Hello, I am a frequent long haul flyer and would greatly appreciate any advice on FFPs.

Questions
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Reply: Mainly upgrades and reward flights, but also priority check in and baggage - these others are mostly covered in Executive Tiers
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: Around 50000 miles in Economy, and around 10 flights per year
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Reply: Economy - almost always discounted low fare class rates
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Travelling for work mainly, and airlines can be chosen
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Reply: Flying between HKG and LHR 8-10 times a year, usually with CX or BA, plus one or two short-haul, mostly in Europe and Asia with aforementioned two airlines
(6) What is your home airport?
Reply: Constantly moving between HKG and 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 Bronze and Asia Miles, but will soon use up miles banked in them
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: CX and BA

Thank you in advance for your help!

Which Oneworld alliance member do I choose?
 

Hi all

A new member here.

I am flying to Australia a lot in First on Quantas. And over the past couple of flights I have collected BA Avios and moved up from nothing to Gold.

I was always told that you should join the airline club that is located in your home country hence why I joined BA.

However because I am collecting BA miles it results in me only getting less than half the possible miles but I still get miles as Quantas is in the Oneworld Alliance.

The only time I use the miles is taking short European flights. In the future I would use them to go on a family trip once a year to Hong Kong. Which currently I do in Cathay Pacific. Again this is on be Oneworld Alliance. Annoying you cannot fly with them to Melbourne.

So my question is what do I do? Should I swap to join Quantas? Or does that devalue the miles I get if I try to use them on BA? I suppose it doesn't matter as the advantages I get are the same as they are all in the Oneworld Alliance? I.e. Gold checkin, access to all Oneworld lounges and priority booking?

The other option is leaving the Oneworld Alliance and joining Emirates as they fly to HK as well.

Any guidance appreciated on how I should proceed and who I should collect miles with appreciated.

Have a look at the "Which oneworld program to join" thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...help-here.html. (where you should have posted in instead of opening this one - it'll probably get merged there)

Generally, key element in choice of programs is what you want from it. For shorthaul flights within Europe, BA is indeed a very good choice thanks to RFS. For longhaul premium cabin redemptions, especially taking surcharges into account, not so much.
As you say that you fly paid F on Qantas, there's not much you can gain by having status with them (see the recent What is Platinum One really worth? About 1 bottle of champagne... thread there). There is nothing to get upgraded into, and as an F passenger you are already getting treated well.

Gleaning from other threads on here, it appears that QFF is mainly interesting to Australians who can (and do) earn points through non-flying activity, but not the best choice as a FFP. You may earn more miles than you do with BAEC, but the redemption cost is also very high. A lot of frequent fliers have recently abandoned QFF for BAEC and AAdvantage after particularly nasty devaluations.

If your goal is to maximize earning for longhaul premium cabin award travel UK-HKG on CX, look at Marco Polo and Asia Miles. As a Diamond member, you'll get systemwide upgrades you can use for your family, and also have advance access to reduced mileage award inventory. It can get rather tricky getting a whole family on one flight on award tickets in a premium cabin these days, with airlines managing award inventory more granular than ever, so this is a nice benefit.

If you fly enough (that's to say way more than it takes to qualify for Emerald status in any one program), it is also an option to split earning between programs. In your case, credit to BA so you'll have enough Avios for those intra-European trips, and the rest to a program that will provide you with a better value for those HKG trips (AA or CX).
Although my primary program is AA and I credit most activity there, I always see that I have some Avios (for short intra-US domestic flights on AA which would cost a lot more using AA miles, or intra-EU RFS awards on BA) and airberlin topbonus miles (so I can take advantage of their "topdeal" redemptions which are a very good deal).

Welcome to FT!

I'm moving your post to the existing thread regarding which OW FF program to choose.

Gardyloo
Oneworld moderator

[QUOTE=ccfc27;28216334]Hello, I am a frequent long haul flyer and would greatly appreciate any advice on FFPs.

