wandering_fred

Stewie Mac

If you fly more than once a year (ie less than every 12 months) buy your tickets in South Africa and fly y+. The price difference will be "useful".

Happy wandering

Fred

Stewie Mac

Fred

Understood - I did know that but since I never know my return dates, figured that I couldn't use it (ie that tickets were non-flexible).

But just checked now and see that they are changeable for ZAR1300.... which makes this v interesting. Thanks

e195

Hi guys
Looking for advice as Ba changing the collection terms of Avios

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?
Reply: lounge access

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: Expecting to fly 35k-55k

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Reply: Economy sometimes economy plus

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

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Reply: mostly European, with the occasional US trip, and Asian trip. But can hit the U.S. To do a mileage run

(6) What is your home airport?
Reply: LHR

(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?
Reply: BA Silver

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: British airways.

Thanks in advance

77W_12A

Have you looked into AY? There's no mention about "own metal," requirements.

travel_mav

Anyone?

Gardyloo

With an increased activity level and based in NYC, I think it's hard not to suggest going with AA. Yes, you don't get much credit flying CX discount fares, but you could fly on AA metal to HKG and minimize the CX "losses" to any intra-Asia flights.

But by comparison you have so many domestic and TATL options that it might be possible to get to, and maintain, AA Platinum (OW Sapphire) through ordinary travel, maybe with the odd mileage run thrown in (easy from NYC). Plat would get you a 100% mileage bonus, lounge access on international itineraries, easier domestic upgrades, and many more perks than AA Gold/OW Ruby earns.

muley555

I am starting a job that will require 4-6 trips per yr SEA-LHR as well as 1 SEA-SYD.

I am Australian so would like to be able to use miles for QF upgrades when traveling with the family (would also like op-up SEA-LHR when possible).

So trying to decide between BA or AA for my ff program. I could get oneworld sapphire status on BA with my itinerary but am curious whether AA is a better option. Also, do either have an advantage in redemption for QF upgrades.

(1) home airport - SEA
(2) miles flown each year & in what class? - 50K in Y
(3) types of fares bought - economy or flex economy
(4) choice of airlines/cabins. work and/or pleasure? - work - BA, AA, QF
(5) routes flown most often - SEA-LHR (4-6 times per year), SEA-SYD (1 per yr)
(6) current FFP status - none
(7) What is most important to you in a FFP? - lounge access, priority services, good redemption rates. (in that order)
(8) Preferred Airlines - QF, BA, AA

Mwenenzi

As a resident of USA I would go with AA.
Look at post 1 for links to the AA Plat challenge

AA status will not give you AA domestic lounge access.
Until recently Qantas Club (and QF gold?) would have given you AA domestic lounge access. But the rules have changed.
So you need top tier BA or QF status for AA domestic lounge access.

A full AA award can less miles than a QF upgrade. And then you still must pay QF a **** load of cash Post 330

As you probably know you can only upgrade QF flight numbers on QF aircraft with QF points. But it is a lottery, with poor odds. No cross airline upgrades with miles/avios

SPBanker

You are right, AY has no own metal requirement.

Stewie Mac

Thanks guys, good spot on AY. Sadly, they also only give 25% tier points on cheapo BA economy, and would therefore need 20 LHR-JNB returns to get OWS (= 224k BIS miles )

travel_mav

Thanks Gardyloo! I am leaning towards this option, and it looks like CX PE/Y+ are a "sweet spot" when crediting to AA. The AA mileage bonuses for those with status will be welcomed, as MPC only bonuses fare classes.

Askartus

Hello everyone,

my girlfriend and I are currently A* Gold with A3 (Aegean) and have been Silver with LH a couple of years.
We are, with only a few exceptions, only leisure flyers - but this with a couple of flights a year. And since the flight itself counts as a holiday for us, we would like to have a relaxing and recreative flight whenever possible.
Due to a mechanical problem some weeks ago, we have been rebooked to BA (DUS -> LHR -> ABZ) and this got us thinking about joining another Frequent Flyer Programm, since flights with Germanwings are not credited to A3 and all LH flights that are not from or to Frankfurt or Munich are shifted to A3.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, free lounge access

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
20000-30000, almost only in Europe, one or two flights to North America or Asia per year

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Mostly in Eco, if a long flight is involved discounted Business or premium eco

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Work only one or two inter-european flights

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Inter-European (DUS/CGN -> ABZ/EDI/GLA two or three times a year)

(6) What is your home airport?
CGN/DUS/BRU/AMS/FRA (every airport is within a 2 hour train ride)

(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?
200k miles in LH Miles and More / no status
25k miles in A3 Miles and Bonus / A* Gold until 12/2015

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
LH, OS, LX, BA, 4U (only when nothing else is available)

Addition:
- We are planning two trips this year: One flight to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver and another to Las Vegas
- We are planning at least one trip to Thailand and Bhutan next year / maybe another flight to Seoul
- My current prefrence is a Statusmatch with Air Berlin and adding the planned flights (or at least one of them) to expend the status with oneworld.

Thanks in advance for your help

bhomburg

That is exactly what I would have suggested you do. You'll likely get your status matched to AB Gold, which comes with a nice set of benefits.
Alternatively, and only when you are sure to travel to the US at least once per year to satisfy their minimum segments on AA metal requirement, you could also go with AA - AAdvantage currently is the most generous program out there fitting your travel pattern.

However, long-term, re-qualification for OW Sapphire will not be possible with only one or two longhaul trips a year, the more so when that trip isn't flown in a premium cabin.
Mid-tier oneworld sapphire status (which comes with lounge access..) usually requires the equivalent of 50,000 miles of annual BIS flying. Sadly, oneworld does not have an equivalent to A3s program among its members.

BigKevOz

Hi all,

I have been a QFF member for many many years - ranging from nothing to silver to gold and back to nothing. I no longer live in Australia, but will stay QFF for various reasons, but due to lack of QF flights, I'll probably never get status again. Wondering which programme I should join now for most of my crediting...

(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, baggage (in that order)
(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: <25000, <25 flights
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Economy (for business), cheapest (for pleasure)
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Have very little influence.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: TLV-USA
(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: TLV
(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: Nothing of worth (points in QFF and OZ - but nothing more)
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: None in particular


Thanks in advance, guys & gals!

Gardyloo

I'd probably go with AA, now that AA has nonstop service to the USA (TLV-PHL, a US Airways route.) Unfortunately AA dropped its partnership with El Al, but you can still earn miles on other Oneworld carriers that serve TLV such as BA, Iberia, Air Berlin and Finnair.