphire) is definitely reachable if you are paying for JFK-LHR in business a few times per year.

If you want both domestic US lounge access and MCE access, it has to be BA, IB, AY, QR, or JL status.
QR and JL have minimum required flights with them, which is prob not feasible for you.
AY is distance based earning but you'll barely make AY Gold unless you are booking higher biz fare buckets.
BA vs IB -- IB has easier requirements.

Thanks so much! I didn't know the lounge policy difference about US and non-US program - that helps a lot. A follow-up question: while Iberia might not be an ideal choice for now, what other non-US programs can I consider? The ones relatively easy to earn and maintain status? For instance, is JL or CX good for Asia trip miles accumulation?

If you're flying BOS-Asia roundtrip in Business at least twice a year, Iberia might still be the best program for you -- especially if you will be flying JL or QR with connecting flights.

Thank you! Last question -- if business class is not guaranteed (I do fly economy is the price is too high for biz), Would Iberia still be the best option? I understand in this case it might be hard to get a gold status (so no lounge access anyway), would Iberia still be the best option? (esp. in earn and maintain status?)

In the last 12hrs IB have changed the rules.
FT-->https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/iber...te-levels.html
IB--> https://www.iberia.com/us/all-iberiaplus/

If you're not going to be able to achieve at least oneworld Sapphire status, then it's hard to say. The question then becomes more of: Which program's frequent-flyer "currency" is the most valuable? If your redemptions would be primarily on Economy Class flights within North America on AA or AS, then AA or AS miles might be most valuable to you.

Got it - thanks a lot!

Trying to Qualify for Emerald (or maybe just Sapphire)
 

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
US domestic lounge access, premium seat selection - AA MCE

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Domestic US as well as flights to Europe in economy, premium and sometimes business

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
I purchase myself.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes I can choose as these are paid for by me.

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

(6) What is your home airport?
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?
I have had AA Executive Plat (none now).

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

Many airlines - focused on One World now.My main goal is to fly some low cost PE or business class flights within the US or to Europe or to Latin America to qualify for Emerald OW.

I am wanting to get domestic lounge access, including QANTAS, Flagship and/or first class lounges at LAX, JFK, etc. when I am flying on domestic flights. Does the # of guests vary, depending on the program from which the OW Emerald status is achieved?

I would also like to get access to extra legroom and/or exit row seats on AA at time of booking, and it would be beneficial to get access for those traveling with me as well (believe this is a benefit with BA Gold).
From what I've seen posted, it appears that BA, IB, AY and QR would provide these benefits (with their Emerald equivalent status). Is that correct?

If I decide to just qualify for Sapphire rather than Emerald, I realize that I will only get business class lounge access, but will I get access to AA extra legroom and/or exit row seats at time of booking with any of the programs, and will the access extend to those on the same record as me?

Thank you!

Hi all. Used to be a BAEC Gold for quite a while until after covid when business travels reduced significantly. Now I do a bit more of flying out of my own pocket to maintain Silver. However, with the recent change in BAEC, I think I'll be paying a bit too much to even just maintain Silver, so I'm looking to see if there are any better options.

I'm hoping to at least have Sapphire.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding, Lounge Access
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Usually 1-2 trips to Europe, 5-7 within Asia
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Mostly Economy, (very) occasional Premium Economy/Business, In the past I try to get the fares that gave me the most tier points.
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
My choice, 50/50 work & pleasure.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Japan-SE Asia, Japan-Hong Kong, Japan-Western Europe
(6) What is your home airport?
HND/NRT
(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?
Currently Silver in BAEC
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Preferred Oneworld, but can be JL/QF/QR/AY/BA/MH/etc

Given where you are based, your travel pattern and the fact that you fly mostly in economy possibly Malaysian Enrich would be the best, as the difference in earning between economy and business is far more similar than most other airlines - here is the link to the page with the earnings table - you would need Gold = Sapphire - https://enrich.malaysiaairlines.com/...embership.html

Hi everyone - I'm currently OW Sapphire on Alaska - but they're cutting earnings on partner flights for 2025 and it has been a nightmare getting retro credit through Alaska for the majority of my flights, so I'm looking to move on. I primarily fly on OneWorld RTW fares in D class, booked through the AA RTW desk.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
I'd like to get OWE - so I can get F lounge access. A foreign carrier would work as well, for US domestic lounge access, when in the US (though not necessarily a priority).

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
40+ segments, all in Business.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
OW round the world fares - all in D. I do occasionally buy some domestic US fares, also in discounted business or above. Primarily traveling outside of the US for 10 months out of the year.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Pleasure. Mostly foreign carriers, though do like to avoid BA, and AA when possible on long haul. Traveling full time for both work/pleasure.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
A mix between JL, QF, AA, and a few intra-Europe segments on BA.

(6) What is your home airport?
AUS, though it varies now.

(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?
MVPG (Sapphire) on AS, Gold on AA. I have miles banked in both.

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

If you have enough long-haul segments on JL/QR, I would be linking at Iberia's program as of April 1, 2025.

Just curious but why did you go with BAEC over JAL?
You could have had JGC.

I suggest Finnair instead. DONEx works well with AY+ on AA BA AS IB coded flights .. and if you're ticketing with AA RTW desk, they are more than happy to book you on AA codeshares if available.

I'm starting fresh with AY+ today actually, on a brand new DONE4.

If you do go this route, your date of AY enrollment is important so choose carefully.