Jan 20, 2016, 10:53 pm
Last edit by: jtet
A number of threads have been started with members asking for guidance on which mileage programme they should join. In order to help users I have started this thread to allow people to post their requests for information here and to allow people to offer assistance.
For members asking for information please help people to assist you, can you provide:
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Silver, 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.)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
(7) Preferred Airlines
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
GENERAL INFORMATION:
If you fly less than 50k miles per year: it is almost guaranteed that your choice will be between Aegean Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Asiana Airlines. Please look up these airlines' frequent flier programs, and make a decision as to which best suits your needs.
Some considerations to take into account:
Airlines tend to treat members of their own frequent flier program better than members of other frequent flier programs. If you fly one of these airlines, it is recommended that you choose that airline.
Some airlines have better earning/redemption charts for your pattern. For example, if you fly on cheap fares on a certain airline often, Turkish might give you miles for it, while Aegean might not. However, Turkish Airlines might charge much more for the redemption that you want to make than Aegean.
Asiana Airlines offers lifetime Star Alliance Gold for 500k miles over life. The other 2 airlines do not offer this benefit.
Asiana Airlines has a credit card in the USA and some other countries. If you are interested in credit cards, check to make sure that the program that you join has a credit card in your country.
If you still aren't sure which frequent flyer program is for you after looking these up, feel free to ask on this thread.
For members asking for information please help people to assist you, can you provide:
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Silver, 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.)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
(7) Preferred Airlines
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
GENERAL INFORMATION:
If you fly less than 50k miles per year: it is almost guaranteed that your choice will be between Aegean Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Asiana Airlines. Please look up these airlines' frequent flier programs, and make a decision as to which best suits your needs.
Some considerations to take into account:
Airlines tend to treat members of their own frequent flier program better than members of other frequent flier programs. If you fly one of these airlines, it is recommended that you choose that airline.
Some airlines have better earning/redemption charts for your pattern. For example, if you fly on cheap fares on a certain airline often, Turkish might give you miles for it, while Aegean might not. However, Turkish Airlines might charge much more for the redemption that you want to make than Aegean.
Asiana Airlines offers lifetime Star Alliance Gold for 500k miles over life. The other 2 airlines do not offer this benefit.
Asiana Airlines has a credit card in the USA and some other countries. If you are interested in credit cards, check to make sure that the program that you join has a credit card in your country.
If you still aren't sure which frequent flyer program is for you after looking these up, feel free to ask on this thread.
Need advice on which *A FF scheme to join? - please post here
Nov 24, 2017 | 6:04 am
#1996
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: WAW
Programs: LH SEN, TK Elite, Marriott Titanium, Accor Platinum, Radisson VIP, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 3,054
Right - any expert help would be really appreciated.
I joined Aegean due to great *G threshold (when I still flew less) and decent redemption on *A ex South Africa. Due to my most frequent flights being on SA in discounted economy (TLVW) and Aegean earning only 50% for those buckets, I am wondering if there is a more efficient option. My main consideration is Krisflyer due to 100% earn, but redemptions are hard to puzzle out and have heard some annoying things about award availability. (I do have a CPT - SIN - BKK - CPT in C booked on them so at least that would also be a start to re-earning gold again.)
Question is - do I stick with Miles + Bonus (only have about 24k miles balance now) or should I jump ship somewhere else?
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.) CPT
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.) C internationally, Y locally (at least 2k miles per week, all SA, mostly TLVW buckets). (F on miles ;-) )
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k) 120k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Silver, M&M Senator etc) EK Silver, A3 Gold
(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.) Miles earning/redemption and the normal *A perks
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc) South Africa -> Asia/Europe, and domestic CPT-JNB shuttle
(7) Preferred Airlines SQ, TG, (EK), (CX). SA domestic
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?) Both.
I joined Aegean due to great *G threshold (when I still flew less) and decent redemption on *A ex South Africa. Due to my most frequent flights being on SA in discounted economy (TLVW) and Aegean earning only 50% for those buckets, I am wondering if there is a more efficient option. My main consideration is Krisflyer due to 100% earn, but redemptions are hard to puzzle out and have heard some annoying things about award availability. (I do have a CPT - SIN - BKK - CPT in C booked on them so at least that would also be a start to re-earning gold again.)
