So you are planning to fly that RTW on a paid ticket, accumulate more miles with SOF-Germany flights and then redeem those for an award to North/Central America for as few miles as possible?
For that scenario, I'd say AA is the best choice. They have off-peak awards to North America (US, Mexico) for 40,000 miles return. Central America with a stopover in the US in any of their gateway cities (JFK, ORD, MIA, DFW, LAX, or any other with service to Europe like RDU or BOS) is 70,000 miles return, though.
Check the AAdvantage earning charts for the airlines you'll be using on your RTW trip and select carriers and qualifying fares that'll give you full miles.
The same applies for those SOF-Germany flights: You have the choice of AB and BA. BA will earn 100% mileage on all fares (even the cheapest ones) in the AAdvantage program, while AB's cheapest buckets will only earn 25% mileage.
You'll likely manage to get enough miles for a North American AA award with some mileage maximizing on that RTW and two flights to Germany via LHR.

I'm relocating to HKG for work and will be doing a lot of intra-Asia flying. My company doesn't have a preferred airline but most people seem to suggest CX. I have about 100k in AA's MM program, although no active miles at the moment (I haven't used AA much after 2010).

Questions

(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply:

HKG, possibly SHA in a few years.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
Reply:

I anticipate 15-20 intra-Asia flights out of HKG for business, with 3-4 flights back to the States.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ? ( First, Business, Economy etc.)
Reply:

Economy for pleasure, business for work.

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

Yes, and yes. Most of my flying will be for work, I suspect, with some intra-Asia and return-to-US pleasure flights.

(5) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply:

Intra-Asia, with a few Asia-US flights. Potentially 1-2 Asia-EU vacation flights a year.

(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:

*G on A3.

(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:

Upgrades, when possible, and lounge access. Redemption in J/F would be nice as well if there's an associated CC that I can use to charge work-expenses to get additional miles.

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply:

CX, being based in HKG. Their transpacific service, I hear, is great. I really enjoy JAL as well (I used to fly JAL/QF a lot, as well as AA domestically).

Keep with AA, especially if HKG is only for a few years. Be careful about miles expiring:- 18 months ? Are your 100,000 AA miles still there ?
Have a close look at the AA plat challenge (but CX flights are not eligible IIRC) http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index...lenge_%28AA%29

If HKG is for a lifetime CX may be option.

For upgrades the general rule is you can only upgrade a flight marketed (flight number) and operated (metal) by the airline of your freq flyer programme (no codeshares). All subject to the t&c's of your FFP and your paid ticket. Low cost tickets are often not eligible for upgrades. However as is the way with FFP's there are some (expensive) upgrade exceptions with AA/BA/IB with higher priced economy fares. For airline's not based in the USA, upgrades work differently. Business & first is usally paid or with some upgrades. Business and first class is not "upgrade" class for everyone

And note AA is starting DFW-HKG service with the 773s starting in a few months.

Yeah, after I figured out I wasn't flying much with AA after 2010, I burned through what miles I could, and donated the rest to RedCross. So, I have 100k in lifetime miles but no actual miles in AA (hence, the lack of any attachment). :)

Although maybe qualifying for AA plat is worth more than CX silver/gold? What is the difference (if any) of being a AA plat vs. CX silver, for someone based out of HK? (I don't plan on being in HK forever, though).

4 flights to the USA would yield more than 50K EQM. If the intra-Asia flights are mostly in the J cabin, they will credit to all FF programs. And within Asia and transPacific, CX certainly have the reputation of taking care of their elite members very well. Better than partner OneWorld Sapphires.

The issue I see is whether you can earn the initial mileage to reach CX Gold. As I understand it, 30K points will earn you CX Silver, then the date resets and you have one year to earn (and retain) CX Gold with 60K points (48K miles in J). Whereas AA needs 50K miles/points each calendar year.

While AA may have a slightly better earn/burn ration for awards, it is unclear at this point, how the upgrade possibilities on the new DFW-HKG flight will emerge. And the AA flights via NRT will take longer (but earn more miles).

