Mwenenzi

For awards QF is worse than terrible. Look at post 330.

For residents of the USA AA is the default choice. AA miles from credit cards is good for many people. But with AS they have QF, CX, AA, & DL as partners so that gives you wide coverage. http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...ePlan-partners

I would be looking at using those QF points and use AA or AS as your main ffp. Domestic AA flights using QF points can be reasonable value (compared to other QF awards)

garick

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Reply: Free lounge access. Extra baggage allowance is also nice.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: <25000 miles - <25 flights

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

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Mix of work and pleasure. For work I can't really choose my airline and fly economy.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Reply: At the moment I'm based in Arcata, California and the closest airport is San Francisco. I don't have many work trips but they will likely all be to Asia.
I'm from Australia however and will likely move back closer to there in the next 1-3 years, possibly to somewhere in Asia, at which point I will be doing a lot of travel around Asia and maybe to Australia and back.

(6) What is your home airport?
Reply: SFO currently but will likely change to somewhere in Asia in the next 1-3 years.

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in tOW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
Reply: None. I have about 20,000 miles on Qantas and about 4,000 miles on Malaysia Air Enrich (which was a mistake), and 13,770 Virgin Velocity points. I really need to consolidate my miles and have a strategy on earning them going forwards.

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: None really. Though my work trip coming up to India and Perth, Australia is mostly on Cathay Pacific.

Mwenenzi

garick Welcome to FT

Just join AA. Is still the best OneWorld ffp for someone living in USA. Some USA people like BA which is good for short haul awards. Look here for some good info on BA awards.

You do not fly enough to get status, unless your future trips are business class. High status get you lounge access. However AA status does not get you lounge access for USA domestic flights.

Be careful about expiry of the QF (18 months) & VA points(36 months?). Use them or earn some more. Not that hard to do.

Manoams

Questions
For members asking for information, to help people to assist you, can you please provide:
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?

Award flights from Hawaii to Japan and Japan to Europe on economy Fuel surcharges from or to Japan where I usually fly are insane with JAL so I am not sure what other choice I have for redeeming flights without paying $600 in taxes for a supposedly awarded ticket. Free Oneworld business lounge access would also be very nice but with my amount of flying I don't expect to be able to get that.

Increased luggage allowance is not a big deal because JAL always gives me 2x 23kg check in luggage even for cheapest economy flights

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

25000 to 30000 all in economy, 4 or 5 flights?

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

Cheapest economy flights, often less than 100% mileage accrual rate.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Can always choose airline and fly for mostly pleasure (seeing family)

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

Honolulu (HNL)- Osaka (KIX, ITM)
Osaka (KIX, ITM) - Paris (CDG, ORY), Geneva (GVA)
Honolulu (HNL) - Los Angeles (LAX)
Osaka (KIX, ITM) - Seoul (ICN, GMP), Bangkok (BKK)

Usually JAL because there is no American from HNL. Also use Qatar pretty often and British Airways from time to time

(6) What is your home airport?
Honolulu, however I actually fly more often from KIX/ITM

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
Unfortunately not because until I discovered this forum recently I have been acting stupid and am all over the place. I have way too many different mileage cards (sometimes the same alliance) so I end up never having enough miles for award or FFP.
Right now though 28000 miles on Jal Mileage Bank, 18000 on ANA Mileage Club, 15000 on Delta Skymiles, 12000 on Hawaiianmiles, 20000 on Lufthansa Miles & More

As you can see ANA and Lufthansa are both SA and I could have accrued hawaiian air miles on my ANA card instead and combined I would have had 50000 miles if I stuck to the ANA card.

(8) Preferred Airlines
JAL and Qatar most often (JAL usually has pretty cheap flights to Japan from Hawaii). But I don't mind any other company's card as long as I can get award flights from time to time.

Frankly I am not sure if a oneworld FFP would be the best for my case. Star Alliance definitely has a lot more flights from Osaka.

Mwenenzi

As you are buying tickets by price and FFP consideration second, treat any miles as a bonus.

With so many FFP's with small balances I would carefully check the expiry rules and expiry date of all these FFP's.
Then determine the cost of awards for routes you may fly for all these FFP's
Build up the balance in 1 or more of these and use the miles, before they expire.
Earn to burn is what is important

As you have now realised the airline you fly and the airline FFP you credit miles to does not need to be same (FFP's have partner airlines)

For a residents of the USA AA is still the best OneWorld FFP. As post above some like BA. Alaska is a good catchall for some people

But as you noted Star airlines may serve you better for the routes you travel

wellow

Questions
For members asking for information, to help people to assist you, can you please provide:
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
upgrades on travel, lounge access, good award redemption rates

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
100,000+ miles

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

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

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Jakarta - Paris
Jakarta - LA/NYC
Jakarta - HKG

(6) What is your home airport?
Jakarta CGK

(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?
QR Privilege Club Platinum (OW Emerald), around 350,000 miles

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: Qatar, but flying Cathay more since they join OW. Sometimes AA US domestic.

