I'm a bit new to the FT community, and points/ status in general, so forgive me if this is a bit elementary. I am trying to figure out the easiest way to earn Sapphire status with OneWorld alliance.

For example, should I try earning AA Platinum and have that transferred? Or should I try to go through one of the other airlines under OW? Is this generally just a decision based upon what I fly most? I am in the US, so AA would be the airline I would be flying most from OW's list (I believe AA is the only American based airline a part OW, correct me if I am wrong here).

I found this chart online, but still not very sure I understand.

To get down to it, I am trying to find the easiest way to earn Sapphire status. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

What do you mean by "have that transferred"?

Different oneworld airlines have different requirements for reaching Sapphire/Emerald status. The best for you will depend on how you normally travel, whether a specific airlines status will be better for you, and how you intend to earn status.
Do you just want to earn through your normal travel, or fly specifically to earn it?

Why do you want oneworld Sapphire status?

travelgirl2012 Welcome to FT

Freq flyer miles and status cannot be transferred to another airlines ffp. But the status is recognized on other airlines in the same alliance.

As you live in the USA, AA (or US Airways) will almost always be the best OneWorld alliance ffp.
AA have a challenge for faster status.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...help-here.html
www.oneworld.com

Oh okay, my terminology is off. So not "transferred," but to have the points or miles recognized on other airlines in the same alliance (thanks Mwenenzi for clearing that up!).

I would prefer to earn it though normal travel, which is why I am looking for the simplest way to achieve the status.

So for me, if I fly AA, would the best thing to do be to continue flying AA and try to rack up 50,000 miles (it appears that's their Platinum requirement)? Or is there any shorter path for getting to Sapphire?

Thanks

See the post immediately above yours. AA has a platinum challenge. Review the linked thread.

You need to look at AA's Platinum Challenge. Earn 10,000 elite qualifying points in 3 months and you're Plat. You get 1.5 points per mile in premium cabins, so a mileage run of 6667 miles will do the trick.

What kind of flying are you planning on doing? You'll have to start learning how AA's sytem works when it comes to miles vs. points.

Basically, if you'll be flying mostly cheap coach, then focus on miles... and yes, you'll have to fly 50K miles to earn PLT status.

If you'll be flying last-minute coach or premium classes, then you'll want to learn about points, since expensive fares get a multiplier of 1.5x the mileage. With AA, you'll get PLT status when you earn 50K POINTS, or flying 33,334 miles on expensive tickets.

And if you're planning on doing either of those, you should get the jumpstart by signing up for the PLT challenge, as detailed above.

Good luck.

Pretty important question to ask yourself is what benefits you're seeking from Sapphire status.

As an example...While I agree with other posts above that AA (or US) will likely be the best programme for you if you're USA-based, you won't get domestic lounge access with AA (or US).

I'm going to take a contrarian view. AA is doing so many fast track to elite status on all three of the elite levels; Gold, Platinum, and Executive Platinum. It's been diluted. Once they merge the program, there are going to be changes.
Years ago, if you were Platinum you'd have a decent chance of using your stickers to upgrade (out of LAX). Now, if you're not EXP, you can forget it.

If you have the opportunity to get Platinum/Sapphire with AA now, get it. Once they merge the programs and announce changes, then you go from there.

No argument with your prediction of FF-mile dilution on AA (and others). "We promised you nothing, so bend over while we rake in the money selling/pandering miles. You expected to redeem them? Oh, my."

OTOH at the moment they've created way more premium seats transcon and perhaps TATL. The crystal ball said businesses were going to be doing way more travel they in fact they are.

BA's in a similar state, probably many others. Thus the week before Christmas we easily got sticker upgraded to biz LAX-JFK, followed by op-up biz to first TATL on BA. I think they had one paid butt in first, biz was half full before they rolled the cabins.

I think for people that want to get a glimpse at what the future AAdvantage might look like, have a look at DL and UA. That's the trend. Platinum will be the new Gold. Executive Platinum will be the new Platinum.

And for those who say it won't change, wake up. B6 wasn't going to introduce a J class or charge for a checked bag. Look at them now.

Sorry for the bump and hijack, but I have the same question. At the moment I am focussing on get *A Gold first, but if there is a relatively easy way to get Sapphire on OW, I'd like to hear about it.

My main interest is in extra luggage allowance. Seeing as I've been based on Japan for the past few years, have family living in Hong Kong, and am from the UK, JAL, BA, CX are immediate contenders (quite a few family members are on CX's Marco Polo).

I have the same inquiry. I typically fly DL BOS-CVG to see family, with a smattering of vacation and business travel thrown in, but am going to Hong Kong on a 6-month work assignment and flying over on a business class CX/AA codeshare ticket which would allow me to pass the Platinum Challenge with one (free) flight. Even though I'll be flying around Asia for work for 6 months, comparable CX status seems just so hard to get that AA seems like a no-brainer, but am I missing any other opportunities to jump into OWE with another carrier and enjoy broader benefits (e.g., AA lounge access on domestic flights)? I haven't seen similar challenges to AA's PLT-- do they not exist?

I think it very much depends on your specific routings, class etc.
For example QF/BA with their SC/TP schemes can be more generous for premium cabins.

Generally however you are better earning on your primary airline due to greater recognition, ability to upgrade and opups.

It seems no one has mentioned that USdbaAA has eliminated the Challenge feature (gold as well as plat) so you need to qualify the old-fashioned way. You can either fly a lot of segments (people doing this on their own dime look for cheap, short flights with one or more intermediate stops that turn around and take them home the same day) or amass 50,000 Elite-Qualifying-Miles. The arithmetic for turning flight miles into EQMs has gotten more complicated and generally favors flights marketed by 'AA' over OW competitors (although the latter may sometimes be more cost-effective).

As recently as last year (for 2016 eligibility) 'AA' has offered late-season buy-ups to people who were short of a threshold, starting around USD1000. No guarantees it'll happen.