Which program to join (for a Japanese)
 

Hi,

I've never had any miles in SkyTeam, but I'm going to travel on AF (roundtrip between Japan and France, discounted business class) in January, due to the schedule. Which program would be the best to join? I live in Japan and make a few roundtrips each year to Europe and the US. I'd like to use the miles for upgrades (from economy to business).

I've checked similar threads in this forum but didn't find answers to this case. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

What fares do you intend to fly on? You have to buy pretty expensive fares to upgrade on AF/KL, NW and CO.

Thanks a lot for letting me know this! I haven't yet understood the fare code of SkyTeam airlines (is there a good table or thread on this topic? I searched but couldn't find one), but if they are similar to those of UA, any non-refundable fares (like M and H on UA) should be ok, while refundable fares (like Y and B on UA) would be too expensive. Please forgive my ignorance if this does not make sense - I'm familiar with UA and other Star Alliance airlines, but I should perhaps learn more about the basic system of the mileage programs of SkyTeam airlines.

On CO, if you are not elite, you can only upgrade from Y, H, K, N, or B fares. These are the expensive ones. If you are elite you can upgrade on any fare.

On DL I believe the eligable fares for upgrading are Y, B and M, also their expensive ones.

On NW you can only upgrade on Y & B fares for TATL/TPAC flights; there are fewer restrictions for domestic US, but there are still some.

I have no idea how the other SkyTeam carriers play the game.

S.

Thanks for the information - I looked at some fares on itasoftware (with random dates and my typical routes) and those upgradable fares indeed seem expensive (maybe except for N fares on CO). I'm afraid I wouldn't be an elite in SkyWest because I don't fly on SkyWest very often. I'll check how other SkyWest airlines (AF/KL, in particular) deal with upgrades. Thanks!

It's SkyTeam.
 

Isn't SkyWest a feeder airline for UA?

Anyway, KL/AF (FB) mileage upgrades also demand pretty pricey fares. Looks like it's S/X/B on KL, Y/B on NW and Y/B/K/H for AF long-haul tickets bought in Japan.

You might be better off on NW because 1) most fares on partners earn 100% miles. FB has various cheap fares that only earn 0-50% miles depending on where you fly. L fares is 25% on AF long haul, V on NW and V & N on KL). I believe elite membership of NW in Japan (or east Asia) still gives you complimentary WC membership at the gold level or above. Handy when flying domestic-only on the day, or actually whenever you are at a WC or affiliate lounge.

Oops, this reveals which airlines I've been flying most in my life... :) (By the way, I'm now travelling in Australia! Cf. http://www.skywest.com.au/)

Good point - thanks for the useful advices!