I am deciding between Qatar and Cathay. One biggest factor of the move is that I cannot upgrade using mileage in OneWorld airlines with Qatar's mileage. Plus Qatar is getting more and more expensive in their business class. Is the move worth it? How hard is it to earn CX Diamond membership?

Thanks!

Mwenenzi

Reading the QF forum it seems upgrades on QR are hard to get & and the method used is difficult

For upgrades the general rule is you can only upgrade a flight marketed (flight number) and operated (metal) by the airline of your frequent flyer programme (no codeshares) with your airlines upgrade instrument (e.g. miles, SWU). 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 upgrade exceptions
- on AA/BA/IB with higher priced economy fares using AA/BA/IB upgrade instruments
- on some BA tickets with Asia Miles

Reports on FT is that CX treats its own top status passengers very good. If flying business class top status may be achievable: put the numbers into a spreadsheet. And look in the CX forum

Be careful about the expiry of your QR points.

garick

Thanks for the advice Mwenenzi! I'm likely to move back to the Asia region or Australia in the next year or 2 though. What would be the best Oneworld FFP for that region? Also, if I'm probably not going to get enough status for lounge access I guess my next priority would be good award redemption rates.

Pepper11

Hi, Please help me to decide. Thanks.

(1) What is your home airport?
BUD
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class?
25-50k, usually economy, sometimes business
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Usually economy within Europe, if its wide body either premium economy or business. Flying in business within Europe if its a good price. Transatlantic flights usually business.
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or, class of service?. Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
usually work, 2-3 times a year leisure
(5) Which routes do you fly most often
I fly Eastern Europen cities from BUD and twice to London each year.
(6) Do you have FFP status of any kind of OW or other airline at present? What is it?
I have just joined BA Exec Club basic status.
(7) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Lounge access and free advance seat selection.
(8) Preferred Airlines
Not important


I have A3 and SPG Gold status.

Thanks.

flipstah

(1) What is your home airport? YYC
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y or W
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 30K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? None
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Good redemption rates and better seating for a discount (AMEX Plat gives me lounge access already)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often Usually YYC to Asia
(7) Preferred Airlines Delta has been good to me and same with Cathay
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure and very flexible

Right now, I'm leaning alliance towards Skyteam then OneWorld. *A is at the bottom because I'm not a fan of Air Canada.

Gardyloo

You might want to look at Alaska Airlines (AS) which partners both with CX and DL (as well as AA and others) so you could earn/burn on either airline. AS' redemption rates are very good, and even if you don't fly AS itself, it's an excellent and flexible program. You might also look at MBNA's Alaska-branded credit card, which has a 25K mile signup bonus, but which also gives you a $100 annual companion fare (Y only) on any AS-metal itinerary, including Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, etc.

http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...av:mileagePlan

flipstah

I was thinking that since I have a CDN AMEX Plat, it's easy for me to convert those points to either SkyMiles or Aeroplan at 1:1.

What do you think of the CX card they have here in Canada? http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-c...edit-card.html

EDIT: RBC Canada also has a British Airways-branded VISA but in order for me to maximize one of the perks (companion fare with $30k annual spend), I'll have to give up the AMEX Platinum.

Gardyloo

Personally, I think the nickname for Delta's program, "Sky Pesos" is a gross understatement. TERRIBLE redemption rates IMO.

The BA companion fare can be okay but your post said you travel mainly to Asia, so routing via London sounds like a giant pain. I don't much like BA's liberal addition of fuel surcharges on their "award" tickets at all - the best use of Avios is short-haul in North America, North America - Asia or Latin America, or (best) upgrades on BA metal.

Not familiar with the CX card, but I'd still go with the Alaska card - better and more spending options than with either Delta, AC, CX or BA.

flipstah

I'm leaning more towards either the CX or the AA card. I like how you can redeem with partner airlines but sounds to be a pain:

http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...rd-travel.aspx

I'll have to read up on the AA card. Thanks for the suggestion!

Pepper11

Hi, can anyone provide me with advise on this? Thanks a lot.