#1son

I was considering a change from QR to CX but Cathay just seems too stingy with status match and earning it, though I like what I read about AsiaMiles program

likely moving to Milan in 2018 and I visit HK several times a year

EK is a great airline but I am tired of Dubai and EK has lost some of its shine for me

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
top status > Emerald
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
mixed J or Y, 60 to 70,000 miles
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
flex Y or Business Saver
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes, for both
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
EK or QR, fly to HK and USA several times, then Africa and Europe as well
(6) What is your home airport?
DXB now but thinking about a move to Milan (Malpensa)
(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 Plat and EK Gold, have minimal miles as I strongly believe in earning and burning with these regular devaluations and rule changes
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
I like QR but this UAE and KSA blockade is a deal breaker if I am in Dubai, so been mostly EK

JAXBA

If you're flying oneworld + EK then QF Frequent Flyer seems to make sense to me - you can credit it all to QF and keep your existing QR account as a back up oneworld programme.

Mwenenzi

What do you expect to get from Emerald status?
If flying business class status does give a lot more benefits
A status match is hard to get:- being optimistic in hoping for a match.

The airline you fly and the airline ffp you credit to do nor need to be the same.
Bur generally better to be a ff member the airline you fly most.
QF is a very poor ffp (being generous).
With QF ffp need 4 QF or eligible JQ flights for status
AS also has EK & several OW airlines as partners. But AA will not be an AS ff partner from 1 Jan 2018
#1son has not stated if he/she will stop crediting to EK

#1son

thanks for the comments

I read about FFs in OW yesterday for a couple hours as I want to have a plan to begin 2018

this Emerald status is quite handy and I want to use it more often, EK will lose out and my travel to Dubai will be greatly reduced (been doing it for 12 years)

people in OZ did not even have anything good to say about QF but I did consider it, Cathay could make sense but like many things Chinese (HKese) it is overly complicated and BA was possible but the airports in London would scare me off that plan and AA is out

so it seems the way forward is with Qatar who I like and think will continue to offer value for $$$ paid in 2018

Karl Gustav Annus

I booked ARN-AKL-OSL trip on QR class D for end of the year.. Maybe you guys can have a look and decide what should I do status-wise. I would definitely like to keep my TK *G as I'm quite often flying Nordica/LOT polish. Do I have any options to reach a lounge-eligible status in OW with that amount of flying?

1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
1)free lounge 2)Prio security 3)extra luggage 4)family pooling or easy transfer of points
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
2 Long-haul returns in cheap J, around 30-40 intra-EU cheapest Y legs. Would have half of them on OW, half on *A to keep status.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
The cheapest fares, buying up to a week in advance for short haul.
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Pleasure, flexible
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Long-Haul different destinations, Intra-EU mostly between AMS/BRU/RTM and TLL. Also a bit of NCE, AGP as well.
(6) What is your home airport?
AMS/BRU/RTM
(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?
TK*G, status matched to AB Gold, around 5k points in AY, nothing significant, no status points.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
EU flights are probably going to be AY.

louie-m

If you can do four BA flights and your outbound and return fall within your BAEC year (if you have a BAEC account already), you will get BA Silver, which is OneWorld Sapphire and will get you lounge access and everything else in your point 1.

Karl Gustav Annus

Thanks! The four legs are doable but would prefer not to do them. What about Iberia's FF program? They offer a status match from AB Gold. What are the main differences compared to BA, and is their online system easy to use? And which FF program is it the easiest to retain status or is there no significant difference?

louie-m

I've never had status in any airline other than through a credit card so am no expert! Maybe ask about the Iberia scheme in the Iberia-specific section of FT.

Re retaining status, BA have the same requirements for potential and existing status flyers renewing but they offer a soft landing so if you qualified as silver but could not maintain that the following year, you would drop to bronze for a year.

turiel

I switched from AA in 2016 to Alaska in 2017 and unfortunately it looks like I need to change again. Would appreciate any suggestions, even outside Oneworld.

- Dropped AA because of devaluation, bad award availability, and introduction of EQD
- New AS changes mean I can't earn tier miles flying AA which is an issue.
- I have existing reservations for high value EK and AA trips in 2018 that I need to take into account.
- BA and JAL have fuel surcharges that eliminate about 40% of the value from award redemptions.
- My 'best' plan at the moment is to split my earning between AA and AS, which sucks.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Award redemption (route coverage, value, availability)

(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/First

(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->DXB (EK, EY)
DUB->LAS/SFO/LAX (AA, BA, EI)
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 - No status, 45k miles
AS - MVP Gold, 66k miles
UA - Silver via Marriott, no miles.
SPG Plat - 350k pts

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

spatterson

I have started flying LAX to MAD once every 4-6 weeks for my job and would greatly appreciate some help figuring out what the best One World FF program for me. The flights are a mix of BA, AA, and Iberia. I've found that AA doesn't give me credit for all segments on partner airlines.

