(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Priority services, lounge access, having the points stick (ultimately achieving status).
(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
>50k.
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Economy. I book directly with airlines and look for options through Skyscanner.
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Work. I can choose my airlines, as long as it's not way too expensive, compared to the other economy options.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
EMEA.
(6) What is your home airport?
TLV.
(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
Miles & More 13k, Delta SkyMiles 2k, BA 0.
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Whatever I can get anywhere, be it from TLV or in Europe/Asia, for an average price.

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: good earning potential with good redemption rates and award access for business awards between the USA and SE Asia

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: 40k
USA to SE Asia usually 2-3 times per year.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: For the next 3-5 years, I will be buying the cheapest business tickets or possibly premium economy. In addition to purchasing tickets in business, I will also be using my frequent flyer miles. After 5 years, I will be purchasing the cheapest economy tickets.

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: My travel is for pleasure. I am able to choose airlines and class of service.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply:. ORD - SE Asia, FLL - SE Asia or I will fly from FLL to the west coast for a good fare to SE Asia. FLL to CHI

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: FLL, ORD
I usually fly to Chicago to access international airlines to SE Asia

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: I recently joined Asiana. This should give me Star Alliance Gold in the future. Since I will be buying the cheapest business class tickets, I may find myself flying ST. I need to consider what program to credit those miles to. I have a lot of United miles in addition to 200k Delta miles.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply:. I have no experience flying Skyteam business product.

Guys, is it feasible at all to maintain ST status with an AU base? I've got a QF gold, working towards plat, but the redemption rates are really poor and upgrades are difficult with miles and am looking to switch. I am aware that DL has a JV with VA, but I don't do a lot of prem flying domestically due to really high prices (e.g. >$2000 return on a 500 nm sector).

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Upgrades, redemption rates and lounge access

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
30,000 - 50,000nm, <10 flights a year, mostly premium, c. $8,000

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
Cheapest for the class

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Yes, leisure only

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
AU-Asia/China, AU domestic, AU-NZ, China domestic

(6) What is your home airport?
Sydney

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
QF gold, 300K

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Flown mostly QF, CX, JL, MU, CZ but wouldn't mind others

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

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
<75,000, 4 international destinations and a few domestic trips

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
Economy, I am still trying to figure out how to use miles to upgrade to business class on the international flights.

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
I travel for pleasure and have fly DL domestic and MU, AF, and KE for international travel.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
I tend to travel to Asian destinations to get the best bang for the buck for flights and for vacations.

6. What is your home airport?
1st is SFO
2nd is OAK
3rd is SJC
4th is SAC

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
I am a Platinum medallion member with 398,000 on DL.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
DL (most often when flying domestic), AF, MU, KE

any specific reason not to stay with Delta?

Agreed. I cannot see are reason why not to stay with DL.

The airline you fly most or an airline of the country you live is the best ffp for many people. Generally you are better earning on your primary airline due to greater recognition, better service when disruptions, ability to upgrade flights, possible operational upgrades and simpler to earn non flying ff miles/points.

The grass in not always greener on the other side

I might have posted in the wrong thread. I plan to stay with DL, I am trying to figure out how to position myself to get the best redemption on miles/cash purchased tickets for Business class on the Intl flights or for complimentary upgrades on Intl flights.

Looking for advice from ST folks - I am mostly a *A flier and plan to continue with them for most of my travel as the network suits my work the best. However I am looking for a secondary program to build up since I usually end up with "orphan" trips. I'd like to pick a ST program that gets me the best overall value for miles earned. I expect most of the travel will be in premium cabins so not too worried about upgrades and lounge access.

Thanks fr your input/advice/ideas - indogulf

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 services

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: 350000 miles / 75 flights

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: ​​​​​​​Intl - Business / Dom - depends on the distance but usually First on anything more than 3 hours

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: Yes - 90% work / 10% pleasure

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: ​​​​​​​US to India, US to Singapore, intra Asia, Transatlantic + 10 or so trips in the US

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: IAD/DCA

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: United GS, lots of miles; Emirates Gold, Delta Silver Medallion

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: Lufthansa, United, Singapore, KLM, Delta

Hello! Moving to SIN soon, will be flying SIN-CGK on Garuda c. 20-25 times per year in Y. It's a route that's only 546 miles so aiming to hit sectors rather than total miles. Wondering best way to get to ST E+ to get lounge access? Am currently with FB but since the change last year I realise I'm never getting status there. Maybe the 40 sectors on China Southern is the way to go?

1. Most important: Lounge Access
2. How much do you fly: c. 100,000 miles
3. What fare class: Mix of Y and J
4. Choice of airlines: Mostly yes. Fly for work and pleasure
5. Which routes: Intra-Asia
6. home airport: SIN
7. Existing status: BAEC Gold (OWE). 350k avios
8. Preferred airlines: none

Actually, SIN-CGK with Garuda will grant you 5 XP per single Y flight, so 10 XP per return flight. That would net 200-250XP a year, which is enough to maintain Gold status over time. If some of them are in J, you can definitively maintain Platinum as well.

Hi All,
Just joined a new company that has a strong preference for SkyTeam carriers, so I've got to start over again it seems.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
1. lounge access, 2. priority seating, 3. upgrades.

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
Typically 4 segments per month, 50,000 miles per year or so.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
Economy; business for flights over 5 hours.

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Skyteam for work, I prefer star alliance otherwise.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
YYZ-YVR YYZ-LGA; expecting to fly New York to various south american destinations going forward.

6. What is your home airport?
LGA

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
SA Gold on Turkish, no status on SkyTeam, approximately 50,000 points with AeroMexico, 8,000 with AirFrance

Thank you!!

Both AeroMexico & Air France are Skyteam airlines
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTeam
Can be in efficient to have ff miles with multiple airlines in the same alliance

Be careful with expiry with TK ff miles (Star Alliance)
Expiry Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire. Click to open the wiki.

Thanks - though I just noticed AM status supposedly doesn't work on US and Canadian originating flights, which is not ideal for my situation. So it sounds like Delta's main benefit is the unlimited upgrade which (I think?) works across the board, though you still have to pay for lounge access. Air Frances' program has some weird point system now which doesn't seem to credit other ST flights regularly... is it better to just start over with Delta?

Better to have a good read of the DL forum.
DL is a revenue based scheme and does not publish an award chart. If you are doing on average 1 cheap flight a week will not earn that much. AA & UA are also revenue based.
Unlimited upgrades may be being optimistic. Potential for theoretical upgrades and actual upgrades may be different. Info & guidance will be in the DL forum.

Other DL vs XX thread
Jul 2018:--->Currently FlyingBlue gold, but want to switch to SkyMiles. Any suggestions?
Sep 2018 :---> Moved to Seattle, DL Platinum or AS 75k Gold?
Dec 2018:---> Switch to DL? Has UA Silver