Questions
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Reply: Mainly upgrades and reward flights, but also priority check in and baggage - these others are mostly covered in Executive Tiers
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: Around 50000 miles in Economy, and around 10 flights per year
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Reply: Economy - almost always discounted low fare class rates
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Travelling for work mainly, and airlines can be chosen
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Reply: Flying between HKG and LHR 8-10 times a year, usually with CX or BA, plus one or two short-haul, mostly in Europe and Asia with aforementioned two airlines
(6) What is your home airport?
Reply: Constantly moving between HKG and 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 Bronze and Asia Miles, but will soon use up miles banked in them
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: CX and BA

Thank you in advance for your help![/QUOTE

CX discount economy fares earn nothing at all in most programs save BAEC and Asia Miles (Asia Miles has more fare classes earning at 100% than does BAEC). I´d stick with what you're doing now, with BA as the main program. BA has the advantage that your points will not expire as long as you keep earning some constantly, unlike Asia Miles where they expire after three years (the fees for extending expiration another three years are outrageous).

Unless you're starting to fly Premium Economy (check fare sales and airport upgrades - with BAEC you earn according to the upgraded cabin!) you will not get status beyond Bronze even with monthly flights given the shameful 20 tier points earned for discount economy flights... It's the same with Marco Polo.

Hello all, am already an Elite Plus on Turkish Airlines. As such, am exploring getting status on a Oneworld program so that I have more flying options. I'm a former CX Gold, but as we all know CX's program is nigh impossible nowadays. So any others recommendations would be appreciated!

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?
Reply: priority check-in, free lounge access, extra baggage allowance

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: >50,000 miles, 25-50 sectors. Mostly economy but sometimes business.


(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Economy

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Mostly work travels. Just anything that isn't CX's program.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Reply: Southeast Asia to Europe

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

(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: Turkish Elite Plus, CX Green

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: I like CX but not their FF program. I don't like BA much. I guess that leaves Qatar and Finnair?

Exactly these two would be what I`d recommend looking into. Royal Jordanian also deserves a honorable mention.
If you like to keep flying CX but credit elsewhere, Finnair Plus clearly wins there as they have a bunch of fare classes that earn 100% or 50% whereas they will only earn 50% or 25% with QRPC.
Also, check if airberlin will let you match your TK status. Anecdotal evidence (see the FT thread) would suggest you shouldn't have a problem getting matched from TK. You can then keep this for a year and enjoy the benefits while determining to stay with them or build status in another program.

Flying Y on QR is a markedly better experience with oneworld status. You can select seats on the upper deck of the QR A380 between BKK and DOH (much, much nicer). Also, although QR doesn't let elites traveling in Y into their premium lounges in DOH but relegates passengers to subpar-in-comparison "First" and "Business" lounges that have been created solely for this purpose, these still beat the terminal, and they have showers and food during the unavoidable DOH layovers.

Finnair is very nice overall. Oneworld status will get you free (Emerald) or discounted (Sapphire) Economy Comfort seats, too. They're now my preferred carrier between Europe and Asia. Their FFP hasn't been devalued as much as others yet.

Thanks a lot bhomburg for the insightful reply! But well a lot has happened in such a short time, including the Qatar sanctions... I was originally going to go for Qatar (since Finnair tickets from Bangkok to Europe seem more expensive), but now am back to square one...

Thanks a lot, but I've never flown on AirBerlin, and friends have said it isn't worth flying, so I'm torn...

Hmmm maybe I should try them. But somehow when I checked, the tickets were 20%-30% more pricey than on Qatar?

While the common consensus around here is that you should pick the FFP of the airline you end up flying the most as your primary program, you don't have to follow this. You can very well fly airline A a lot but credit all those flights to a partner airline program if that works out better for your specific needs.

Look at the Finnair plus earning tables for Qatar flights. Right now, Y,B,H,K and M booking classes earn 100% (status qualifying) points in Finnair Plus, L,V,S,N,T and Q earn 50%, and only the three lowest booking classes O, W and G earn just 25%.
With QRPC, only full-fare Y and high-priced B and H fares earn 100%, the number of mid-priced fare classes that earn 75% and 50% is lower and the number of 25%-earning fares higher - including the widely available, discount "T" fares.
So, on average, if flying Qatar in economy on tickets that the average business traveler books (excluding special promo pricing or fare sales) you get more Finnair Plus points flying Qatar than you would get Privilege Plus miles.
Example:
Flying BKK-DOH-FRA and return on QR on a T fare, you'll earn 3,060 qmiles (award miles) and 40 Qpoints (status qualifying points). To qualify for mid-tier QR Gold/oneworld sapphire status, you'll need 300 Qpoints in 12 months. You will have qualified for Gold status only on the return leg of your eight annual trip to Europe.
Flying BKK-DOH-FRA and return on a QR T fare but crediting to Finnair Plus, you will earn 19,700 (status-qualifying) points. With the AY+ Gold status threshold set at 80,000 points, that means you'll have qualified for Finnair Plus Gold/oneworld sapphire status on the outbound leg of your fifth annual flight - twice as quick than if you credited the same flights to Qatars' program.

