aktchi

I am trying to choose the best alliance and FF program. (So far, I have been been focusing on AA and thus flying either AA or its partners, One World or otherwise. Even earned 400k+ miles in the program to date, but now reconsidering the whole issue again.)

My home airport is ORD/MDW. Travel interest primarily DEL or BOM; secondarily LHR and NRT. Interesting stops en route to these are welcome too, but not decisive in themselves.

My main goal in a FF program would also be to earn these international tickets, not domestics or domestic upgrades.

Edit: (1) Most travel is economy, except rare ones paid by someone else. (2) Lounge access in a hub airport connecting between ORD and DEL, between two 8-9 hour flights, would be a major attraction, on par with free award tickets. Lounge access in ORD, DEL, or nearby airports like DTW or NYC is less useful though always a positive factor. (3) I do fly around within India once there, so participation of a regional Indian carrier in the program would be a secondary attraction.

Question: Would Skyteam be better for my purpose? If so, which airline's FF program would be best to join, and which ones best to actually fly?

TrayflowInUK

ORD is definitely OneWorld (AA) and Star Alliance (UA) country.

What can Skyteam offer you?

First of all, no non-stops to any of the cities you're interested in; NW used to serve ORD-NRT but pulled that years ago.

LHR:

• KL to AMS (operated by 747-400s, which are in the process of having new seating and AVOD fitted) and connect to LHR. Best part is the AMS-LHR flight is operated by an A330-200, which means on that short flight you'll get WorldBusiness Class seating (60" pitch, lie flat beds (albeit at an angle)) in the front and AVOD at every seat. This is KL's only intra-Europe flight operated by an aircraft from their intercontinental fleet. AMS is a lovely airport to navigate; walks can be a bit long but generally connecting to LHR is short.
• AF to CDG (A330/A340s) and connect to LHR. People have mixed opinions on CDG, most slag it off. I'll just say that connections in AMS would be generally easier than CDG.
• AZ to MXP and connect to LHR. Longer flying times, but more miles! I have never taken Alitalia intercontinental (only within Europe) so I won't comment. What I can say is that I've heard less than positive reviews.
• CO to EWR and connect to LHR. CO currently serves LGW (Gatwick) but there is discussion about them moving to LHR. However, CO codeshares with Virgin Atlantic from EWR-LHR; you'll need to be a CO OnePass member to earn status miles on this flight.

As an alternative, LGW (London-Gatwick) offers more connections, esp if you'd rather connect in the US:

• NW via MSP (seasonal) or DTW (year-round). Great aircraft (A330 with modern seating, AVOD at every seat, 110V power ports in most seats.
• CO via EWR (or IAH for more miles!). Service can be on 757, 767, or 777. The latter two are nice airplanes in Economy with decent inflight entertainment systems, personal video monitors in both economy and BusinessFirst. I've flown the 757 more times than the 767/777, and I can say that economy on this plane is a pain in the backside, quite literally. I found the seats to be uncomfortable and there is no individual IFE. In BusinessFirst all three airplanes are great, except the 757 isn't as roomy as the 767/777.
• DL via JFK, CVG, or ATL. You'll get 767 service into LGW, which is just a bit dated in terms of hard product in my opinion. If you go via JFK or CVG you have to ride on a regional jet to get there (yuck).

NRT:

• NW via MSP or DTW. I think both MSP and DTW are great airports, some of the best in the US. Via either airport you'll have 747-400 service which means nicely appointed WorldBusiness Class (60" pitch, lie flat seats (but at an angle), AVOD) but a very meagre economy class. The NW WorldClub at NRT is one of most-renowned lounges out there, at least for Skyteam lounges that is. At DTW there are shower facilities in the main lounge.
• DL via ATL. 777 service to NRT, I've never flown a DL777 so I can't comment. Decent lounges at ATL. Obviously, this would be a good choice if you're looking to pad the mileage balance!
• CO via EWR. Same comments on aircraft as above (777), and not a bad flight to bump up the mileage.
• KE via ICN. Don't count out Korean. I have never flown them and don't hear much about them, but what I have heard has been mostly positive. They fly 777s ORD-ICN and then there's several connections to NRT. Seoul would make an interesting stopover.

DEL. You have several options; it's a matter of preference whether you'd like two long-hauls and a connection in Europe, or a short haul followed by an ultra-long-haul and a connection in a US airport. I could go either way, but only in business class! In economy, I think I'd break the trip in Europe and work a stopover in as well.

• AZ via MXP. Again, Alitalia has verymixed reviews. Both flights are 767s. I really can't comment on this option.
• KL via AMS. Again, the 747-400 to AMS followed by 777 service to DEL. KL's 777 are decent aircraft in economy, with AVOD at every seat. All are only a few years old. The seats in both Economy and WorldBusiness Class are not the most comfortable. Saying that, I'd fly KL without hesitation.
• AF via CDG. Similar situation to LHR. Service to DEL is on an A340. I've never flown AF's A330/340 fleet so I can't comment.
• CO via EWR. EWR-DEL is a 14-hour flight on a 777. I'd not hesitate to do this in BusinessFirst.

Now, regarding frequent flyer programs.

There are a lot of different options out there for Skyteam FFPs, and they all have their quirks and advantages. I guess it's down to personal preference.

I'm a WorldPerks member against all odds. I live in Europe (and use a US-registered address) and on paper it would make sense for me to join FlyingBlue (the AF/KL programme): FB is more suitable to my location, the elite thresholds are lower and lounge access is earned after 40,000 EQM. I think NW is a pretty underwhelming airline and I will book with KL/CO/AF as an alternative when I can. But the customer service, upgrades (within North America), and bonus miles available with WorldPerks keep me there. YMMV.

