Aisle Seat H

More great info., thanks guys! ^

Aisle Seat H

Hi all.

I have now hit QF FF Life Gold - yippee ! - and am back to considering my moving options now that I have.

The majority advice here was that AA was, considering my travel patterns and priorities (value of miles and cost in cash of using miles being more important to me than holding top-tier status), undoubtedly the best option for me over BA, and at the time I am quite sure that this was undoubtedly correct. However having looked at things again, and with some changes to a few factors since (as I'll detail), I find myself once more unsure as to which road to take.

Your advice and thoughts would thus again be most appreciated ! ^

I spent an hour yesterday going over my travel over the past two years and the results are clear - while comfortably re-earning WP on each occasion, if I had been in the AA programme I would have earned just 70,000-80,000 EQP in each and thus would not be close to earning EXP. I thus would be earning and re-earning AA Plat. year on year if I were to move to AA. However in both years I would have comfortably made BA Gold (earning somewhere around 1,600 TPs in both).

Even in such circumstances the advice before – summed up by Dave Noble in post #40 – was that AA would still be the better option for me, however I am now increasingly thinking about additional factors (since I last posted on this Thread) the first one being changes to QFs schedules etc – as for e.g. I do LON-HKG 3 or 4 times a year and QF don't fly the route anymore, I will be doing even more BA flying than I did before, and indeed over three quarters of my flying (maybe up to 90%) will now be on BA metal.

So with the ability to use Avios to upgrade on any/most fares, and if BA are quite generous at giving their Golds Op-Ups (which I understand they can be), I am wondering whether I should reconsider. (As an AA FF flying on the same flights etc on BA I assume there would be none if any of these benefits?)

There is also a part of me that instinctively feels that choosing an option that ends with OW Sapphire status rather than OW Emerald status must be wrong... espec. after the new announcement re. alliance-wide baggage and fasttrack benefits for Emeralds.

I currently have a foot in both camps but nothing huge invested in either - i.e. I have some miles in AA and can do a Challenge to quickly earn status, and have a not inconsiderable number of Avios/BA miles from a variety of sources (most notably all my bmi miles that had to be moved across!) - so this is not a major factor in my decision making/something that would swing it either way.

The other factors are of course still in AA’s favour – miles earning and redemption rates, and the fact that (for e.g.) an LHR-JFK award in Y on BA would require paying over Ł300 in taxes while on AA it would be just Ł120, and in J and on longer flights it gets even worse – but do the other factors mean I should reconsider?!?

Please help... I used to be indecisive, but now I’m not so sure !!!

og

If you find yourself exposed to Sourh American travel (ie LAN), the green spot on the FF card does seem to make the ground chaos slightly less chaotic. Desk staff do seem to notice it and respond differently. You have a better chance of better seats and empty seats seem to appear next to you on what are described as oversold flights. You have more leverage when told your flight has been cancelled.

This, to me, makes the QF WP card valuable. But only to 1200 SCs. Looks like AA or AS get the FF credits after that.

number_6

BA does treat Gold better than mere Emeralds And LHR-HKG happens to be a route they really treat golds well on, due to CX competition, with frequent op-ups J to F (unlike some other routes). At least so I have seen. I flew BA LHR-HKG in J and noticed several op-ups -- not for me, as a lowly WP. So switching to BA definitely has unofficial benefits.

nux

If you fly BA a lot in Y+, then having enough BA avios to be able to upgrade to J would be worthwhile. The Reward Flight Savers for Europe flights on BA are very good value also, with fixed Ł30/Ł40 in fees.

If you are mainly looking for earn/burn, then AA is the better choice.

BA-Flyer

What credit card do you use in the UK? Are you aware of the BA Amex Premium card? Spend Ł10k in a year and get a buy-one-get-one-free voucher valid for any flight / cabin. (When you pay with Avios).

That for me is one of the bigger perks of BA over AA.

QF WP

Aisle Seat H, it's been too long . Nice to see you bring this thread back as similar thoughts have been going around my head when I hit the 14K mark.

Whilst looking backwards to see what your earn would have been under AA, that's like investment past preformance. Your future expected travel should be the concerning factor and which OW partner airlines fly that route. Now with you, I know it can be at a few weeks notice (thanks to client) so an expectation based on your past couple of years travel should be a good yard stick, but you shouldn't get fixated on it. Also, is there going to be any leisure travel (regular holidays to Australia still beckon ).

As an aside, it's a pity that you can't aim for QF P1 as that would make some difference in the decision making process. But that is further away from you now. With QF making it harder for you to travel with them due to reduction in services ex-London, it makes sense to look over to Englands' national carrier. Granted their pricing is not always the cheapest, but I would guess they fly to the majority of your destinations. As you noted, they treat Golds well (as QF does Plat and P1) and if the majority of travel is on BA hard product, then that gives an edge over travelling as an AA Plat or ExPlat, as you will placed be under the BA equivalent tier when they review op ups, etc. You correctly note that the majority of your current points are now housed in Avios, so point upgrades are available.

I can see that AA would be better if you were doing a lot of travel to USA (and within), where you could make use of xUPP's and [Explat) upgrades to F when buying full fare tickets. Certainly the purchase of points and their value when burning points are one of the best benefits (over QF certainly, don't know enough to comment on BA).

Traveloguy

Aisle Seat H, with all the recent positive changes to the BA programme, I've moved over to them rather than AA.

With the 2-4-1 voucher offered here in the UK (its also I believe available to US card holders) added to the fact which the MH earnings are pretty good, I'm feeling fairly comfortable with my decision.