Question is - do I stick with Miles + Bonus (only have about 24k miles balance now) or should I jump ship somewhere else?
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.) CPT
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.) C internationally, Y locally (at least 2k miles per week, all SA, mostly TLVW buckets). (F on miles ;-) )
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k) 120k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Silver, M&M Senator etc) EK Silver, A3 Gold
(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.) Miles earning/redemption and the normal *A perks
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc) South Africa -> Asia/Europe, and domestic CPT-JNB shuttle
(7) Preferred Airlines SQ, TG, (EK), (CX). SA domestic
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?) Both.
Dec 11, 2017 | 5:46 am
#1997
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 66
Choosing *A FFP???? No status beginning.
Please help or clarify. TIA!!!
Comparing UA to Asiana Airlines - OZ on hypothetical flight
Attempting to get *G using one of these two programs… Do I have it correct???
Asiana Club
Diamond
Asiana Club Diamond Members are granted Star Alliance Gold Membership, and a number of special benefits are provided, including use of the dedicated check-in counter, priority baggage processing and use of airport lounges of Star Alliance partners. Diamond Members can accumulate miles whenever they board flights of Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance and use the services of partners including credit card companies, hotels and car rental services, and can use the miles for flight trips using Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance partners. The miles can also be used for services of Asiana Airlines partners, including theaters, resorts and online duty-free shops
Terms and Conditions of Membership Agreement
Qualification
Accumulate 40,000 miles by boarding Asiana Airlines or Star Alliance flights, or board 50 Asiana Airlines flights within 24 months from the base date*
So for OZ - I need 40,000 qualifying miles for Diamond Membership (=*G)? - PQM’s - Nothing about $$ spent??
__________United Airlines MileagePlus member____________________________
United airlines requirements for *GPremier Gold
50,000 PQM or 60 PQS (and $6,000)
Need PQM's and $6,000 spent
SO for this example, if I take this flight to Asia it shows as all UA flight# (But some segments ANA) and these details:
Thu, Jan 25, 2018 $360 (Price of ticket less taxes)
Departing
10:50 amNew York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
11:55 pmKuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
MileagePlus earnings:
900 base award miles
10,070 PQM 2 PQS $180 PQD
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty) to Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita)
10:50 am - 3:00 pm (14h 10m)
UA 79 Boeing 777-300ER
United Economy (K)
Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita) to Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
5:15 pm - 11:55 pm (7h 40m)
UA 7962 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Operated By All Nippon Airways
Economy (K)
__________________________________________________ ________________
Wed, Feb 07, 2018
Departing 8:00 am Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
Arriving4:45 pm New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty
Flight segments
KUL to NRT
MileagePlus earnings:
900 base award miles
10,070 PQM 2 PQS $180 PQD
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL) to Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita)
8:00 am - 3:40 pm (6h 40m)
UA 7967 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Operated By All Nippon Airways
Economy (K)
Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita) to New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
5:55 pm - 4:45 pm (12h 50m)
UA 78 Boeing 777-300ER
United Economy (K)
So does this detail show me exactly the PQM’s without going to the charts and looking at whether “K” flight is 25% or 50% etc. – 10,070 PQM’s each way or 20,140 PQM’s.
If true, then if I credited to Asiana Airlines FFP it would be over 50% (needed 40,000), of the way to *G as OZ Diamond status?
In the UA situation it would only be $360 (Price of ticket less taxes) toward the necessary $6,000 component needed to gain *G status.
Way Short on achieving *G.
Any help appreciated.
Please help or clarify. TIA!!!
Comparing UA to Asiana Airlines - OZ on hypothetical flight
Attempting to get *G using one of these two programs… Do I have it correct???
Asiana Club
Diamond
Asiana Club Diamond Members are granted Star Alliance Gold Membership, and a number of special benefits are provided, including use of the dedicated check-in counter, priority baggage processing and use of airport lounges of Star Alliance partners. Diamond Members can accumulate miles whenever they board flights of Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance and use the services of partners including credit card companies, hotels and car rental services, and can use the miles for flight trips using Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance partners. The miles can also be used for services of Asiana Airlines partners, including theaters, resorts and online duty-free shops
Terms and Conditions of Membership Agreement
Qualification
Accumulate 40,000 miles by boarding Asiana Airlines or Star Alliance flights, or board 50 Asiana Airlines flights within 24 months from the base date*
So for OZ - I need 40,000 qualifying miles for Diamond Membership (=*G)? - PQM’s - Nothing about $$ spent??
