bhomburg

I would go with AA for the time being.
Oneworld partners BA and CX offer premium economy, which earns 1.5 EQP in AAdvantage, same as business class. You'd get to top tier status rather quickly with a few TPAC flights in CX PE...
If you currently have no AA status, sign up for their Platinum challenge (call AAdvantage customer service for this, 1-800-882-8880) which will give you a quick route to mid-tier status (100% bonus mileage, lounge access....). Attention: To my knowledge, CX flights do not count towards the challenges (there are restrictions, and not all partners are eligible for challenges), so buy the AA codeshare which will qualify.

bhomburg

The problem with Qatar is that their cheapest fares don't earn much in any program, even Privilege Club.....

bhomburg

The IB flight will earn 1022 miles in AA,
the LAN flights will earn 13392 miles (assuming 100% earning on the TATL segments and 25% for the intra-South-America segments) and
the QR flights will earn you 3850 miles (ouch... 25 % earning sucks. I'd look into upfaring that....)


Stick with AA, and buy the MEX flight on AA to satisfy the 4 segment rule.
Either fly that on AA metal (CDG-DFW/MIA-MEX) or buy the AA codeshare on the IB flight - AA codeshares count as AA segments. If you buy CDG-DFW/MIA-MEX on AA (11700 miles), you will indeed attain Gold status.
I have taken to use AA when flying to South America from Europe. It's priced competitively, and business class travel via SWUs plus Global Entry have taken the inconvenience out of transiting the US there . Plus, something like MXP-LHR-DFW-EZE nets me close to 40k RDM per flight

Kimcha

Hi,

Due to my new job I am flying more on American Airlines from Hong Kong, over Dallas to Santiago, Chile from time to time. That is around 25,000 miles return and I am confident I can get at least 50,000 per year.

I have flown this trip last year in November and haven't credit the ~25,000 miles anywhere.

I am flying this trip on Monday again and am trying to decide on a FFP.


My FFP:

1. Aegean Gold - Earned with 22,000 Miles
2. Air Berlin Top Miles - Status Match from Aegean with 250 Miles (Created yesterday)
3. AAdvantage - No Status with 250 Miles (Created yesterday)
4. Asia Miles - No Status with 13,000 Miles (Created in 2012)

I am trying to decide whether I should start using and crediting my miles to Air Berlin or whether I should try to get Platinum on AA.

Advantage Air Berlin:
- Already Gold (Oneworld Sapphire)

Advantages AA:
- Will get Bonus Miles
- Better Award Chart?
- Higher chance to be upgrade on AA flights?
- Anything else?

I have my Air Berlin status until March 2016 and if I earn 50k miles until then, I will have it until March 2017.

If I get AA Platinum this year, I will keep it until Feb 2017 and have until Dec 2016 to re-qualify. Is that correct?

Questions:
- Which program would be the most suitable for me?
- Are there any advantages/disadvantages of AA or AB that I don't see?
- Where can/should I credit the miles from last November to? Will AA or AB accept them even though the flights were before I joined their programs?
- Would it be possible to get the november miles credited to my AA account and start as Gold (Since I would have qualified back then)


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

Free lounge access, good award redemption, priority boarding


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

I will be flying around 50,000, maybe more miles this year. Most of them probably on AA flights.

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

Economy, cheapest, usually V class.


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

I would be traveling mostly for work and I cannot choose the airline or class of service. It would usually be the cheapest class, but may get upgraded through miles. Most of the time it will end up being American though.

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

For work, I usually fly from Hong Kong to the US and/or Chile and back.

For pleasure (Award Flights) I would mostly fly Europe <-> HK or HK <-> Australia.

(6) What is your home airport?

Hong Kong

(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 Aegean Gold and yesterday received a Status Match to Air Berlin (Oneworld Sapphire). I also have an old Asiamiles account with around 13,000 miles.

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

The most common airline will be American.

