Qantas will only allow claims 30 days prior to enrolment.
Asia Miles (Cathay) only allows claims one month prior to enrolment.

(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: Tokyo (NRT or HND)
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
Reply: 25-50k, Y
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ? ( First, Business, Economy etc.)
Reply: Economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or, class of service?. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes. Both, but mainly pleasure.
(5) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: Tokyo to Europe and Tokyo to Australia.
(6) Do you have FFP status of any kind of OW or other airline at present? What is it? (AA Executive Platinum, QF Gold, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: Member of JAL's FFP, but no status yet I don't think.
(7) What is most important to you in a FFP? (upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Reply: (i) Good award redemption rates and then (ii) upgrades on travel.
(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: Qantas, JAL, BA

Thanks!

Good OW redemption programs for HKG-based Y-class flyers?
 

Hi, I came to discover the wealth of information on FT relatively late, but it's been tremendous help since. I apologize if this question has been answered previously, since after some homework reading on the site I have not really found answers to my question.

I'm based in HKG, and my travels are HKG-JFK once a year, HKG-SIN and HKG-NRT once every quarter, with around 2-3 HKG-PEK/SHA every year all on Y-class. On the side, I fly to PEK 5-6 times a year, usually just getting the cheapest tickets (thus often times discount economy).

Basically, I'm trying to decide/maximize my miles between BA/CX MPC/AA (no status at any one of them now). My first priority would be good accrual and reward table so that I can save money on flights to PEK or leisure travel within Asia. Elite status would be a second factor: lounge access and perks such as additional bags would be good when I travel for business.

I was gonna have BA as my primary program for its very good short-haul redemptions (others also mentioned LAN to me, but don't know whether it'll be convenient). For that, I planned to get a local BA co-branded CC.

But I don't think I'd ever make BA elite status for its 4 BA metals requisite. Same seems to apply for AA (although I read that rule is ignored by AA)? Since it sounds a waste for me to put all the miles where I'll never make elite, and given the 4 flights rule by BA and AA, CX MPC seems to be the only bet to elite? Originally I was thinking to accumulate AsiaMiles only when using the miles credit card.

Currently I do have a complimentary MPC membership with my AMEX card, but not sure if it's worthwhile to put the miles just for the status. Or how should I split between MPC and the other two? CX reward tables seem to be very stringent when compared to BA and AA.

I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to do this or are there some other ways/combinations that I could explore? Thanks in advance!

I'm moving this to the relevant "sticky" thread.

Gardyloo
Oneworld moderator

If you are a resident of Japan and can get a credit card, I would shoot for JAL Global Club (JGC) status. Qualify once (50K FOPs), and as long as you hold the card you'll have OW Sapphire status. The JAL forum has more information.

Hi All, trying to get my other better half signed up for a Oneworld FFP.

(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: SIN
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year &amp; in what class? (&lt;25K, 25k-50k, &gt;50k)
Reply: 25-50k, Y
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ? ( First, Business, Economy etc.)
Reply: Economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or, class of service?. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes. Both, but mainly pleasure.
(5) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: SIN - LHR + intra Asia
(6) Do you have FFP status of any kind of OW or other airline at present? What is it? (AA Executive Platinum, QF Gold, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: None
(7) What is most important to you in a FFP? (upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Reply: (i) Good award redemption rates
(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: BA, Malaysia, Cathay

Should I go for status on BA, or simply credit miles to AA where I am unlikely to hit 25k EQP/EQM?

(1) What is your home airport?
Reply: SFO

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class?
Reply: <25k on OW

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Reply: Business for work, Economy for pleasure.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or, class of service?. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Not reallly given route structure. Generally fly QF within Australia, BA within UK/Europe, AS to Hawaii/Mexico.

(5) Which routes do you fly most often
Reply: See #4.