__________United Airlines MileagePlus member____________________________
United airlines requirements for *GPremier Gold
50,000 PQM or 60 PQS (and $6,000)
Need PQM's and $6,000 spent
SO for this example, if I take this flight to Asia it shows as all UA flight# (But some segments ANA) and these details:
Thu, Jan 25, 2018 $360 (Price of ticket less taxes)
Departing
10:50 amNew York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
11:55 pmKuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
MileagePlus earnings:
900 base award miles
10,070 PQM 2 PQS $180 PQD
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty) to Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita)
10:50 am - 3:00 pm (14h 10m)
UA 79 Boeing 777-300ER
United Economy (K)
Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita) to Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
5:15 pm - 11:55 pm (7h 40m)
UA 7962 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Operated By All Nippon Airways
Economy (K)
__________________________________________________ ________________
Wed, Feb 07, 2018
Departing 8:00 am Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
Arriving4:45 pm New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty
Flight segments
KUL to NRT
MileagePlus earnings:
900 base award miles
10,070 PQM 2 PQS $180 PQD
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL) to Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita)
8:00 am - 3:40 pm (6h 40m)
UA 7967 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Operated By All Nippon Airways
Economy (K)
Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita) to New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
5:55 pm - 4:45 pm (12h 50m)
UA 78 Boeing 777-300ER
United Economy (K)
So does this detail show me exactly the PQM’s without going to the charts and looking at whether “K” flight is 25% or 50% etc. – 10,070 PQM’s each way or 20,140 PQM’s.
If true, then if I credited to Asiana Airlines FFP it would be over 50% (needed 40,000), of the way to *G as OZ Diamond status?
In the UA situation it would only be $360 (Price of ticket less taxes) toward the necessary $6,000 component needed to gain *G status.
Way Short on achieving *G.
Any help appreciated.
Dec 12, 2017 | 3:40 am
#1998
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA/SFO
Programs: OZ Diamond, UA Silver, AS MVP, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,584
Choosing *A FFP???? No status beginning.
Please help or clarify. TIA!!!
Comparing UA to Asiana Airlines - OZ on hypothetical flight
Attempting to get *G using one of these two programs Do I have it correct???
Asiana Club
Diamond
Asiana Club Diamond Members are granted Star Alliance Gold Membership, and a number of special benefits are provided, including use of the dedicated check-in counter, priority baggage processing and use of airport lounges of Star Alliance partners. Diamond Members can accumulate miles whenever they board flights of Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance and use the services of partners including credit card companies, hotels and car rental services, and can use the miles for flight trips using Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance partners. The miles can also be used for services of Asiana Airlines partners, including theaters, resorts and online duty-free shops
Terms and Conditions of Membership Agreement
Qualification
Accumulate 40,000 miles by boarding Asiana Airlines or Star Alliance flights, or board 50 Asiana Airlines flights within 24 months from the base date*
So for OZ - I need 40,000 qualifying miles for Diamond Membership (=*G)? - PQMs - Nothing about $$ spent??
__________United Airlines MileagePlus member____________________________
United airlines requirements for *GPremier Gold
50,000 PQM or 60 PQS (and $6,000)
Need PQM's and $6,000 spent
SO for this example, if I take this flight to Asia it shows as all UA flight# (But some segments ANA) and these details:
Thu, Jan 25, 2018 $360 (Price of ticket less taxes)
Departing
10:50 amNew York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
11:55 pmKuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
MileagePlus earnings:
900 base award miles
10,070 PQM 2 PQS $180 PQD
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty) to Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita)
10:50 am - 3:00 pm (14h 10m)
UA 79 Boeing 777-300ER
United Economy (K)
Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita) to Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
5:15 pm - 11:55 pm (7h 40m)
UA 7962 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Operated By All Nippon Airways
Economy (K)
__________________________________________________ ________________
Wed, Feb 07, 2018
Departing 8:00 am Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
Arriving4:45 pm New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty
Flight segments
KUL to NRT
MileagePlus earnings:
900 base award miles
10,070 PQM 2 PQS $180 PQD
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL) to Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita)
8:00 am - 3:40 pm (6h 40m)
UA 7967 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Operated By All Nippon Airways
Economy (K)
Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita) to New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
5:55 pm - 4:45 pm (12h 50m)
UA 78 Boeing 777-300ER
United Economy (K)
So does this detail show me exactly the PQMs without going to the charts and looking at whether K flight is 25% or 50% etc. 10,070 PQMs each way or 20,140 PQMs.
