(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
AMS.

(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
Y and C, depending on cost.

(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
About 40 to 50K at least, possibly 60K.

(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
M&M Silver

(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
Lounge access to non M&M lounges (for long distance trips). Having upgrades on overnight flights from India/Bangkok/Singapore is nice, but not mandatory. I don't stay long enough in European airports for lounge access to be important (and intra-European upgrades don't mean much).

(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
AMS - India, AMS - Australia

(7) Preferred Airlines
LX, LH in that order. I haven't flown Turkish yet, but that's usually because their return timing is bad.
Generally it has been LX to India, LH back.

(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
I can choose my airlines and class of service.

Which program ??
 

(1) What is your home airport? IAD
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? 70% J class 30% Y
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 100k 150k
[B](4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it ? EK platinum
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often 30% domestic USA, 70% Europe Asia & Middle East
(7) Preferred Airlines was EK but due to moving from Middle East to USA now no preference yet.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Work and free to choose.

And yes I love the EK product and recognition.

(1) What is your home airport?
FRA

(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
Y, generally the cheaper classes.

(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
25k-50k

(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
-

(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)

Lounge access on *A, good award redemption options; to a lesser extent: promotions on buying miles

(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
intra-European on Lufthansa, FRA-USA on Lufthansa or United, US Domestic on United

(7) Preferred Airlines
My employer books the flights, prefers LH and United

(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
Work, can't choose class or service or airline.

(1) What is your home airport? JFK/LGA/EWR
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Y for domestic, sometimes C for international segments
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 40k-50k, maybe 60k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? OZ Diamond (*A Gold)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Free lounge access, priority services when flying or frequent upgrades.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc) Mostly domestic, including coast to coast.
(7) Preferred Airlines OZ (when I go to Asia), UA or AC.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?) Mostly for work, sometimes for pleasure. I can choose the airlines, not the class of service, especially for domestic.

Hi everyone, first time posting and keen to hear your thoughts.

Lots of travel last year 125k miles and haven't really felt much love from Air NZ. Looking to get Gold this year on any star alliance

What is your home airport?
JFK
What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Y cheapest economy with in 20% of fare
How many miles do you usually fly each year?
75k-100k
Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it?
Star Alliance Silver (Air New Zealand)
What is most important to you in a FFP?
I would be happy with 2-3 international upgrades 2 domestic (US), free bag and lounge access.
Which routes do you fly most often?
JFK - Auckland New Zealand, JFK - London, Auckland - Melbourne, Domestic AUS, Domestic NZ, JFK-LA, JFK - Paris
Preferred Airlines
Delta, Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, Lufthansa, Swiss
Do you travel for work or pleasure?
Own business, not adverse to spending more being specific with airlines I fly with and routing (i.e. layovers in Frankfurt or Zurich en route to London / Paris not an issue if I have lounge access).

Also have an Air NZ visa platinum which gets cheap $400 NZD for year access to Koru club which has LAX Star Alliance entrance, NZ domestic as well as Virgin Australia lounge access (domestic only). Earns 1 status point per $250 spent and 1 Air Point with $90 spent.

Am I better trying to cash in with an easy Star Alliance Gold airline or stick with Air New Zealand due to the credit card and 4 trips a year JFK NZ return (about 65k miles)

Thanks!

Hello dear flyers. I have been a mute follower of these forums and now it is my turn to ask for honest advice from the people who know better... I have a dilemma.

What is your home airport?
PVG&SHA
What types of fares do you usually buy ?
Y cheapest economy
How many miles do you usually fly each year?
20k-25k
Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it?
Star Alliance Gold (Aegean)
What is most important to you in a FFP?
Priority access, free bag and lounge access.
Which routes do you fly most often?
China domestic, China-US,China_Europe,China-Japan, China-Southeast Asia
Preferred Airlines
Air China (CA), UA, All Nippon(NH), Asiana (OZ), Singapore Airlines (SQ)
Do you travel for work or pleasure?
For Pleasure

Since Aegean has changed its request on keeping the SA Gold status, I have three choices:
1. Keep with Aegean (need 24K miles a year since I cannot fly to Greece every year. Mileage claim on UA low fare classes are low)
2. Turn to Asisana (need 40K within two years, good claim on UA's low fare classes. Have chance to be lifetime SA*G if 500K is claimed.)
3. Change to Turkish Airlines (match with TK elite and it has the lowest mileage request among SA*Gs)

I will fly to US every year (UA or FA is preferred). For domestic flys, I sometime would choose CA shortdistance A class cheap tickets for Aegean's 300% claim.

Thanks!

I am somehow in your boat but living in MEX and flying UA and LH mostly.