AA in general is still the best programme out there, but if your UK based and most of your travel is on AA and BA (which mine is), BA is actually very decent. Also BA Gold feels easy to get, and probably easier than QF Plat with some of the recent changes. Of course this all depends on your travel plans.

With the recent changes on LH which has gutted their programme, I've dropped *A and find I am using SkyTeam more and more. Their earning structure when crediting to AFKL is more generous and to be perfectly frank, I am actually pleasantly surprised on all my recent flights have decent they are, contrary to some posts here.

Aisle Seat H

Thanks to you all for the fabulous and detailed advice, it has all added to my knowledge and all that I am having to consider... and has confused me even further as to what decision to make!!!
I am indeed UK based, so this is all very interesting, and it certainly seems that BA has become a more appealing proposition since I started this Thread a few years ago.

The 2-4-1 voucher (to pick up on your and BA-Flyer's point) is of less appeal/priority to me, for a few reasons I won't bore you with, and anyway I could still do that without BAEC being my main programme of choice couldn't I?

More ammo to the BA side, especially considering my travel trends!

Thanks old buddy

Now what would you know about giving people investment advice?!?

You are right of course, but I expect my travel patterns - business and personal ! - to remain very similar in the next few years so it should be a good guide.

Yep, that is well beyond me. I have before hit the 2,400 mark, but that is rare for me, and as you say with the new QF flight realities its never going to happen for me.


So the earning and redemption aspects are SOooo clearly in AA's favour (as Dave Noble has starkly illustrated), and I do travel two of three times a year to the States so the other AA benefits would be used, yet there are now also a number of compelling arguments in BA's favour

Thus, on reflection of all the info and options, I think I may do the following - as both their earning years run in the calendar year and I'm not flying again until March-April, my thought is to do an AA Plat Challenge then (or should I leave it at June 16 to maximise status length?) and fly AA for the rest of the year and see how that works for me; Then in 2014 I will earn all year to BAEC and get Gold on them, and then compare the experiences and benefits and then make a final decision on who to go with at the end of 2014. (I will have WP status until June 2014, or longer if QF comp me it for a year after that, so will also have Emerald status for much of this experiment).

Does this sound like a sensible plan, or just the crazed logic of a man who is desperately trying to delay actually making a real decision?!?

QF WP

Thus a re-evaluation of the options is always warranted, as both airline programs and travel patterns are known to change...or in QF terminology, have "enhancements"

Yes, regardless of AA status, earn and burn in their program appears to be better, but earning AA status based on your flights and fares basis for your tickets may be harder. I hope you know about their offer this month - buy 60K miles, get 50% for free, all in ~$1,800USD. See here.

Still, doing an AA Plat Challenge after 15 June makes sense because then mileage is at Plat rates (and you'll know whether QF have comped you - if you have ever had a comp at Plat status before, then you'll get no leg up back to Plat, as they only give one per level based on personal experience). You'll also get it for 18 months (to March 2015) IIRC. See the AA Wikipedia. That goes a long way in J or F

To me, keeping status in the future with each of the airlines that you fly with (in the majority of cases), means that you should credit BA/QF/CX to BA; and AA to AA. However initially put in your FF number of that airline you are flying to access the better seating they offer high tier members. Then before flight (perhaps after online check-in), ring up and get your FF number changed to the program that you wish to credit (strategic allocation). I know of people who do that

You honestly want us to answer that truthfully - or merely slam the door you left open for us .

No really, I think it's sensible to ask for advice, nothing worse than thinking one has the ultimate plan, for it to fail because you failed to plan properly.

Aisle Seat H

Sorry QF WP, thought I had replied to your last post but I didn't, thanks for the latest advice!

On this specific point, I would appreciate any of your advice/experience in regards how best to do this - I am going to be taking my first flights credited to AA very soon and have for now put my QF FF number into the account to get the best seats etc, but what I want to know at what stage I swap the FF numbers over - can I do it online just before I check-in to my flights (a BA flight and then an AA connection on the same booking) or will this lose me my seat allocation, or do I have to wait until after I check-in to my flights (either online or in person) to do this, and if so do I do it at the check-in desk, in the lounge or would I have to call them as QF WP intimated? Not done this before and want to get it right/avoid flights posting to the wrong account.

Thanks all!

wandering_fred

Given the prices for Y+ on that route and that it is approximately 6K miles, those 4 trips (BA Y+ or J) would yield 72K EQP in the AA program without considering any other flying you might be doing. Add in four TATL @ 3.5K each way in a non discount fare class adds in another 42K EQP.

I think that provides AA EXP.

Happy wandering

Fred

Dave Noble

Once you have got your seat allocated, then you should be cool to remove the number

I would not wait until the check in desk because QF agents are very good (ime) at not properly removing the number and swapping it over

If it was me , I would want to get the number removed in advance, then when can see in the booking that no number exists in it, then add it yourself

If you have QF number in the booking and the agent messes it up, you will just end up with QF points and possibly not be able to get it fixed

What class of trave are you in? Are you in a class where the seat selection is a minor thing

madrooster

The only problem with that is I've had the QF system bump me out of my allocated seat if my seat was in a reserved zone for whatever status if done before check in.

Dave Noble

Not aware of BA doing that. Putting QF number in will avoid the fee for seat selection. Once seat selection is done, should then be able to put the AA in without an issue

One thing to consider is to make sure to do both AA and BA for removing and ading the AA number