I'm an AA EXP member and I've been struggling with where to focus my earning since they announced the new structure earlier this year. With new EQD structure my EXP status drops to Gold.

I've looked into the options a *lot* and I keep finding new pieces of info when I think I'm close to making a decision so I just thought I'd get the opinion of some people more knowledgeable than myself.

At this point in my research, Alaska seems perfect except there's no EU->ME redemptions which are important to me. JAL maybe?

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Award redemptions, priority, baggage fees.

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

50-70k miles, <25 flights.

(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, can choose any. Work.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
DUB->LAS/SFO/LAX (AA, BA)
DUB->DXB (EK, EY)
DUB->LON (EI, BA)

(6) What is your home airport?
DUB

(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 EXP - mostly spent all miles.
EK - 40k miles. No status.
SPG Plat - 350k pts

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
BA, EK

I want to stop using AA as the product has gotten extremely bad on the routes I travel since completion of merger.

BAEC shows not much love for shorthaul discount economy passengers. The way their tier point system is set up, you'd need to fly 120 segments (60 return flights) between ARN and LHR in order to qualify for mid-tier silver /Oneworld Sapphire status.
The cheapest booking classes earn all of 5 TP on intra-European shorthaul flights, and you need 600 for Silver status, which will grant you lounge access.

You'd much better off with a program allowing segment qualification. Airberlin's topbonus and AAs AAdvantage let you qualify for mid-tier Gold resp. Platinum with 60 segments (30 return flight, even less if connecting). Both have no minimum AB/AA requirements (AA does away with a four-flight minimum for 2017) and let you acquire status without flying them at all.
However, AAs new-for-2017 spend requirements are hard to crack if you only fly shorthaul in discount economy on partners: ARN-LHR on BA in the cheapest booking classes earns the not-so-princely sum of 91 EQD - and you need 6000 for Platinum. So, not ideal.
Topbonus also has a generous status match program gong on (check https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/airb...ir-berlin.html . You'd likely get your Eurobonus status matched and requalification requirements relaxed for the first year (you retain Gold in 2018 with just 20 segments in 2017!), so I'd give that a try for Oneworld.

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:good award redemption rates

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: 36,000 miles; 6 round trips; up to 12 sectors
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Reply: First
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes, I can choose the airline and class of service; travel exclusively for pleasure.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Reply: US Domestic 80% the rest EWR to Europe
(6) What is your home airport?
Reply: 1) ABE 2) EWR
[B](7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it?
Reply: Constant bank of AA miles
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: AA

The grass in not always greener on the other side

You have posted on the OW, Star & Skyteam "which ffp" threads.
The questions are essentially the same. Your response is not the same

OW
Skyteam post 77
Star Alliance post 1850
So you are a member of all 3 ffps? Any others?
Have have ff miles with all?
Status with none?

Master, for those not sticking to one alliance http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html

USA based airline ffp's tend to be more generous (status benefits/earn/burn/upgrades/award cost/award cash surcharges/expiry/affiliated credit card ff mile earning/promotions) compared to non USA based airline ffp’s (even after the recently announced changes to some USA ffp’s). But if you are not flying the airline of your ffp the useful benefits are somewhat limited. Low cost fares are tending to earn few ff miles, but depends on the ffp.

The airline you fly most or an airline of the country you live is the best ffp for many people. Generally you are better earning on your primary airline due to greater recognition, better service when disruptions, ability to upgrade flights and possible operational upgrades.

But with the change of most USA based ffp's to revenue based for flights on own airline, flying the airline with best fares and best schedule that matches your requirements now has merit. And then treating any ff miles as a bonus, which may or may not, be able to be used. Low cost fares are tending to earn few ff miles, but depend on the ffp.