If true, then if I credited to Asiana Airlines FFP it would be over 50% (needed 40,000), of the way to *G as OZ Diamond status?
In the UA situation it would only be $360 (Price of ticket less taxes) toward the necessary $6,000 component needed to gain *G status.
Way Short on achieving *G.
Any help appreciated.
Please help or clarify. TIA!!!
Comparing UA to Asiana Airlines - OZ on hypothetical flight
Attempting to get *G using one of these two programs Do I have it correct???
Asiana Club
Diamond
Asiana Club Diamond Members are granted Star Alliance Gold Membership, and a number of special benefits are provided, including use of the dedicated check-in counter, priority baggage processing and use of airport lounges of Star Alliance partners. Diamond Members can accumulate miles whenever they board flights of Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance and use the services of partners including credit card companies, hotels and car rental services, and can use the miles for flight trips using Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance partners. The miles can also be used for services of Asiana Airlines partners, including theaters, resorts and online duty-free shops
Terms and Conditions of Membership Agreement
Qualification
Accumulate 40,000 miles by boarding Asiana Airlines or Star Alliance flights, or board 50 Asiana Airlines flights within 24 months from the base date*
So for OZ - I need 40,000 qualifying miles for Diamond Membership (=*G)? - PQMs - Nothing about $$ spent??
__________United Airlines MileagePlus member____________________________
United airlines requirements for *GPremier Gold
50,000 PQM or 60 PQS (and $6,000)
Need PQM's and $6,000 spent
SO for this example, if I take this flight to Asia it shows as all UA flight# (But some segments ANA) and these details:
Thu, Jan 25, 2018 $360 (Price of ticket less taxes)
Departing
10:50 amNew York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
11:55 pmKuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
MileagePlus earnings:
900 base award miles
10,070 PQM 2 PQS $180 PQD
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty) to Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita)
10:50 am - 3:00 pm (14h 10m)
UA 79 Boeing 777-300ER
United Economy (K)
Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita) to Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
5:15 pm - 11:55 pm (7h 40m)
UA 7962 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Operated By All Nippon Airways
Economy (K)
__________________________________________________ ________________
Wed, Feb 07, 2018
Departing 8:00 am Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
Arriving4:45 pm New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL)
New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty
Flight segments
KUL to NRT
MileagePlus earnings:
900 base award miles
10,070 PQM 2 PQS $180 PQD
Kuala Lumpur, MY (KUL) to Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita)
8:00 am - 3:40 pm (6h 40m)
UA 7967 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Operated By All Nippon Airways
Economy (K)
Tokyo, JP (NRT - Narita) to New York/Newark, NJ, US (EWR - Liberty)
5:55 pm - 4:45 pm (12h 50m)
UA 78 Boeing 777-300ER
United Economy (K)
So does this detail show me exactly the PQMs without going to the charts and looking at whether K flight is 25% or 50% etc. 10,070 PQMs each way or 20,140 PQMs.
If true, then if I credited to Asiana Airlines FFP it would be over 50% (needed 40,000), of the way to *G as OZ Diamond status?
In the UA situation it would only be $360 (Price of ticket less taxes) toward the necessary $6,000 component needed to gain *G status.
Way Short on achieving *G.
Any help appreciated.
ANA K fare only earns 30% in OZ club and UA K fare only earns 50% in OZ club. So you would only earn 6732 miles for EWR-NRT r/t and 3358 miles for NRT-KUL r/t. So in total 10090. Whereas on UA, you'll earn nearly double that, 20140 PQM.
