flying4workNfun

I alternate between BA and CX for my trips to HYD, so if you go that route, decide if you would rather change planes in HKG or LHR; also the CX lounge at SFO is superior to the BA lounge, in my opinion

Gardyloo

I'm moving this thread to the "Which OW program" sticky thread.

For a Oneworld account I'd probably choose British Airways. If you can tolerate going through London on your way to India, the frequency of your trips would get you to BA Gold (Oneworld Emerald, the top tier) in quick order. That would give you lounge access to any Oneworld lounges even if you aren't flying on BA (e.g. American Admirals Clubs) and while BA Avios aren't the best mileage currency, they're not bad, especially if you can use them on flights that don't come with BA's extortionate service charges.

Or you could stay with Alaska and use their wide array of partners for your trips. If you're flying business class on the long hauls, you'll get lounge access anyway. Of course Emirates won't get you to TLV.

Gardyloo
Oneworld moderator

felixmendelssohn

This is interesting advice; thanks. Actually, BA for SFO-TLV is pretty decent, as it's lie-flat for both legs and the LHR layover is pretty short. BA to HYD is a bit rougher than taking EK, to say the least.

Shacklef0rd

(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
Reply: priority services when flying the airline, Upgrades on travel, free lounge access (in order of importance)
(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: 25.000 - 50000, >50 flights
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Chepeast / Economy for Europe, PE for long distance (2-3x a year)
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes. Flying about 80% for business and 20% for pleasure
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: LHR - DUB / LHR - MAN / LHR - DUS
(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: 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?
(AA Executive Platinum, QF Gold, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: Iberia Oro (OW Sapphire) / BA Bronze (OW Ruby) / EB Silver. One a few miles on each of them, status is from AB status match.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: BA / Aer Lingus / EW

I’m relocating from DUS to London in August and have a hard time picking a new FFP.

I have little doubts that I'll reach OW Sapphire with either BA or IB via segments. My question is whether there is a significant difference between the two programs and the benefits I'm looking for, given that I'm located in London. I already have the status with IB from the AB status match, so my gut tells me to stick with IB. I'll probably get a BA credit card in the UK so that Avios can be transferred from one program to the other.

Am I missing a crucial benefit of the BA program or does sticking with IB sound reasonable?

Thanks

DownData

Hey guys, can you help me with deciding a OW FFP going forward? I'm currently a QF gold but realised AA might be just as easy to maintain for my current flying pattern and have much better redemptions. I'm sitting on a bunch of QF points which are pretty much useless other than for AU domestic upgrades given the ridiculous carrier charges for Y/J rewards.

In any case, I can reach QF plat by the end of the year but would much prefer AA exe plat or other better OW programs, if any.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Upgrades, redemption rates and lounge

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
30,000 - 50,000nm, <10 flights a year, mostly premium, c. $8,000

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Cheapest for the class

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

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
AU-Asia, AU domestic, AU-NZ, China domestic

(6) What is your home airport?
Sydney

(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?
QF gold, 300K

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Flown mostly QF, CX, JL, MU, CZ but wouldn't mind others e.g. MH, NZ

izole

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Upgrades, lounge access, good award redemption rates, priority services
(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?)
< 25k, <10 flights a year
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Economy/cheapest
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes, for pleasure
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
KUL-LHR, KUL-CWL, within Europe
(6) What is your home airport?
Kuala Lumpur - KUL
(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?
Enrich Blue
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
MAS/Qatar

Mwenenzi

With only a few cheap flights you are not going to get status, lounge access(by status if flying economy) or priority services(comes with status). Upgrades will be hard to impossible.
Listing CWL(Cardiff) I guess you have flown QR KUL-DOH-CWL

For upgrades the general rule is you can only upgrade a flight marketed (flight number) and operated (metal) by the airline of your frequent flyer programme (no codeshares) with your airline ffp upgrade instrument (e.g. SWU, miles) or complementary with status (if applicable) or ff miles/cash co pay. All subject to the t&c's of your frequent flyer program and your paid ticket. Low cost tickets are often not eligible for upgrades. Cross airline upgrades are uncommon in OneWorld. If cross airline upgrades are offered they tend to require a very expensive base fare and have t&c’s.

For in frequent flyers need to mindful of expiry Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire. Click to open the wiki.
QR - MH both have hard expiry. Use them or loose them.

Better to select flights based on price & schedule, and treat ff miles(if any) as a bonus that may or may not be able to be used.
The grass in not always greener on the other side

Mwenenzi

double post

Sdr7

Hi,
I have done a lot of reading on this thread and it has been very helpful, however I was hoping to clarify for my own specific circumstances. I understand the preference around home airline and/or most regular airline - however this is where my challenge comes in.

I am from Adelaide in Australia, current living in London. I will be travelling monthly from London to Chennai via Doha on Qatar Airways (business class) for work over the next 6 months. In approx 12 months I expect to move to Asia (Singapore or Hong Kong) or New York.

Without permanent status in London, my key consideration is which membership will provide me with the most points to upgrade a flight home to Australia from either London or one of my 3 potential future locations. Based on this forum, it would appear that my home airline Qantas is not the best membership option and I don’t expect to be living in Australia within the next 5 years. Qatar will be my most common airline in next 6 months but not beyond that, and also is not very handy for flights to/from New York or Asia (unless going via Doha). The other option is BA, being my current home airline which I understand is a good earning airline. However, their base economy rates seem very high and I have found it very difficult to book Avios reward flights in the past - so may not be useful for upgrades.