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

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
80-100K miles, ~30-35 segments

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

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Primarily work travel. They are price sensitive

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
LAX->MAD (LHR)

(6) What is your home airport?
LAX

(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?
No status, limited miles

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

Mwenenzi

spatterson Welcome to Ft

What fare booking class are you travelling? Will not be Y booking class
Where to Credit | Where to Credit Iberia Flights
Where to Credit | Where to Credit British Airways Flights

BA and IB are owned by the same company, IAG, and both use avios as a common ff currency, But there are differences in the ffp's

Upgrades will be very hard to get on cheap tickets, not matter if AA BA or IB ffp. Cross airline upgrades are much much harder.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...aster-thd.html
USA based airlines are more generous with upgrades.

With AA you could do a status challenge for a $$ fee. Given the number of flights you do may be worth the $. Mid tier AA status would get you lounge access on international itineraries.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...ge-2017-a.html

ttep

Hi Gents
Tossing up between QFF and CX here.

Have just moved to SIN, travel J twice a year to HKG and once to Syd. Also travel personal (probably econ) SIN-SYD for xmas + one flight to Europe return (J or Economy) per year.

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

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
35k 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?
Most will be Business, with some Economy. I also like to pick up MH specials when they fly J to Perth/India/Sri Lanka from KL

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
SIN-HKG, SIN-SYD

(6) What is your home airport?
SIN

(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?
No status, 100k+ miles in QFF(mostly credit card), 100k+ miles in my Citi singapore points (which can convert to SQ, QF, CX points i think)

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
SQ, QF, TK, Qatar.. Could possibly start using CX on my HKG trips but it doesnt make sense to route via HK to go back to Sydney twice a year.

Any and all advice appreciated! I have spoken to a few people around the office who say CX are much more generous with rewarding loyalty by way of upgrades that SQ (and QF if we're comparing intra-alliance).

Thanks.

strich

Hello I'm an AUssie living in the UK with my partner. We find ourselves travelling back to Aus once a year or so. Though we'd like to start smaller flights into Europe soon too. Maybe the rewards could be used for that?

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Price, upgrades, lounge access.
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Return flight London<->Melbourne once a year for 2 people. I think it's 11,000 miles each way?
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Cheapest - Econ.
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yep, for pleasure.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
London to Melbourne. Maybe some future London to Europe. Malaysia, Qatar, Etihad - They're usually the cheapest.
(6) What is your home airport?
London 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?
I have 7,000 QMiles with Qatar, and probably some with Malaysia by now.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Malaysia, Qatar, Etihad - They're usually the cheapest.

Calculation_prospect

Hello! Here is the obligatory "Long(ish) time lurker, first time poster" introduction. I am travelling a lot for work these days and also love to travel in my own time, but as I get older, much like drinking, the all nighters in the last row middle next to the lavatories are ruining me for a week after, so I would love some advice as to which FF program would be the most economical for me in terms of accruing miles for upgrades, award flights and status. The basic facts:

1) My family is in America, partner's is in Ireland. We have relocated to the eastern Baltic (i.e. close to Finnair hub HEL) and have work colleagues and business still in the UK (London) and in Western Europe (Germany). I also have an ongoing work project in California -- this translates to 4 or more TATL flights back and forth for both work and personal this year.

2) I have the AMEX platinum which comes also with PP Select (although it seems all the PP lounges are the crap ones…or are heading in that direction…)

3) I am currently on the AA Platinum Challenge (which I'll complete in April) because it seemed to be the only one open to anyone who paid the fee (Delta, I believe requires you to have status on another alliance already to do the challenge) and I had some work flights on AA in January.

4) I have *A silver from a business flight on NZ last April and just realised I could reach Gold with one more PE roundtrip if I squeeze it in before April, but that’s unlikely to happen at a decent cost and I’m not sure how much I’ll fly *A in the next year so I figure if I make the decision to go to *A Gold I’ll go whole hog rather than have both statuses at the same time.

So, I have *O Sapphire from AA Plat, but with the trips upcoming (one of which ended up being a codeshare, which I wasn't meaning to do...oops) I am wondering if I should stick with AA and consolidate everything toward them (and not be able to use lounges in the US when I do fly domestic) or switch to AY once the challenge is up as all my feeder flights are on them, their mileage accrual rates are better for my upcoming TATLs on AA/BA/AY and trip to Japan on JL, their reward chard looks like a better deal...and there is no EQD requirement…

Any advice is 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?

Upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, better award access, free lounge access

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

25000-50000 probably this year, mostly economy with the occasional PE or B when I book for myself (optics are bad for work so that’s al Y)

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

Depends on the length. I’d rather go longer flight/Business to make the J fare worth it and cut down on potential problems, but more stops and Y are okay with lounge access.

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

Yes and up to PE for the really long ones. Mostly work but also some personal flights.

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

TATL and within Europe for work. EU - Asia for personal.

(6) What is your home airport?

HEL will be our new home!

(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 Platinum, NZ Silver which is about to revert to nothing…or if I squeeze in a PE roundtrip before April could have *A gold, but….not sure it’s worth it if I am focusing on flying *O this year.

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

AY/BA for the next year.

revalescence

Hi all! Not sure if anyone is still watching this thread but thought I'd try anyway.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Lounge access, priority services, good award redemption rates
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
At this point, probably take about <10 international flights a year but will change in the next year.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes, both work/pleasure
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
NZ Domestic, NZ to Asia.
(6) What is your home airport?
AKL
(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?
Just lost *G
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Air New Zealand. Have mostly flown Star Alliance but keen to explore cheaper options through Oneworld.


Thanks guys!!