So with OZ, you come out way ahead in terms of redeemable miles, but way behind in terms of status miles, which is what you seem to care about.
However, with these super cheap fares to Asia, you will never reach the $6k PQD needed for *G, unless you have an overseas address to register your UA account, in which case that requirement is waived entirely.
Sorry to be a downer, but many people get overly excited about the OZ program without understanding its fallbacks. UA also just happens to be very generous in awarding status miles, mainly because it can, with people needing to complete the PQD requirement anyways.
Dec 16, 2017 | 3:16 am
#2000
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,135
(1) What is your home airport? PEK (and LHR)
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Discount Y
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <25K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? No status but about 40K orphan UA miles
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Awards, ability to consolidate mileage balances within a family
(6) Which routes do you fly most often Request is for secondary plan for *A flights (main FFP is BAEC)
(7) Preferred Airlines Air China
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure
I am relocating to PEK with my family for 3 years. For routing reasons we are likely to undertake a reasonable number of (discount) economy flights on Air China (and other *A carriers in the region). I am interested in advice on where best to credit the miles. My objective is not status, it's best earning / redemption options, and particularly on the ability (if it exists in *A!) to pool / transfer our mileage balances
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Discount Y
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <25K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? No status but about 40K orphan UA miles
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Awards, ability to consolidate mileage balances within a family
(6) Which routes do you fly most often Request is for secondary plan for *A flights (main FFP is BAEC)
(7) Preferred Airlines Air China
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure
I am relocating to PEK with my family for 3 years. For routing reasons we are likely to undertake a reasonable number of (discount) economy flights on Air China (and other *A carriers in the region). I am interested in advice on where best to credit the miles. My objective is not status, it's best earning / redemption options, and particularly on the ability (if it exists in *A!) to pool / transfer our mileage balances
Dec 18, 2017 | 5:56 am
#2001
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 9
Hey there
Flew over 109k miles last year. Economy and often transatlantic. Please see below:
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
ORD,MDW
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ?(C, F, Y, etc.) economy - discount mainly. If for work sometimes higher class of economy.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
>100k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
Krisflyer Silver before devaluation of earnings was a great all around program.
(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.)
good award redemption rates and ability to earn something on K class
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
transatlantic, domestic
(7) Preferred Airlines
domestic - Jetblue to see family, WN for flexibility, AS if heading west, then one of the major 3. Sorry - very millennial in approach!
international - the cheapest. Appreciate the strong network of Star Alliance.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
both - economy for work. Their preferred airlines are AA and WN but often can trick it to get united.
Thank you in advance!
Flew over 109k miles last year. Economy and often transatlantic. Please see below:
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
ORD,MDW
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ?(C, F, Y, etc.) economy - discount mainly. If for work sometimes higher class of economy.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
>100k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
Krisflyer Silver before devaluation of earnings was a great all around program.
(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.)
good award redemption rates and ability to earn something on K class
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
transatlantic, domestic
(7) Preferred Airlines
domestic - Jetblue to see family, WN for flexibility, AS if heading west, then one of the major 3. Sorry - very millennial in approach!
international - the cheapest. Appreciate the strong network of Star Alliance.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
both - economy for work. Their preferred airlines are AA and WN but often can trick it to get united.
Thank you in advance!
Dec 18, 2017 | 8:41 am
#2002
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 2
Hi All,
Taking a new job in March in Bermuda, traveling heavily throughout the Caribbean and the eastern USA. Flights within the Caribbean are mostly to Turks, BVI, Caymans. Home is YYZ with 12 flights a year planned. Usually a long haul both SEA and Europe (Ryder Cup this year!) thrown in to round out the travel.
Thinking with the move it might make sense to review my best bet for Star Alliance partner, or other if there are suggestions. Lots of my travel will be short haul with multiple segments.
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.) BDA
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k) 25-50K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Silver, M&M Senator etc) 25K with Air Canada.
(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.) Frequent Upgrades, Lounge, Priority services ( in that order)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc) Caribbean, North America,
(7) Preferred Airlines ; Air Canada or Star Alliance carriers, however, I'm open to switching to American or any others that will best serve me.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you choose your airlines, class of service?) I can choose my airline, but not class of service for work. When travelling for personal, I'd like to leverage the points/status gained while flying for work.