Would appreciate any thoughts on best earners, together with offering strong flexibility in future.

To address the specific questions of this thread:
1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Priority would be to upgrade some flights to business class for my wife and I for a Long Haul trip home to Australia from London/Singapore New York etc.
Secondary priority to reach necessary oneworld status for lounge access.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Monthly trips from London to Chennai via Doha on Qatar Airways (business class) for next 6 months.
Annual trip back to Australia for leisure, various other leisure trips around Europe (10+) on multiple airlines

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Economy for Leisure
Business for work

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Qatar Airways business to Chennai
Emirates/Qantas to/from Australia for Leisure
Various flights and airlines within Europe

(5) What is your home airport?
Currently: London
Future: Potentially New York/Singapore/Hong Kong

(6) 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 a membership with BA and Qatas, with low points in both.
Approx 40000 Avios with BA
Approx 25000 Qantas ff

Mwenenzi

Sdr7 Welcome to FT

You will only be able to upgrade with ff points/avios/miles from the ffp of the airline you are flying. Generally no cross airline upgrades.
In Oneworld AA/BA/IB do operate a limited cross airlines upgrade system heavy on t&c's. But requires an expensive base fare.

Upgrades are hard to get and far from guaranteed. On long haul to Aust would be very hard to get.
You would be better looking for a straight out award flight on the airline of your ffp or a partner airline.

A hard choice for ffp.
Both BA & QF require own airline marketed/operated flights for status. Check the fine print.
With EK marketed flights (flight number) you earn QF points, but not SC's
Both BA & QF have highish surcharges on awards. As does AA awards on BA flights.
AA is another option.

Monthly LHR-DOH-Chennai flights in business class will be a good earner to any OW ffp. But with QF may not earn as much as with other ffp's

Werckmeister

Am already QR Gold, but quick history - was CX Gold, but when Marco Polo changed to Club Points, I basically escaped to QR. But recently, QR also devalued their Qmiles like crazy. So I am looking for some advice on whether I should stick to QR or move somewhere else on OW. Some advice is appreciated!

1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
from most important to least:
a) even lower fare classes earn decent Qpoints/Club points (ie. If I buy a lesser fare class, am not stuck with 25% or 0% and screw up my tier earning abilities)
b) business class redemption upgrade using points/miles (ie. not like QR now where you earn tons of miles but can't redeem anything)
c) using miles to book flights with minimal taxes/fees
d) op-up

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
100,000+ miles, but split between Star Gold and OW Sapphire. Around 85% economy, 15% business.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Higher-fare economy for club points

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes, I can choose. My usual OW airlines I fly on:
QR BKK-DOH-Europe
BA BKK-LHR-Europe
CX BKK-HKG
JL BKK-HND
Never flew AY, but open to it

(5) What is your home airport?
Bangkok

(6) 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 Gold/OW Sapphire
TK Elite Plus/Star Gold
inactive: CX, OZ

Laguz

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: Getting award tickets asap (less important: upgrading ticket) I want to earn miles by flying but also by booking hotels.
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: < 25k since i mostly fly *A, but I'd like to be member of all three. I do have a partner, so pooling miles is definetly an option.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Reply: cheapest or economy
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: i travel for pleasure in economy.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: EU (domestic), Asia (inter)
(6) What is your home airport?
Reply: BRU
(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: No
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: None (might be TK, *A)


Thanks !

headinclouds

This is a long running thread and the OW airlines have reduced the earning capabilities over the years for cheap economy class tickets. The odds of earning the lowest status level is nearly zero and the number of miles earned is also extremely low. Perhaps we should update the 1st post to include the disclaimer that if flying less than 25,000 miles in cheap economy class just pick the best price/schedule and forget about earning airline reward points, There have been many recent posts with this situation.

LoganApp

I'm so glad this thread is here!!! I live in Boston but I'm starting university in Sydney in February. I'll have AAdvantage Gold by the end of this year. Getting to Sydney, though, I'm not sure if it's best for my to stick with AAdvantage or try something new.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Upgrades are probably most important, but I also love lounge access and priority boarding/check-in.
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
I'm planning on doing two round trips a year between BOS and SYD. That's around 40,000 miles total (with connections and class of service boosts I'm sure I could get that to 50,000/year). BOS-SYD is usually 2-3 sectors in each direction, so anywhere from 8-12 sectors total. I'm only considering flying premium economy (business sometimes) because I can't squeeze into economy for so long.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Nonrefundable premium economy and business.
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
I can choose my airline. I am under no obligation to fly with any particular airline or alliance, I just choose OneWorld because I already use AAdvantage and Qantas is the best Australian Carrier in my opinion.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
US Transcon with American, Transpacific, I also have looked at Transatlantic with connections to the kangaroo route. Could also connect in UAE/Qatar, or via Johannesburg or Santiago. AA and Qantas will most likely be my most frequent airlines.
(6) What is your home airport?
BOS
(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 (will) have AAdvantage Gold for 2019, and have about 22,000 AAdvantage miles.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
I prefer Qatar, BA, Qantas, AA, Cathay Pacific, Hawaiian and Fiji Airways (although those last two aren't officially OW members, AA does allow for mileage earning and redemption between the US and South Pacific). I have flown AA most commonly.

Thanks!

JDiver

Welcome to FT, LoganApp.

In the longer run, after uni, will you be leaning to return to the US or to live abroad? If so, which country would you be aiming for work / residency?