With DL it is a revenue based ffp scheme. There will be information threads on the DL forum on redeemable miles and status earnings. Revenue based ffp schemes are a lot harder to understand and calculate earnings. You need to find the fare booking class. This can be hard to find before paying for a ticket. www.wheretocredit.com/dl redeemable miles
AS is not a revenue based ffp scheme now, but it may change. (No one knows)

You do not need to book freq flyer partners through the airline of your ffp. When you make a reservation it will have a drop down menu where you add your ffp numbers. That is for say Aeromexico book on the Aeromexico web site and add your DL or AS ff number. I have no idea how the DL Amex credit card works with non DL airlines/web sites. A question for the Amex or DL forums. This question will have been asked before.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
>>> Reply: Good reward redemption

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
>>> Reply: 18,000 miles; 6 round trips; at least 12 sectors.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
>>> Reply: First

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: Yes I choose my airline and class of service. I fly exclusively for pleasure.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
>>> Reply: 80% US Domestic; at least 1 trip EWR to Europe every year

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: 1) ABE 2) EWR

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: Always have miles banked with DL

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: Delta

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
>>> Reply: Priority boarding, baggage allowance, lounge access.

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc.
>>> Reply: 50000 miles, 20-25 flights

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: economy and premium economy mostly

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: I usually get assigned to whatever the cheapest option is

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: transatlantic and a few flights from Canada to Asia.

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: YVR

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: I have a few miles in Flying blue, not enough to qualify for anything though

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: I have no real preference but I love KLM when I can get in on their sales.

Hey ST forum! Based in Sydney and looking for advice on which programme to join as an adjunct to Qantas as I'm expected to do some flying on Xiamen, China Southern, etc. Currently thinking about Flying Blue or one of the Chinese programs (Sky Pearl?), but open to suggestions.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
>>> Mostly interested in getting/maintaining status and therefore lounge access. The ability to redeem miles for some fun J travel with family would be great. Flights ex-Australia to Asia are super-cheap on the Chinese carriers and I'd like to see more of the region.

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
>>> Don't know about miles, but ~110 flights (i.e., at least a round trip a week). Nearly all of that is domestic in Australia. 3-4 trips to the US, 3-4 trips to NZ/New Caledonia and 5-7 trips to Asia/Europe.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
>>> Exclusively Y within Australia, mix of Y and J depending on price internationally (though more J now).

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Must fly Qantas in Australia for work. International is both work and pleasure, with J for work and Y/J for pleasure.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
>>> Aside from Domestic Australia, mostly Australia to US, east Asia.

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Sydney through 2017. Will transfer for work to another country in January 2018, but won't know where for a few months (Hoping for Paris, but could get Lagos, etc.).

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Platinum One on Qantas. Silly number of miles with linked CC for business expenses.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Meh. Who has good champagne?

laocoon Welcome to FT (Aussie branch)

Skyteam is not well represented by airlines flying to Australia:- Delta, some Chinese airlines and Garuda :eek:
Getting status will be hard. QF is easy to get status compared to other ffp's
Delta has VA as a ffp partner. With Chinese ffp's be weary of off & on line service issues.
Korean KE is an often used ffp. Have read its OK for award cost. Link to AwardAce summary. KE has AS, EK & HA as ff non alliance partners

This may be a better thread. I would be looking for a Star Alliance ffp.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...post-here.html

For redeemable miles look at www.wheretocredit.com. Shows partner earning. Determining status earning is much harder. Frequent flyer programs are generally reciprocal with earn & burn, but there are exceptions.

With QF P1 I would be crediting to another OW ffp (like AA), after QF Plat or even QF Gold. QF has soft landings. QF Plat to Gold, if you do not re qualify. Look at post 330 for QF vs AA award costs. With excess QF points I would be looking to use as soon as possible. They will not increase in value.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...help-here.html

The generic "which ffp" thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html

Goodmorning everyone,

Let's see if someone can help me to see if I have any better choice.
I've been Senator in the last years, but I'm a lot pissed off of lufthansa in the last months, so, in september, I decided to sign for Millemiglia and get the Amex gold to maximize the miles.
I did the last two trip with alitalia and now i need to decide on which one to focus.
What is worring me a lot is the overall situation of Alitalia.