Thank you very much in advance!
Taking a new job in March in Bermuda, traveling heavily throughout the Caribbean and the eastern USA. Flights within the Caribbean are mostly to Turks, BVI, Caymans. Home is YYZ with 12 flights a year planned. Usually a long haul both SEA and Europe (Ryder Cup this year!) thrown in to round out the travel.
Thinking with the move it might make sense to review my best bet for Star Alliance partner, or other if there are suggestions. Lots of my travel will be short haul with multiple segments.
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.) BDA
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k) 25-50K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Silver, M&M Senator etc) 25K with Air Canada.
(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.) Frequent Upgrades, Lounge, Priority services ( in that order)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc) Caribbean, North America,
(7) Preferred Airlines ; Air Canada or Star Alliance carriers, however, I'm open to switching to American or any others that will best serve me.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you choose your airlines, class of service?) I can choose my airline, but not class of service for work. When travelling for personal, I'd like to leverage the points/status gained while flying for work.
Thank you very much in advance!
Dec 19, 2017 | 1:52 am
#2003
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 21
Been wasting a lot of miles not doing things correctly, so I plan on figuring this out going forward.
(1) What is your home airport? SJC
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Economy
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25k-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? none, i have immaterial points scattered across ANA, UA, and KrisFlyer
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Seat upgrades and redemption rates.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often Transpacific (2x a year) and US domestic (2-3x a year)
(7) Preferred Airlines ANA for transpacific (and since it flies from SJC); otherwise would also prefer KrisFlyer. Usually use AA for US domestic since I get free economy upgrade through work. .
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Both, transpacific for pleasure and US domestic for a mix of pleasure and work.
I also have 100K in Chase UR and 200K in AMEX rewards to use. Furthermore, I am planning two transpacific trips next year (SJC to BKK, stopover NRT) and (SFO to MLE). I am debating if I want to get business class seats for my wife and myself on one of those trips.
Thanks
(1) What is your home airport? SJC
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Economy
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25k-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? none, i have immaterial points scattered across ANA, UA, and KrisFlyer
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Seat upgrades and redemption rates.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often Transpacific (2x a year) and US domestic (2-3x a year)
(7) Preferred Airlines ANA for transpacific (and since it flies from SJC); otherwise would also prefer KrisFlyer. Usually use AA for US domestic since I get free economy upgrade through work. .
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Both, transpacific for pleasure and US domestic for a mix of pleasure and work.
I also have 100K in Chase UR and 200K in AMEX rewards to use. Furthermore, I am planning two transpacific trips next year (SJC to BKK, stopover NRT) and (SFO to MLE). I am debating if I want to get business class seats for my wife and myself on one of those trips.
Thanks
Dec 19, 2017 | 12:13 pm
#2004
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 3
(1) What is your home airport? DUS
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y within Europe, N for long distance
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Iberia Oro (OW Sapphire), BA Bronze (OW Ruby)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Free lounge access, upgrades
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Around 3-4x return trips per year long distance:Germany - US Westcoast + Germany - Asia; around 5-10 trips within Europe
(7) Preferred Airlines: No preferences, for travel within Germany I usually use Eurowings, medium-/ long- distance depending on price, but prefer LH
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Both, flexible with booking work travel
Been flying a lot with Airberlin and now "stuck" with LH family flights. Would like to get a *A status to use lounges on my trips, as I usually fly in Premium Economy and not Business.
Thanks!
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y within Europe, N for long distance
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Iberia Oro (OW Sapphire), BA Bronze (OW Ruby)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Free lounge access, upgrades
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Around 3-4x return trips per year long distance:Germany - US Westcoast + Germany - Asia; around 5-10 trips within Europe
(7) Preferred Airlines: No preferences, for travel within Germany I usually use Eurowings, medium-/ long- distance depending on price, but prefer LH
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Both, flexible with booking work travel
Been flying a lot with Airberlin and now "stuck" with LH family flights. Would like to get a *A status to use lounges on my trips, as I usually fly in Premium Economy and not Business.
Thanks!