I only suggested to go with Airberlin topbonus because they will offer a status match from TK (to my knowledge, no other oneworld airline will do this at the moment). The program as such isn't very attractive for you. But you can use your matched status for the benefits while building status on another oneworld airline.

There's a simple logic behind why Qatar flights are cheaper than Finnair's: You will have to connect in Doha going to Europe, and Finnair flies non-stop (Well, to Helsinki...). The operational and economic advantages of having a hub halfway between Europe and Asia in a region with no/low taxation, cheap labor etc. enable lower prices and are the reason why Qatar, Emirates and Etihad have lured so many passengers onto their planes and away from the European and Asian airlines.
Personally, in economy, I don't mind the stop in the middle of the night as sleep is compromised anyway, and the option of having a shower, getting some food and stretching the legs is appreciated. In business class, different story. I can get a night of uninterrupted sleep on a nonstop Europe-Asia flight, which for business travel is crucial as it allows me to hit the ground running.

Hello to all! I have a question also regarding the best program to choose from.

Questions
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Lounge access, baggage allowance, priority check in
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Around 20000 miles (Economy), with 15-20 flights
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Economy, probably the cheapest prices
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes, I can choose airlines. I travel mostly for work and sometimes leisure
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Mostly within Europe, and about one intercontinental travel. Airlines ... depending on destination and prices (i try mostly Star Alliance).
(6) What is your home airport?
I have been to different places, but for future reference I would say ATH (Athens, Greece)
(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?
Yes, I am Gold in Star Alliance (Aegean) and I have about 25000 miles in AA.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Aegean in Star Alliance - I am looking the one in One World!

Actually I have credited my miles in AA but I do not think that I get so much out of this ff program. I would like something that I could easily hit a status (not the top one) to have access in lounges mainly when travelling. I have seen the previous discussion on Qatar and Finnair, and I wonder if this apply to my case also (and perhaps Jordanian Airlines?).

gmaravel Welcome to FT

You do not fly enough (distance, price paid and class of travel) to get status.
That is the sad reality.

Ok, I can live with this. Thanks for you reply!

Sad, but true.
Adding to this - for what you aim to get from status (lounge access while flying economy, airport benefits) you generally will need to qualify for the mid-tier level, which in most programs kicks in at 50,000 flown miles/50 segments. Also, most airlines have made it more difficult for passengers on deep discount economy fares to qualify for status, be it through outright spend requirements (AA) or through a tier point system (BA, QR...) that disproportionately rewards premium cabin travel and disadvantages those in the cheapest fare classes.
With only 20k miles flown annually on deep discount shorthaul flights within Europe, forget about status. Buy a Priority Pass membership (or get a credit card that comes with PP) for lounge access. Even though this is FT, flying an extra 30k miles and spending four figures on mileage runs just to get status is not something I`d recommend in your case.

Continue to bank your miles with AA or check out the IAG airlines (BA, IB, maybe Aer Lingus' new program) as in all other programs your miles will expire before you have collected enough for redemptions, especially if your aim is longhaul premium class awards and/or multiple awards for family travel. Also, look into co-branded credit cards for non-flying points accrual (some programs even award status miles for cc spend, like AB topbonus German and Austrian cards, or the higher-tier US airline cards on offer for US residents).

Hi bhomburg, just want to say thank you for taking so much time answering me - your advice is really appreciated (even if I do reply quite late!). I learned a lot from what you said.

Well, circumstances made it way easier for me to decide - I have to fly to Astana next month all of a sudden, and from Bangkok to Astana there are basically 0 Star Alliance options as Turkish Elite Plus. So I decided on going with Air Berlin topbonus since if I fly Etihad I get status miles on topbonus. Plus I can (maybe) status match...

But I read that I need to be a resident of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and USA to do the status match? This will be an issue since I live in Bangkok right now...

Any advice is appreciated!

You can get status of sorts with low- fare European economy flying - BAEC gives Bronze at 20 segments I think, and Silver at 50.