Mwenenzi

Welcome to FT

A few points to consider
- AA has a good (low) award charts with no surcharges, unless a BA flight
- AA requires you to fly 4 AA flights for status (a common requirement)
- AA has a status challenge for faster status. Look at post 1
- AA status will not get you USA AA lounge on pure USA domestic flights. AA status will get USA AA lounge access on international itineraries
- AA have SWU's and other upgrade instruments (zero cost)
- AB status will not get you an upgrade on an AA flight

Generally its best to be a member of the airline you fly most with
You AB card (in hand) may get you lounge access even if crediting to AA.

Hong Kong to SCL can also be by CX or QF HKG to SYD and then QF or LA SYD to SCL.

Most ffp's require you to be a member at the date of the flight. See post 1.
So that leaves only AsiaMiles. Asiamiles has poor earning on low cost economy fares.
Until yesterday you could have signed up for US Airways dividend miles. They allowed a 6 months retro credit for flights prior to sign up. US DM will become AA very soon. New US Airways ffp sign up's now get flicked to AA

Very few post here with detailed AB topbonus knowledge

bhomburg

As far as upgrades on AA go, especially on this route, unless you make it to Executive Platinum and acquire SWUs (four roundtrips to SCL per year) - , upgrading to business will cost you 50,000 miles plus a $700 co-pay each way (because Asia to North America and North America to deep South America will be treated as two upgrade awards, each priced at 25k miles plus a $350 co-pay).
And that is if the upgrade clears. The HKG-DFW flight is notoriously difficult to get an upgrade from Economy to business even for EXPs using SWUs who are ahead of Platinums using miles on the upgrade priority list - there's a giant thread over at the AA forum discussing this - read for some insight.

Airberlin will do retroactive credit for new members - BUT: For new members, miles are credited for flights taken up to three months before registering for topbonus. So that may or may not work for your November dates, depending on when you applied for topbonus membership.

I would leverage the AB status you have now - you will get lounge access and are able to select MCE seats on those AA flights for free, which is nice especially on that 16-hour HKG-DFW flight! - and go with AA going forward.
You require two round trips (HKG-DFW-SCL) for Platinum status on AA in a calender year - that should be perfectly doable for you. It also satisfies the four-segments-minimum rule.

Upgrade-wise, Airberlin will only let you use their miles for upgrading AB metal flights (although that may change in the future - I'm hoping to use them on Etihad at some point) and since they have cut all the Asian routes and don't fly to South America the only way you could use them would be for awards on the AA flights - which requires 200,000 miles for a return trip HKG-DFW-SCL in business - AAdvantage would require 170,000 miles for the same trip.
At least V fares on AA earn 100% miles in topbonus....

david7031

Hello! I have just received lifetime UA *G status and now can consider flying other airlines... so I'm deciding on the best OW FFP. Your advice would be greatly appreciated!

(1) 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, Upgrades and Business Class check-in are my hightes priorities. The extra baggage allowance is a nice to have. I rarely do straight awards, and if I do, then in Business or higher.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
(<25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles - <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply: I currently fly 30-50K miles TATL per year (6-9 segments), plus 6-12 short-haul segments per year within Europe, some of which could be done on AB or BA.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Normally the cheapest. On UA I have ocassionaly bought the lowest upgradeable fare (W) in order to upgrade with an SWU.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: I travel for work and pleasure. I can usually choose the airline. Class of service is paid (cheapest) economy.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: TATL is usually STR-LAX, although I have also departed from FRA (often), ZRH, and even MXP and CDG to get an afforable upgradeable fare. Inner-european is usally STR-TXL or STR-TRN (not so good for OW).

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

(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 Executive Platinum, QF Gold, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: I am a lifetime UA 1P with over 1M miles banked. I have 50K miles right now in Executive Club (Blue). Only status is on UA.

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: I used to love BA, back when I had a Exec. Club Gold (that was a while ago...). Right now, I find all of the Star Alliance airlines spotty, including UA: can be good, can be bad. Same for LH and LX in Economy. When I fly STR-TXL, i prefer strongly Air Berlin to Germanwings, which I absolutely hate. Germanwings is Lufthansa's version of Ryanair...