If planning to be in Asia for more than two-three years, I would think about CX. Less, then AA. But after 50K to AA, I would examine whether I could earn (an additional) 30K with CX. 900K for LT Gold on AA is a now long call unless you can earn EXP in multiple years.

Last thought. PEY fares on CX are much less expensive exUSA. And should be valid for a year. Better conditions for flying than Y and earn better with both AA (1.5 EQP) and CX (at least 110%).

Happy wandering

Fred

Thanks for your thoughts. I agree that I was a bit concerned about hitting the miles/segment part for CX Gold (I figure it'd be easier to get AAEXP, actually, with the 100% bonus miles from being AA PLT, because I think I can nail the PLT challenge with a single J class flight out to HKG from the east coast). I was hoping that if I could get a status match to MPC SL, then try to hit 60k miles in a year (in theory, doable, I think, even with just intra-Asia flights).

I'm not quite sure whether or not bothering to try to hit CX Gold is worthwhile, but perhaps the service difference is worth it.

Finally, can you explain what you mean regarding PEY fares? What do you mean when you say they are valid for a year?

Caveat: Each program has different terms for crediting OneWorld partner flights.

AA PLT (except for the challenge which is a once off activity) requires 50K miles (EQM) or 50K points (EQP) each annual year. There is no EXP challenge ( I think the UA // DL activites have now completed), thus requiring 100K EQM or EQP each calendar year. Your travel description indicated segments are not really of interest. For AA travel in B Y (economy) and all W J and F classes earn 1.5 EQP per EQM credited. (with exceptions for mainly JL). Someone flying only these premium classes needs to fly 33.33K miles to earn AA PLT or 66.67K for EXP.

CX qualification is based on credited miles. In economy on CX, if it is V class or higher, one mile is credited. In premium Y (PEY) 110% is credited. J credits 125% and F 150%. So a CX Silver would need to earn 60K credited miles before the next anniversary date (ie one year from attaining Silver).
A CX someone flying only business classes would need to fly 48K miles to move from Silver to Gold (and retain it).

The trick in earning status is to purchase your flights where they are priced most competitively. Which is why many Flyer Talk people have spent the time to start their CX business flights from TPE rather than HKG. Or in my case, my flights are purchased in SEAsia rather than Australia. But that ordinarily means there is a long(er) gap between flights, which requires better planning and scheduling. Consider a trip every 3 months for a week's time. A->B (B->A->B repeated) rather than A->B->A repeated. In the case of flying economy Asia to/from the USA, it will be quickly noticed that CX fare classes starting from the USA are oriented to attract AA flyers in that H class (and PEY fares) are much more competitive (ie for the same $$). AA would be attractive to you mainly based on your business class flying in Asia. The normal CX economy fares will NOT credit to AA. Which is why I kept my original QF account. To earn at least some mileage on those CX Asia fares and QF domestic fares.

Read through the threads in the Cathay section to get a flavor of how CX elite FF members are treated better than their OW partner equivalents.

To repeat, if in Asia for more than a couple of years, CX may provide you a better deal. Before AA changed the million miler program and "soft landings" I might have offered different advice.

Happy wandering

Fred

Thank you in advance!
 

Hello, this is my first foray onto the AA board as a UA 1K almost 2MM. Sadly, I have become disillusioned with the series of latest changes at UA and feel that I must at last look at the 1W alternatives. I appreciate in advance all of your help and guidance and look forward to becoming a contributing member here as I have been on the UA forum.

To add to the info below, I have just received the Plat invitation (12k mile challenge and 20 free 500-mile certs).

(1) What is your home airport?
SMF

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class?
150-175k about 75% in paid coach and 25% in paid business

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Most convenient domestically (usually mid range economy fare classes) and W or better for international so as to have a chance of using my UA UGs)

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or, class of service?. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
I have absolute freedom of choice


(5) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
About 50% domestic/Caribbean and 50% international (mainly Australia/Europe)

(6) Do you have FFP status of any kind of OW or other airline at present?
No, but have been offered the immediate PLAT trial with 1-year status if I fly 12K

(7) What is most important to you in a FFP?
In order of priority: UG certificates, mileage redemption, Elite status at airport/on telephone, lounge access.