Awards assistance tools
Use at your own risk. These may not be up to date. (These are not recommendations)
Frequent flyer miles/points are not equal to or burn. They are not 1 to 1
If a multi segment award check the rules/cost carefully. With some ffp’s it can be 2 or more awards or cost more ff miles than a direct flight.
Some awards/airlines/routes can have cash surcharges, in addition to real taxes.
-AwardAce: Compare Award Redemptions Across Airlines In Seconds --> http://www.awardace.com/
-Economical Excursionist's Tools to compare Frequent Flyer Mile Redemptions --> http://www.flyermiler.com/
-http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ast-miles.html --> http://www.awardhacker.com/

The grass in not always greener on the other side

36k miles flown will not earn much with the devalued award charts these days. Even factoring multipliers for premium cabins, you simply don't fly enough to build up a meaningful balance which you can redeem for (premium cabin) awards before they expire.
So I`d rule out all programs with fixed expiration policies. The only programs that make sense for you are AAdvantage and BAEC.
AAdvantage hoses non-status members with very poor RDM earning after they switched to spend-based earning. If you have AA status (36k miles in premium cabins can mean you are Platinum...) the picture looks better.
BAEC earnings are still distance-based, which may work out better for you, especially if you are planning to use the points for domestic redemptions on AA.
Have a look at BAECs calculators for earning and redemptions and do the math with the routes you fly.

It looks to me like BA is your best choice. Aer Lingus is already eligible for tier point earning, and BA award availability is generally good throughout the system, although its usurious fees are still to be reckoned with.

To get to BA Silver (OW Sapphire, hence lounge access etc.) you need 600 tier points; a DUB-xLHR-LAX trip in discount business class would earn 180 TP (40+140) in each direction; a couple of return trips and you're there.

(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, extra baggage allowance
(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: 25K-50K, 25-50 flights
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: cheapest, usually Economy or premium economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: I travel for both work and leisure, when I get to choose I usually go for the cheapest option.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: transatlantic, a few Canada-Asia flights a year
(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: YVR, CAN sometimes when in Asia
(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: none yet...
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: I fly westjet a lot, but I don't think that helps :(

In USA lounge access is by paid membership, unless on an international itinerary.

Westjet is an AA ff partner. http://www.wheretocredit.com/westjet

Your answers are different to the Skyteam which ffp thread, with essentially the same questions, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27672662-post78.html

To my knowledge, the only oneworld program offering a FF relationship with WestJet is AAdvantage, and although you'll earn miles (very few of them after a huge devaluation effective Aug1, I might add) those are redeemable miles only and not status-qualifying.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...es/westjet.jsp.

Chasing status with your flying pattern is hopeless. 25-50k miles in cheapest economy - a lot of it on an airline that's not even a partner for most OW programs - will not get you anywhere meaningful, no matter which program.
Go the credit card route instead. Get a travel benefits card that comes with a priority pass membership for lounge access.
The co-branded AA cards will get you a free bag on AA.

And will not be any better with other alliances-airlines.

With the change of most USA based ffp's to revenue based for flights on own airline, flying the airline with best fares and best schedule that matches your requirements now has merit. And then treating any ff miles as a bonus, which may or may not, be able to be used.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Reply: Lounge access, priority security/check-in/boarding, complimentary/discounted or status upgrades, FFM accrual (in order hi-lo)

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
~100k economy or economy+, 10-15 roundtrips

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

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

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
London-Africa/Middle East

(6) What is your home airport?
LHR/LGW for next three years

(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 Plat, 80k+ (which will be burned by this summer on family reward trip)

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
New, but mostly BA/AA in the past

What is wrong with AA? BA would be the next choice, buy why change?
AA does not have soft landings (status fall to the bottom)

AA Plat (OW Sapphire) will get you lounge access

If flying to Middle East Etihad EY is an AA partner.

You will not get upgrades ex UK. With non USA airlines always expect to fly in the class you buy

After the 3 years then to where?

if changing from AAdvantage be careful about expiry http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...-t-expire.html

The grass in not always greener on the other side

Thanks for the response. Maybe I don't understand mileage accrual. On any OW flight, will I be able to put my AA number and accrue at the AA Plat rate?

After three years it will either be back to the states or Germany (FRA).

Yeah, it sucks about no soft-landing. That's how they keep us coming back!

As for expiry, the miles will be gone this summer anyway so the only holding power to AA is the current Plat.

Yes. For OW & AA partners, like EY, you will earn AA miles as per the AA charts. https://www.americanairlines.com.au/...r-airlines.jsp
For example BA https://www.americanairlines.com.au/...sh-airways.jsp
Will depend on the airline and fare booking class. Low cost fares can earn little or even nil.
www.wheretocredit.com gives a guide for redeemable ff miles (but check the AA web site).

With a non USA address you may be exempt from the AA $ spend requirement for status. Check the AA web site

Does that 100% rate mean I earn 1:1 for my base miles or does that mean I am earning double?