Where should I put the miles?
 

My wife and I have a flight on AA from RDU to LGW in a few weeks. We booked that itinerary as a last resort because the prices were so darn high for the dates we were looking for.

It will total around 7k miles. We both have BA accounts, but neither of us have AA. From what I remember, BA does not allow me to credit the AA miles to my BA account because it is a transatlantic flight, right?

If that is the case, what should I do? Should I just open a AA account for the miles, or should we open a different account with a oneworld airline (like Qantas or something) for the miles?

Thanks.
--Alex

If you use BA or AA schemes you won't get the mileage for transatlantic flights [anti-monopolies treaty]. Join the Qantas scheme if you want the credit...

Not quite. You will get AA miles on the flight - QF is another good option. It's not a treaty issue, more a means of preventing legal action being taken iirc.

Right. I suspected I wouldn't be able to get the miles on BA after reading the fine print in their membership guide..

So really.. the question is.. AA or QF?
--Alex

Depends whether your goal is rapid mileage accumulation (AA) or a faster route to status (QF). If you're travelling up front, QF gives the same cabin bonuses as it does on its own metal when flying AA.

But if I'm just flying discount coach on AA, can I use that to gain status on Qantas?
--Alex