(6) Do you have FFP status of any kind of OW or other airline at present? What is it?
Reply: AA Plat (will exp 2/2014), UA 1K. BA Bronze expired 3/2013

(7) What is most important to you in a FFP? (upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Reply: Lounge access on economy tix, upgrades, priority checkin/security

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: BA,QF,AS but would consider AA where it makes sense (SFO-ORD/JFK/MIA)

Lounge access on economy tix,
Gold & plat status with QF will get you lounge access including in the USA
Equivalent status with AA will not get USA domestic lounge acess
No ideas about BA lounges
Considering the QF earn/burn just buying an annual or 90 day AA lounge membership for cash may be better

Upgrades
The general rule is you can only upgrade a flight marketed (flight number) and operated (metal) by the airline of your freq flyer programe (no codeshares). However as is the way with FFP's there are some (expensive) exceptions with AA/BA.
For USA domestic upgrades AA is the best by far

Anyone living in the USA would be crazy have QF as their main FFP: rewards have high points & high cash surcharges. International upgrades hard to get (lottery). Look at post 412 in this thread. However for some people flying business or first class status can be earned quickly (need 4 QF flights)

Best One World Frequent flyer program from flying out of Sweden
 

Hey guys,

New to the forum and glad to be onboard!

So my job requires me to fly alot over the world and i have recently signed up to Lufthansas Miles and More program to cover all my Star Alliance flights. Now im looking into cover the One World flights. My first choice was Finnair, but it seems to be quite high rates on using award miles for upgrades and such. So im debating on maybe switching to British Airways instead. Not sure tho! Its quite hard to give much information, since i fly alot and its all over the place pretty much. Im also new to all this frequent flyer deal, so im hoping to get help from the pro's!

So im pretty much wondering what you guys think is the best One World program?


Best,


Jeremy

...............

I have been United 1K for the past few years, but with the USAir/AA merger and their leaving Star Alliance for OneWorld, I have to reconsider. All of my miles are with United...

(1) What is your home airport?
Reply: PHX

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class?
Reply: Between 100K and 200K, 90% on UA or Star Alliance

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Reply: Business when travelling internationally, economy when domestic

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or, class of service?. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes I can typically choose the airline. Class of service depends on destination. Most of my travel is for work.

(5) Which routes do you fly most often
Reply: PHX-HKG 4 or 5 times annually. PHX-LHR/FRA 1-2 times annually. PHX-SJC/DFW/MSP/LAX/AUS/??? (Pick one) 10-20 times annually

(6) Do you have FFP status of any kind of OW or other airline at present? What is it?
Reply: UA 1K

(7) What is most important to you in a FFP? (upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Reply: In order of importance to me: Priority check in, upgrades, award access and rates, lounge access

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: Relatively open. I am usually more concerned with upgrades/priority/good service/hardware on the long international legs. Makes me think Cathay?

It was pretty easy to pick United before. Priority with UA meant I got better service and upgrades on their hardware flying to HKG frequently. USAir as a code share partner let me earn miles domestically.

Now I'm not sure. Would any of the airlines in OW do a one-time status match? I'm about to book PHX-HKG, so that may offer some enticement.

Best One World Frequent flyer program from flying out of Sweden
 

AA has 8 upgrades a year for 100k flyers. Only nod I know they can be used multiply continents , just has to be at or under 3 segments , whether they are 5,000 mile deep discount coach segments or fill fare domestic AA metal of 280 miles each( that say Mia-tap would almost certainly in they program get you upgrade 100 hours in advanced with no 500 mold segments ( which are $30 each). You can't best AA for upgrades , etc. finair? I don't think they can compete. Just my 2 cents. Best of luck and many safe travels!

Welcome to FT jeremyah

This sticky thread in the oneworld forum should get you started(and ignore what rodsren wrote - if you can even understand it ;))

I'm moving this to the appropriate sticky thread. Welcome to FT!

Gardyloo
Oneworld moderator

Welcome to FT Jeremy

At least at the moment I think the consensus would be AA has the best earn to burn ratio. I have had no major issues in obtaining award flights with AA or the other partners, though I tend to not book at the last minute.

The BA program is useful to upgrade BA flights but award flights run into fuel surcharge costs. The QF program is more expensive in both earned miles and surcharges for awards but easy to earn status if flying long haul business. The CX program may be harder to earn status but the higher level status members are treated very well. My opinion is award mileage costs there are middle to high, but as with BA upgrades are quite useful.

For the smaller OW members you would need to read (carefully) the relevant program website pages.

Happy wandering

Fred