I can get the 4 A3 flights when flying to Europe, and I think that A3 is still a good option to pool the miles for an award ticket.
I was also thinking very very much to status match to TK but their miles do expire and the SA award booking is a pain.

So as long as the sweet spot of crediting UA A fare to A3 is still there I would stick with A3. 4 A3 flights+ cheap ticket in UA A fare and the rest still pooling to UA even without achieving any status

Thank you for your advise! Have you considered to join OZ? Redeem rate is not good however mileage expires only after 12 years. Earning on low fare UA tickets are good. Will have chance to become lifetime SA*G.

OZ is a good candidate for my MEX EU flights.only 50k miles, best of any other airlines. But to get to *G I would need to fly 40k in about 2 years.
I will have to wait long before I get the status.:rolleyes:


Just today I wanted to test the TK customer service. They sent me to staralliance.com to book a LH flight in EU. Almost laughing....that would be fun to get an award booking with them.Nope still A3 is better then them.
I will study OZ in these days.

(1) What is your home airport? LHR or AMS/BRU/DUB/MAD
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? F/J
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25-50K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? BA Gold / Hilton Gold / Accor Platinum
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Lounge/Mileage Programme/Recognition
(6) Which routes do you fly most often - Transatlantic/European
(7) Preferred Airlines - Oneworld currently
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? -Pleasure

Looking to status match my BA Gold and leave Oneworld, maybe go to Star Alliance? What BA are doing with the Avios I think it is time for a re-shuffle and maybe transfer my commitment to another alliance. I've written to BA asking to review their recent changes to the Executive Programme but sadly, they are not listening. So maybe we small in numbers can make big changes! If there are other alliances willing and able to encourage moves and switch our allegiance, we could all make a difference and bring these rewards programmes back to support the Customer. My flights are paid for by me, not a company/corporate account.
BA appear to no longer recognise this and I believe they want the corporate markets who pay for their employees to travel.
I feel a little like "David and Goliath" but I have the motivation and loyalty if other alliances will jump onboard.

1) Home airport is CLE
2) Fare types: usually lowest rate unrestricted coach, occasional business class
3) Yearly mileage between 40000-90000; this year likely to be closer to 90000
4) United Silver due to having a Mileage Plus CC through Chase. Currently have ~92K miles banked.
5) Most important is free lounge access, second most important is seat class upgrades
6) Most often flight type is transatlantic
7) Prefer United/Lufthansa
8) Most travel is work related. I'm able to choose airline most of the time, but often unable to pick class

Okay, I'm just gathering opinions on my possible next move :)

(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
SIN MEL SYD CBR HBA

(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
PE and J, sometimes Y

(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
Definitely >50k

(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
A3*G, VA Platinum, QF Platinum

(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
*A Lounge portfolio access, Earn & Burn rates, Great home airline recognition

(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
Asia to Australia, intra asia, intra australia, trans tasman

(7) Preferred Airlines
*A: SQ, TG, LH, NZ, NH
OW: QF, LA, CX
ST: GA
NA: EK, VA

(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
Leisure, some sectors for work

I have a few options. I can requalify for QF platinum easily every year, but I'm looking to diversifying my portfolio.

currently i have A3*G till Jan 2016 and will be able to take a SIN-LHR return in SQ PE to LHR,, and coupled with a return A3 journey to ATH to be eligible for the 12k requal.

The second option is to requal for VA platinum, but using mostly SQ flights to do so. VA miles can be converted to SQ miles with a 35% penalty, but offers great redemption opportunities with SQ. Right now its either or, or accruing in a different FFP altogether.

Let me know your thoughts. Feel free to suggest any FFP you think is viable for me :D

(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
RPR, BOM
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
Cheapest available
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
around 25k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
Nope
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
upgrades and award tickets. Not bothered about premeir status and lounges
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
Everything from India, domestic and to Europe, SE Asia.
(7) Preferred Airlines
Air India, Jet Airways
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
Pleasure. Buying my own tickets.

Have 0 miles on every program. Currently in US but will move to India in December. Travel economy everywhere. Advantage of United Mileage Plus is that I can redeem miles on my occassional jet airways flight as well since they are codeshare partners with UA.

Hi all,

In the second post of the thread there is a sentence that states that if you fly less then 50k miles in a year the best choice could be Aegean or Asiana or Turkish programs. Is the statement still valid? there were changes in all of the mentioned programs since the second post.

Still the Aegean offers the "cheapest" star gold on the market ?

@Wilzor

The recent changes suggest that Aegan is no longer as cheap as OZ and TK unless you fly Aegan flights. I would suggest OZ or TK if you are looking to earn gold quickly.