By the way... it seems to me that the programs I should be considering are AA, BA, IB and AB -- but I may be wrong, that's why I am asking for your expertise!

Joshua Kan

Will be living in Perth for the next two years trying to decide which frequent flier program to go with, looking into Quantas or AA (or other?). Will only but in Perth for two years, then coming back to the states. I could open an AA credit card to get 50k points from that in the US. Haven't found any credit cards in Australia the I can transfer points to AA. Or open a credit card in australia and earn points for Quantas.

So trying to decide if its better to sign up for Quantas, earn from flights and also miles earned from credit cards in Australia. OR Sign up for AA, earn miles from flights, and some points from credit cards.

Any Advice from the Experts?

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
upgrades on travel, good award redemption rates, better award access

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Will fly from Perth to the US twice a year

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Premium Economy, possibly occasionally Business

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Can make reccomendations but usually go with the cheapest, probably Quantas

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Seems like Quantas will be the one I will use most

(6) What is your home airport?
Perth Airport

(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?
None right now

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Have not flown from Perth yet, no preference

sannmann

I'd go with AA if I were you. Sign up for one of their credit cards before moving. Having QANTAS miles is not going to help you in two years when you return to the states. You can easily earn AAdvantage miles by flying QANTAS.

tom911

Are there any Citi AA cards that don't have a 3% forex fee? I know when I had a basic card with them a few years ago I did not use it outside the U.S. for that sole reason. Plenty of other non-AA cards that won't hit you with a forex fee (Hyatt and IHG come to mind).

I'd take a look at the earning chart for Qantas on the AA website and see what you might accrue:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...nes/qantas.jsp

AA codeshares always bring in full miles.

og

No need to put the "u" in QANTAS - although when the QF CEO talks it does sound like he's adding a U to the name

Don't expect much joy if you want to fly international on QF metal ex PER

adamg33

Hi (first time posting in flyertalk, love this site!),

I did a similar move last year, two years time in Melbourne after living in NY. I would also recommend AA while considering a few things:

1) I started with Qantas as we get lounge access and preferred prices through our company. Had no status with AA at the time. Qantas is fantastic in regards to customer support, flying experience, lounge quality, etc. Night and day compared to most of my experiences state side (literally unable to reach a person at US Airways via phone for over two years; could also legally justify murder due to insanity for half the Delta people I've interacted with; United in Newark - geez...).

Lounge access isn't that expensive though, and find that it's best value is international. Domestic lounges can get quite crowded, even though they are big, as it seems the whole country has access.

2) It is really easy to gain access to elite levels with Qantas due to their minimum points and qualifying status credits. I've rapidly accelerated to elite status (Gold, then Platinum) in under a year. While flying internally in Oz it is accessible everywhere, and of course has the oneworld alliance. They have great tools for estimating points earnings, redemption options, etc. I play with them all the time before making bookings.

3) Redemption benefits are terrible for the Qantas program. The value of points are likly 75% the value of AA points. When redeeming for flights you get hit hard twice, first in the overall number of points required for redemption, second in the taxes and fees still required on top of it. As an example, the "where could I go" section estimates that to fly round trip from Melbourne to London would require the following:

Economy: 128k points, AUD $939 in taxes, fees, and carrier charges
Premium Economy: 192k points, AUD $1331 in taxes, fees, and carrier charges
Business Class: 256k points, AUD $1642 in taxes, fees, and carrier charges
First Class: 384k points, AUD $1642 in taxes, fees, and carrier charges

The taxes and fees really bother me. For work I was quoted a $700 round trip economy flight between MEL
& SIN, ~250 for tickets and ~450 for taxes and fees. The other redemption go from a little worse (e.g. upgrades) to throwing away points (Qantas store).

From what I can tell (sorry don't have research readily accessible), AA is lower in points for redemption, much lower in fees, but will also have a bit lower earning rates. Check the AA site, most flights will have 100-150% miles flown earnings.