Dec 20, 2017 | 6:44 am
#2005
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA/SFO
Programs: OZ Diamond, UA Silver, AS MVP, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,584
(1) What is your home airport? DUS
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y within Europe, N for long distance
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Iberia Oro (OW Sapphire), BA Bronze (OW Ruby)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Free lounge access, upgrades
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Around 3-4x return trips per year long distance:Germany - US Westcoast + Germany - Asia; around 5-10 trips within Europe
(7) Preferred Airlines: No preferences, for travel within Germany I usually use Eurowings, medium-/ long- distance depending on price, but prefer LH
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Both, flexible with booking work travel
Been flying a lot with Airberlin and now "stuck" with LH family flights. Would like to get a *A status to use lounges on my trips, as I usually fly in Premium Economy and not Business.
Thanks!
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y within Europe, N for long distance
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Iberia Oro (OW Sapphire), BA Bronze (OW Ruby)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Free lounge access, upgrades
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Around 3-4x return trips per year long distance:Germany - US Westcoast + Germany - Asia; around 5-10 trips within Europe
(7) Preferred Airlines: No preferences, for travel within Germany I usually use Eurowings, medium-/ long- distance depending on price, but prefer LH
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Both, flexible with booking work travel
Been flying a lot with Airberlin and now "stuck" with LH family flights. Would like to get a *A status to use lounges on my trips, as I usually fly in Premium Economy and not Business.
Thanks!
LH group is very stingy in terms of mileage accrual in Y for the "lucrative" programs in *A, but since you're flying premium economy, that shouldn't be a problem. I would go with TK or OZ but only if you'll consistently be flying in N and not Y for the long-hauls.
Dec 26, 2017 | 11:22 am
#2006
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 39
(1) What is your home airport? RDU - Raleigh Durham
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Business Class for transpacific, Economy for Domestic
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? around 45k-55k,
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Gold Skymiles
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Redemption rates, lounge, priority, upgrades, in this order.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often US Domestic, Transpacific
(7) Preferred Airlines ATM I am with Delta but I will be flying more transpacific fights between USA and China. Looking for best FFP that allows me to travel/upgrade/use miles on partner airlines like Eva and Singapore
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? I travel mostly for pleasure on long hauls and work on domestic flights
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Business Class for transpacific, Economy for Domestic
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? around 45k-55k,
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Gold Skymiles
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Redemption rates, lounge, priority, upgrades, in this order.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often US Domestic, Transpacific
(7) Preferred Airlines ATM I am with Delta but I will be flying more transpacific fights between USA and China. Looking for best FFP that allows me to travel/upgrade/use miles on partner airlines like Eva and Singapore
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? I travel mostly for pleasure on long hauls and work on domestic flights
Dec 31, 2017 | 5:51 pm
#2007
Join Date: May 2011
Location: LAX
Posts: 6
help decide on best Star Alliance Carrier
(1) What is your home airport? LAX
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Busines/First Class
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? >100K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? UA 1K
(5) What is most important to you in an FFP? Lounge access, Upgrades, Premium Award Seat Availability
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? LAX to Europe or LAX to Japan
(7) Preferred Airlines no experience of any *a - LH, SQ
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? mainly work, and some pleasure
Been 1K with United for years but rarely sit a UA aircraft would much rather have access to other benefits on carriers I am actually traveling on.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Busines/First Class
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? >100K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? UA 1K
(5) What is most important to you in an FFP? Lounge access, Upgrades, Premium Award Seat Availability
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? LAX to Europe or LAX to Japan
(7) Preferred Airlines no experience of any *a - LH, SQ
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? mainly work, and some pleasure
Been 1K with United for years but rarely sit a UA aircraft would much rather have access to other benefits on carriers I am actually traveling on.
Dec 31, 2017 | 8:02 pm
#2008
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: JFK/EWR/LGA/SFO
Programs: OZ Diamond, UA Silver, AS MVP, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,584
(1) What is your home airport? LAX
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Busines/First Class
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? >100K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? UA 1K
(5) What is most important to you in an FFP? Lounge access, Upgrades, Premium Award Seat Availability
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? LAX to Europe or LAX to Japan
(7) Preferred Airlines no experience of any *a - LH, SQ
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? mainly work, and some pleasure
Been 1K with United for years but rarely sit a UA aircraft would much rather have access to other benefits on carriers I am actually traveling on.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Busines/First Class
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? >100K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? UA 1K
(5) What is most important to you in an FFP? Lounge access, Upgrades, Premium Award Seat Availability
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? LAX to Europe or LAX to Japan
(7) Preferred Airlines no experience of any *a - LH, SQ
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? mainly work, and some pleasure
Been 1K with United for years but rarely sit a UA aircraft would much rather have access to other benefits on carriers I am actually traveling on.