One of the worst problems of the last years for a prifile like mine is the more and more booking classes are giving less and less miles.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
>>> Reply: Elite status, lounge access, priority services, good award redemption

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc.
>>> Reply: 50000+ miles, 3/4 times a year to AU/NZ, 3/4 times a year to KR/CN/JP/TH

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: Economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: Travel for work, economy class is the only choice, some limited flexibility in choosing airlines and booking class but cant moove too far from the cheapest

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: FCO to ASIA all, and AU-NZ

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: FCO 95%, FLR,AOI,BLQ sometimes

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: LH Senator expiring 02/2017 - about 70000 miles + Miles and more mastercard, AZ Ulisse - About 20000 miles + Alitalia Amex gold, AB Topbonus lower tier - about 40000 miles

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: None

Thank you a lot in advance

The situation of "more and more booking classes are giving less and less miles" is not going to change or be different if flying another airline. The downward earning trend will continue. The marketing/operating airline basically sets the ff earning, as they buy ff miles for cash from your ffp. The airlines then awards(bribes) you with these ff miles for flying with them.

What Skyteam airline/airlines will you use to get to Asia. Australia & New Zealand? www.wheretocredit.com

The grass in not always greener on the other side. (Its all dark brown now)

Thank you for your replay Mwenenzi

When my priority was *A, i was using mostly TK, fares simply unbeatable.
In the last two trips EY/AZ

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
>>> Reply: (in order) award rates, award access, upgrades, lounge access

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc.
>>> Reply: Variable, but 10+ sectors and 40k+ miles would be common

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: business (economy short-haul)

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: employer dictates for work; I choose for personal travel

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: Australia<>Europe, domestic Australia

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: MEL

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: Just dropped from AA EXP (~320k points); VA will requal for Gold soon (~500k points); QF ~200k points; KF ~50k points

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: SQ, CX, VA, QR (if have to go through Gulf)

Skyteam status via segments?
 

Hello!

Star Alliance flyer with Star Gold status here, who is "forced" to fly Skyteam carriers Garuda & Vietnam Airlines a lot lately.


I made Garuda Silver status last year on segments, however, the benefits of silver status are hardly worth it putting my money (or better, miles & segments) towards Garuda.
My home base airport is SIN, flying mostly short-haul to either Vietnam & Indonesia, combined with domestic flying in these countries (Saigon - Hanoi, Jakarta - Semarang/Surabaya etc.).

Can you recommend me the best Skyteam FFP to put my segments towards, so I can earn Skyteam lounge Elite or Elite Plus status via segments?

I value lounge access, good redemption rates, extra baggage allowance most.

Thank you!

Great ST article
 

Just wanted to tip you all about this great guide by Loungebuddy. It answers a lot of the questions in this thread.

https://www.loungebuddy.com/blog/sky...ltimate-guide/

For the Elite status (free luggage and express check-in) it seems Vietnam Airlines and Aerolineas Argentinas is the two easiest to save miles in, with only 15K and 18K miles needed.

However for the Elite Plus status (lounge access) the easiest FFP to reach is the Air Europa program. You only need 32K miles. Other good ones are Flying Blue and Middle East Airlines with 40K to reach this level.

Honorable mention to Korea Air who offer life-time Elite Plus status after 500.000 miles, no matter how slow you earn them 😃
​​​​​​​
My notes are of course over-simplified to suit the general hunger for tier levels. Availability of award flights is a different chapter.

The easiest one to get Gold by segments is FB, as it only requires 30 segments, however you need to check the booking class of your flights, as there is quite a big list of classes that doesn't earn anything in FB.

Lounge access is a bit tricky, as if you fly purely domestic segments (w/out connecting to same-day international flight) then according to Skyteam rules, you do not get lounge access, if all your domestic flights are connecting to/from international flights then you should be fine.

Thanks for the feedback!

One thing I have a hard time understanding, is how segments are accounted for on Skyteam and FB program in particular.

Reading through the Flying Blue website they only give examples on miles earned depending on fare class - in this case for Garuda - but no word is spend on explaining how segments are counted.

Does every flown segment count towards status regardless of fare class?

Every segment that earns any amount of miles counts as a 1 segment, every segment that earns 0 miles doesn't count as a segment, as simple as that.

That's simple enough :)