4) Do consider how you will be earning, in what time frame, and what your current status with AA is. Since it can be relatively quick to elite status with Qantas, if you build up elite within a year you can that try a status challenge with AA to minimize the pain of starting from scratch or not getting to a higher elite level. So if you get Qantas platinum, switch to AA gold, you can potentially get to AA exec platinum faster while getting elite oneworld benefits in the mean time. I'll be making the transfer to a challenge after the June 16th date to extend the AA status through Feb 2017. Check out other forum and blogger comments on AA challenge to learn more.

If the CC option is a good one to get points and status at AA, just jump on it from the start. Also keep in mind transfer partners for AA, such as SPG at 1:1. Qantas doesn't appear on most of these programs. Even my corporate Australian AMEX doesn't have Qantas as a partner.

adamg33

Should also add that to hit elite status in AA you need four qualifying flights on AA operated, not codeshared, flights. Unless flying from the states this can be very difficult to obtain. Haven't called yet to confirm, but I don't believe this is a requirement for status challenges.

wandering_fred

I don't know whether to add condolences or congratulations... In either case welcome to an interesting city about as far as you can get from New York.

You don't say where in the USA will be your destination. The reason I ask is that Cathay is one stop to more destinations in the USA than the local brand. And while admitting that CX PEY is not quite as good as QF Y+, both credit 1.5 EQP to the AA program. OTOH the CX program does quite well with the unpublished benefits. And after getting CX SL (at 30K points) your 2 round trips PER->USA will yield at least 48K points toward the 60K required for CX Gold. Though your return to the USA moves the choice towards AA. Consider where you will be flying after the two years. The lack of a soft landing now by AA has certainly influenced my thoughts. And the changes to the AA million miler program make it a fantasy for most people just starting serious flying.
You might consider a QF account, if domestic travel on QF will be a serious part of the stay. E class, the normal domestic economy sales category credits only to QF. O and Q credit token amounts to AA and none to CX. The QF account is free if opened before arrival in Australia or in conjunction with the local grocery discount program at Woolworths(Aus).

The second thing to consider is that almost all tickets are one year tickets now and while the fall of the Aussie dollar has mitigated the insane local prices, I think you will find that exUSA pricing on PEY (or Y+) will still be lower than exPER.

I find that a night (or two) stopover in Hong Kong (same time zone as Perth) makes the entire trip more bearable.

On the credit card, consider in what currency you will be paid. If US$, then by all means get the credit card(s) before you move. But when you get here get one (or a debit card) locally for day to day usage.

YMMV but happy wandering

Fred

PS: If you add an AA connecting flight in the USA to the international long haul, that would complete the 4 AA segment requirement with no extra. OTOH almost all AA flight classes credit to CX or QF.

adamg33

Good thoughts on Cathay, worth considering as well particularly due to their flights from HK.

In addition to the AA soft landing and million miles issues, there is definite uncertainty on what will happen to the program after the US Airways merger along with Delta / United changing their earning programs and whether AA will follow.

The connecting flights works only if you go back state side. Since Perth is so far from the states it can be a real pain to set aside the time and cost to fly back and forth. It is likely that unless you have business back home that the frequency of trips will be reduced (between five of us who moved, only four made it back at all in the last 15 months, and only two of those were within a year of leaving. Just really hard to get the time, plus when you have it there are so many new and exciting places to explore in the region that seem mythical when you live in the states). But to the good recommendation above, tack on the AA flights when you do fly home because it is a quick win in hitting those targets and adds only marginal costs to the flight, if any. Should consider similar connections within Oz (e.g. fly SYD first) as its usually a couple hours added to your flying time for thousands of points, more status qualifying, and little to no extra cost.

Hidden issue that myself and teammates missed when we moved is how you will get paid from your employer. If you are getting paid on the Oz system then you will need to review your bank accounts and whether they will support payments for a US credit card in their banking system. You can easily get hit hard with currency fluctuations, exchange rates, and fees on both ends if you need to transfer between Oz and US (or other) accounts. Local credit cards aren't as strong from a benefits standpoint and usually have higher yearly fees. If US credit card, no internationally fees is a must.