Jan 1, 2018 | 6:55 am
#2009
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 8
Hi, I mainly fly one world but about to do a lot of flights around Central Asia with Turkish airlines as doing some travel before I move back to Australia and thought it might be worth joining a *A programme.
I’m doing the following flights all in business:
London-Istanbul
Istanbul-Baku
Tsibili-Almaty this one is on Air Astana
Ashkhabad-Istanbul
Istanbul-Bodrum
Bodrum-Istanbul
Istanbul-Ulan Bator
There will also be a flight from Ulan Bator to Australia not sure of route yet but one option was Korean Air to Seoul then Asiana to Sydney
(1) What is your home airport? Currently London will be Melbourne from Oct.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Busines
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Qantas Gold
(5) What is most important to you in an FFP? Award Seat Availability probably for Air New Zealand flights
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Unsure what my flight plans will be like once i move to Australia. Maybe more domestic or to New Zealand. Longer haul likely to be Asian countries.
(7) Preferred Airlines little experience of any *a usually fly one world. On long haul I flights like the lie flat seats.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? pleasure
I’m doing the following flights all in business:
London-Istanbul
Istanbul-Baku
Tsibili-Almaty this one is on Air Astana
Ashkhabad-Istanbul
Istanbul-Bodrum
Bodrum-Istanbul
Istanbul-Ulan Bator
There will also be a flight from Ulan Bator to Australia not sure of route yet but one option was Korean Air to Seoul then Asiana to Sydney
(1) What is your home airport? Currently London will be Melbourne from Oct.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Busines
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Qantas Gold
(5) What is most important to you in an FFP? Award Seat Availability probably for Air New Zealand flights
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Unsure what my flight plans will be like once i move to Australia. Maybe more domestic or to New Zealand. Longer haul likely to be Asian countries.
(7) Preferred Airlines little experience of any *a usually fly one world. On long haul I flights like the lie flat seats.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? pleasure
Jan 2, 2018 | 2:51 pm
#2010
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 22,932
Hi, I mainly fly one world but about to do a lot of flights around Central Asia with Turkish airlines as doing some travel before I move back to Australia and thought it might be worth joining a *A programme.
<snip>
(1) What is your home airport? Currently London will be Melbourne from Oct.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Business
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Qantas Gold
(5) What is most important to you in an FFP? Award Seat Availability probably for Air New Zealand flights
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Unsure what my flight plans will be like once I move to Australia. Maybe more domestic or to New Zealand. Longer haul likely to be Asian countries.
(7) Preferred Airlines little experience of any *a usually fly one world. On long haul I flights like the lie flat seats.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? pleasure
<snip>
(1) What is your home airport? Currently London will be Melbourne from Oct.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Business
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Qantas Gold
(5) What is most important to you in an FFP? Award Seat Availability probably for Air New Zealand flights
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Unsure what my flight plans will be like once I move to Australia. Maybe more domestic or to New Zealand. Longer haul likely to be Asian countries.
(7) Preferred Airlines little experience of any *a usually fly one world. On long haul I flights like the lie flat seats.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? pleasure
SQ (Star Allaince) is a ff partner of Virgin Australia VA. Unusually you can move ff miles from one to the other (albeit at 1:1.35 ratio)
Be mindful of expiry Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire. Click to open the wiki. SQ have a 3 year hard expiry.
Air NZ has a (poor) reputation of releasing few awards seats to partners. Nominally awards are open to all ff partners, but do not expect to get Air NZ award seats. Air NZ freq flyers get NZ airpoints which can be used on any flight instead of cash. Air NZ ffp is extremely bad, unless you live in NZ and can get airpoints from non flying activities or only fly Air NZ.
If flying Aust NZ there are many options and use of ff miles can be poor value