(8) Preferred Airlines
Currently UA but sadly that must change. (No 1W preference)

Thanks in advance


Lurker :)

I think AA is the clear choice, with or without the US merger. With your flying patterns it shouldn't be too hard for you to reach Executive Platinum, which will bring unlimited upgrades (space available) on domestic economy flights and automatic seating in Main Cabin Extra (= UA E+), 8 annual SWUs, admittance to Oneworld first class lounges on overseas trips (not Caribbean) as well as preferred seat selection on both AA and Oneworld partners, extra baggage allowance, blah blah. But best of all, it will get you the EXP desk at AA - the best airline CS agents I've ever encountered.

Of course flying out of SMF you'll spend a lot of time at DFW or LAX (or PHX if the merger goes through) but that's probably not too different from the status quo (sub DFW for DEN or ORD I guess.) Of course AA codeshares with AS up and down the west coast (some reciprocal elite perks) which also adds Alaska's network to the mix.

In my view Aadvantage is the superior product to United's FFP, and at least for the time being redemptions are still relatively cheap.

Many thanks Gardyloo,
that is exactly the expert summary I needed. Now it seems that I need to better investigate the UG opportunities to Australia for an AA EXP. I understand that the AA SWUs are not useful on that route. I assume that leaves me working out options on QF? Are questions about using my AA miles for QF UGs TPAC best addressed here or in the QF forum? I suppose I could also book QF Premium Economy, which I have heard on the grapevine is comfortable?

Thanks again for your help.

Lurker :)

Unfortunately AA status won't help much at all with QF. You can't use SWUs, and (I'm not sure on this - maybe the AA board) if it's similar to trying to upgrade on BA, you can only upgrade with AA miles on full fares, Y/J etc., so of no practical use. Also (taking a page from BA's FFP) it might be that you could only upgrade one cabin, i.e. economy to premium economy (which QF has on more and more flights) so going from Y to J would be out. Not sure, and I suspect upgrades on QF are not in the cards anyway.

If you have a stock of UA miles from your current life, you might want to conserve them for UGs on UA metal to Oz. Not sure if the upgrade requirements have been increased by UA along with everything else.

Maybe some of the QFF regulars on this board can chime in - I'm over my head on this one.

Unless you can find an award seat, AA miles on QF are not really very useful. And while it is not impossible to find business award seats transPacific, even QF elites are not always successful. Using a SWU into Japan (or extending to other Asian cities) and obtaining a seat on QF is normally more likely (but costs more $$ and/or miles). I don't believe QF Y+ is available as an award with AA.

Upgraded flights are not guaranteed even for the QF flyers. You apply and find out (usually) the day of the flight. Nothing available with AA miles that I am aware of.

Y+ is very comfortable (compared with Y) and pricewise is a much better deal exUSA than exAustralia. There is enough recline (and width) to feel like an arm chair for better sleeping and there is no dueling elbows during meals.

Happy wandering

Fred

Thank you both!

Lurker :)

I'll bite for some help :)
 

I'm a pretty much a complete newbie to the frequent flyer game. I just switched to a new job that is probably going to see me flying about with much much greater regularity than my last job of 13 years.

So I would really appreciate the help from all the old hands here :)

(1) What is your home airport?
Reply: Singapore SIN
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
Reply: likely 25k-50k
(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 Work and Pleasure
(5) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: Asia, Transpacific, Asia<>Europe
(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: AAdvantage and JAL mileage bank, but if you mean like anything above just a basic membership then no.
(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: Upgrades on travel, good award redemption rates.
(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: I usually fly on Star Alliance airlines but probably for Oneworld: BA, Finnair, CX

I already have an AAdvantage and JAL membership, but I don't have any remaining miles on either and don't foresee using either very often anymore.

Thanks in advance!