Status with all three alliances?
 

I thought I'd post this out of idle curiosity to see how quickly someone can 'better' it!

Just earned my BA Exec Club Silver status (oneworld alliance) thru Feb 2007. So what, you may say.

I've also currently got earned (as opposed to status match or complimentary) United Airlines Premier Executive Gold status (Star Alliance) and Continental Airlines OnePass Gold Elite status (Sky Team).

Which illustrious flyertalk travellers have got top status (i.e. Gold, 1K and Platinum) in all three alliances simultaneously?

I'm also HHonors Diamond (earned) - but that's not part of my question.

Seasons greetings to everyone who reads this!

You are asking who has higher status than you in those plans (your status in mid-level and not top-tier in * and OW, no idea what the CO status corresponds to, but their top-tier is ridiculously easy to earn)? Lots of people have top-tier in 2 plans, most don't bother to have top-tier earned in 3 plans. I have PM/MM on DL but never fly DL, however it is an earned status (lifetime top-tier); most years I reach top-tier on * but entirely due to reroutes. Most of the programs have some provision for revenue based status earning, which makes it fast to earn top status (for BA it takes about 2 months of travel to reach top-tier if you travel a reasonable amount in paid F, for example). However it is the ultimate meaningless accomplishment, not only is it volatile and perishable but rapidly devaluing. It has gotten so bad that some airlines track revenue yield instead of FF status and this is more important for affecting how the airline treats you -- so the real status is a bit beyond that shiny gold/platinum/black/orange/magenta FF card. At least that is how it is this year, from what I've seen.

I have to agree with number_6. For many years i held *A Gold, ST Elite plus and OW Emerlald. In the end juggling routes to maintain status become too much of a problem. Now mid tier with OW and *A Gold and ST Elite plus - all earned. Been this way for about four years now.

Status ain't what it used to be.

I think status in all three alliances is kinda overkill.. 1 or 2 alliances cover most destinations anyway.

Well I guess I am overkill, not only top on all three, but double Plat on ST and, one top tier, one low tier on *. Oh yeah, and they are all earned too.

I guess it also depends on your flying pattern. Being based in AMS, it's relatively easy to get top tier status in all three alliances. BA Gold is just 800 tier points (although I usually fly double that in a year), LH SEN is 100,000 miles and FL Platinum is 75,000 (I think). LH SEN is easy to attain if you do some hopping around in Europe in business class, as you get 2,500 miles for each sector. So a day trip to, say, VRN from AMS is four flights at 2,500, or 10% of the miles necessary for getting SEN. Throw in the occasional long-haul on *A in business (at double the miles), and SEN is within easy reach. FB Platinum is mostly the result of flying AMS-NYC, as SkyTeam is the only alliance to serve that route directly. Under the new FB rules you accrue only 150% when flying in C long-haul, so it's gotten a bit harder. Still, I already have almost 25,000 miles to carry over into 06 towards status, and flying AMS-LON in C also gives me 1,500 per sector. SQ PPS is essentially two business trips to Asia for me: 20 sectors for flying Europe-Singapore, plus some hopping around in Asia and you're there. The double dipping feature also helps with the LH SEN status.

If you're only flying US domestic, or don't get to fly in business or first, then getting top tier status in all three alliances would be a lot harder. I'm still trying to maintain the status in all three as it's not that hard to do given my flying pattern, and I figure I might get some marginal benefits from it. As number_6 mentioned, airlines may be looking at other things than purely status for deciding how to treat their customers. Just do a search for CCV on the BA board. SQ keeps track of the number of years you've been QPP, TPP or LPP (PPS, Solitaire, Lifetime Solitaire) and that determines the pecking order. LH now has the HON level to separate the wheat from the chaff. With KL, the level of rudeness is probably totally random. :D

I am currently top tier on AA NW US and AS. All three alliances plus my hometown airline. More coming.

hfly - Interesting post. I take my hat off to you being top tier in all three alliances. I figured there must be someone out there in that position - hence my original post.

I agree with you re: the overkill. There are people (myself included) who find that with both fairly frequent business and leisure travel, coupled with relatives at the four corners of the world, it pays to have at least one airline membership in each of the three major alliances.

I sometimes would love to be able to 'put all my eggs in one basket' and just have continuous top tier status with one alliance but, for example, oneworld doesn't operate into my US residence, CHS; Sky Team doesn't operate to my wife's city of origin in SE Asia, quality of service and schedule to my current work location, CAI, varies from alliance to alliance, and so on.

In the meantime I'll settle for second-tier in all three alliances!

Well until the Skyteam and "Wings" merger, It was four alliances. Personally I find being top tier in all alliances to be quite liberating and in a funny way it negates the value of top tier, at least from the competitive viewpoint of the airlines. I can pretty much fly who I want where I want, BA fits my flights to/fr the Uk which I do often as well as some Caribbean and S. American flying. DL covers much of my Transatlantic and US domestic travel. KL and LH get me around Europe and occasionally to Asia. I can then fly pretty much anyone else that I want and sweep them into my main accounts to top off status where needed. On top of these I probably have a free float of 50-75k a year that I can sweep towards the carrier that has the best deal in a given year (i.e. DL's threshold bonus for reaching certain MQM's, FD's carryover to next year, whatever).