TrayflowInUK

See also this thread for guidance about which Skyteam FFP to join: http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=742795

graraps

I've flown AZ MXP-DEL-MXP in business class (thanks FT for the mistake fare!), and it's a rather ordinary experience. More or less on time, good service, but the food offerings were rather basic for the duration of the flight- the only meat dishes being some bland creamy chicken ones (they do, however, make some very good espresso on board!). When I commented that the food should have been heartier, they told me that "it's because this flight goes to India, and there are many people who don't eat pork or beef". Clearly AZ chefs have never eaten agnello.
The seat is slightly outdated but quite comfortable, and the AZ 767 has a great advantage if you're travelling solo in that the config is 2-1-2; it's the most desirable middle seat I've ever come across.
Haven't flown AZ in longhaul Y- though I have many times in shorthaul Y and have always been satisfied. I have found the treatment of pax and especially elites during irrops is impeccable.

I have no experience with the Far East (I've been to HKG once and that's it) or KE or NW, so can't comment on that.

If the OP is going to central London, it makes more sense to fly KLM to LCY via AMS. IMHO, this is a *more* comfortable and stress-free way to get to London than a direct longhaul to LHR. You can also note the fact that AF have made LCY a "focus airport" with about 10 destinations from there (but not CDG), which both helps O/D pax in (or taking a sidetrip from) London and opens up connection possibilities (AFAIK there are no codeshares on these flights as yet, but that can change in the near future...and you already can combine ST carriers in a RTW or award ticket, so you could for example fly UX transatlantic to MAD then connect to AF onto LCY).

aktchi

Thank you both for very useful feedback. I have added some clarification to my post above.

I realize that only AA has an ORD-DEL nonstop at present, but I don't mind one good connection. That's where lounge access would be great.

When London is the destination, which airport wouldn't matter.

When connecting, I prefer not to change the airport however.

sbm12

SkyTeam is viable in that they serve all your destinations, however everything is going to be a one-stop versus AA/UA that can get you many places non-stop.

In addition to the many options TrayflowInUK noted, CO also flies seasonally from CLE-LGW and is adding CDG service. And if you collect OnePass miles you can use the ORD-LHR service on Virgin Atlantic.

Unless you feel terribly wronged by AA, I'm not sure that it is worthwhile to have a connection everywhere you go; I know I'd try to avoid such an arrangement. Sure, you get the extra segment/miles for every trip, but it adds a big chance for messing things up, misconnecting yourself or your luggage, and other assorted troubles.

SkyTeam does serve BOM and DEL from the US, with flights on CO from EWR (DEL & BOM) and from JFK on DL (BOM). AA is the only other US carrier with a non-stop from the US to India, though AirIndia has one now, I believe. Jet Airways also has a connection from EWR via BRU.

CO has announced a partnership with KingFisher for your intra-India flying. It would appear to be a code-sharing/earning partnership and recipricol lounge membership deal, but that would only be of use if you purchase a membership, which I would assume you do not plan to do. If you are Platinum you'll get access to most lounges during international itineraries (ie in ORD and EWR on the way to DEL/BOM/NRT), even if you're on a Y ticket. I have no idea how that will equate to access in India at the KingFisher lounges, but I would assume that it will not get you access.

gpan

Stick with AA. You're already halfway to lifetime status....

aktchi

No, I don't feel "wronged" by AA, just trying to make a rational analysis of the situation. Domestically, a lot of my needs are best served by Southwest, eliminating all three big alliances from the picture. AA's primary attraction is its nonstop ORD-DEL flight, but until there is some competition on the route that flight is often unavailable at a good price.

Personally, I don't mind one connection especially at an attractive and comfortable airport like AMS. There have been times when a KLM ticket plus one night's hotel in AMS was considerably cheaper than AA nonstop, and you arrive far more refreshed in DEL on top of that.

AA's best partners like BA and JL are also very stingy with miles. So there is reason to reconsider.

Within Skyteam, regardless of which ones I actually fly, which airline's FF program will make the best home base to sign up for? I am nominally signed up with NWA but there are very few miles in that account and I could easily start over.

graraps

That's a very complicated query...Depends on you really...Have a look at the Skyteam site created by Gnopps to get an idea of what each programme offers.

NWA_5479

NW offers MSP-LGW year-round on the A333. Another benefit is that often NW (I don't know about other Skyteam members) offers competitive (read lower) fares from ORD to Europe and Asia, in competition with AA and especially UA.

hserus

[QUOTE=sbm12;8524700]CO has announced a partnership with KingFisher for your intra-India flying. It would appear to be a code-sharing/earning partnership and recipricol lounge membership deal,[quote]

IT (Kingfisher) does give you lounge access if you have any kind of status or are flying C on CO, AF etc. Cute + hot stewardesses in tight, short red skirts, seatback TV + amenity bag in economy .. a lot of Indian frequent flyers like it.

NickB

Tangential to the OP's initial query, but one of the 7 daily rotations to PAR from LCY does go to/from CDG (AF5129/AF5128 early/mid afternoon), the rest going to/from ORY. Most "AF" LCY flights are in fact operated by Cityjet (under franchise).

NOLAnwGOLD

The best thing that ST can offer you is flying out of MDW. As a NU grad, I got to know ORD well and AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE. MDW is easy, great access via Orange line, lots of flights at least every two hours to all the hubs of ST. The only drawback is no lounge.