For a flyer of this profile, the only real option is A3

(1) What is your home airport? HKG
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? When I'm paying, Y, biz travel usually J
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? Probably 50+ but just starting out so tough to say
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? close to CX silver
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? upgrades (either op-up or redeemed)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often HKG-JFK yearly, HKG-SIN a few times/year, possibly ZRH or LDN, and planning on doing intra-asia for pleasure
(7) Preferred Airlines debating SG or Thai
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? A mix

Hi; Sorry for the ambiguous answers to some of the questions. I've recently started an expat career and am still figuring out how much travel will be involved (I imagine it will increase over time). I'm mostly concentrating my efforts on CX but since I don't get to choose my airline for business travel, I want a *A fallback. My goal is to get upgrades for intra-asian holiday travel (think DSP, USM).

Also, last month I flew 12k miles on Swiss for work without bothering to claim miles -- my thinking was that it might be a while before I flew Swiss again, being in HKG, and they're a tiny airline anyways. If I pick a *A can I submit my trip from last month for credit?

(1) What is your home airport? SFO
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? When I'm paying, the cheapest for a given flight. For business, as long as it is economy.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? I will be flying every week to and from a client in the US.
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? No status, but I currently have US Airways: 6,000 miles, Delta: 13,000 miles, Southwest: 9,000 points, JetBlue: 1,000 points
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? The current plan is to rack up points while I am travelling for work for the next couple years and then use them on domestic flights for years to come or a big international flight in between jobs. I haven't started travelling for work yet, so I don't know if the upgrades, lounge access and all that would make enough of a difference for me that it is worth sacrificing a good point redemption rate (or even if it is much of a sacrifice, as I don't know much about FFPs yet)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Domestic US
(7) Preferred Airlines Southwest and JetBlue are my favorites, in that order, but I am not married to them.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Work for the next couple years, then pleasure.

I would also appreciate feedback on hotel plans. The plan here is also to rack up points and use them while I'm travelling for pleasure after a couple years. This is just my plan at the moment, if there is a more profitable way to use points I'm not opposed to other ideas.

Thanks so much for your help.

Umm, I'd suggest A3 for a couple of reasons.

1)you can get *G even if you aren't flying on *A for all your flights...
2)you get lounge access
3)A3's international redemption oppertunities are pretty decent and priced similarly to other FFPs

However, if you want upgrades instead of lounge access (if you are flying transcons, i would upgrades over lounge access, if you are flying midcons or short hops, I'd suggest lounge access...), I'd say go for United Mileage Plus, because you get E+/UDU when flying.

I am currently on UA, but wondering if another *A carrier makes sense...

(1) What is your home airport? BOS
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? C
(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 Prem Exec (will be 1K by end of August)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Good Award Availability and biz award availability, also ease of travel to Europe on Award tickets
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? US all over the place, currently BOS to TYS
(7) Preferred Airlines No preference I was Plat on Delta for a long time when I lived in Atlanta.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Both

On M&M you make 225% (starting with FTL Exec, otherwise 200%) which seems to get you SEN (*G, more valuable with LH, I think also full free lounge access when flying within the US on domestic flights) - might be an idea, as with C only 50k would do to reach, and other 50k could get you any other programs *G too (I think there is still that thing with free upgrades within US domestic flights for "own" elites)

My primary allegiances is with OneWorld (BA Gold for the last 10 years, Platinum for Life on AA) but have a Canadian spouse and now a child starting university in Canada. So, I wouldn't mind accumulating miles to get her back and forth. I'm on the board of one company in Canada and sometimes have clients in Canada. Also, I've just started work with a Singapore client and credited all the miles for the EWR-SIN flights to AeroPlan. There will likely be more of those flights. But, will keep BA as primary allegiance.

I'm trying to figure out which Star Alliance airline it would be easiest/best to get meaningful elite status. This year, I have 35K miles on AC, but could switch Star Alliance allegiance to another airline with no problem after this year.

(1) What is your home airport? BOS
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Usually Y for personal and short flights, J for business. I fly BOS-YYZ a number of times a year and typically do that with Y fares. I occasionally fly to YVR or YYC, usually with F. Most of my flights to Europe are business class (and on BA). I do one or two trips a year coach to Denver.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? No doubt over 100K but I've never counted.
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? AC Elite (useless, I know). BA Gold. Plat for Life AA.
(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 lounge access; redemption for kid flying
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? BOS-LHR (6 to 10 times a year), BOS-various cities in Europe, BOS-YYZ, Domestic (BOS to Denver, EWR, DCA, etc.), BOS-SIN, sometimes BOS-SYD.
(7) Preferred Airlines SQ gives best service, lots of preference for BA because they treat me very well in terms of upgrades, lounges, Qantas, Cathay. Hate US, am never treated well by UA. AC is OK.
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Both. For business travel, I can choose airlines within reason (e.g., I will take BA over AA if the business class fare is $1K higher but not $3K.) For personal travel, I choose -- typically several vacation trips a year (this year, just did a trip on Swiss to Italy, did spring break on BA to Athens on miles, likely a Christmas break, plus visiting family in EWR, YYZ, DCA, Denver.

Look at the post above yours by yuropflyer (its quoted below as well). a few of those EWR-SIN flights should get you LH SEN status. Thats a real good status to have. You can do your TATL on LH / LX...and you have some chances at operational upgrades.

For other flights, you can continue crediting to AC or just keep LH. For someone like you who does a lot of Paid-C travel, LH is real good to credit to.

If I weren't doing the EWR-SIN flights, would I prefer Aegean as I'd be elite after 20K miles? I have been paying for a Maple Leaf Club card, which I could get rid of if I were to accumulate enough miles to make Gold-equivalent on LH.

Yes, the 20K miles on Aegean will give you lounge access through the system including USA.

So, if you dont plan on EWR-SIN regularly, then choose Aegean.

Hello,

Before I answer the questions, I feel like I need to explain that I have two types of travel: domestic and international. The international ones are always BOS - SIN (singapore), and the domestic ones are anywhere within the US.

(1) What is your home airport? BOS
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y or H for international, for domestic it's either Y or Orbitz :P
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 20 international and 20 domestic
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? United Premier
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? upgrades (either op-up or redeemed). I also like lounge access but figure that I'm willing to pay for priority pass if I can't get a Star Gold.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often JFK - SIN
(7) Preferred Airlines SG or UA
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? A mix

I'm currently at UA, but wondering if it makes sense to switch to KrisFlyer since I'll be going to Singapore a lot.

(1) What is your home airport? MEL in 2011 / PVG in 2012

(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y Mostly, J on occasion

(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25-30k

(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? QF Silver

(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? award redemption rates, lounge access

(6) Which routes do you fly most often Australian Domestic, Internationally PVG-MEL a 2-3 times a year

(7) Preferred Airlines QF but no real loyalty especially poor product between PVG&MEL

(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? pleasure occasionally work (in Y)

So basically I'm relocating to PVG next year for work, and looking for a suitable program that would be easy to redeem awards. No real loyalties for any alliance besides OW given my use of QF domestically.

I originally asked in another thread where to post my question and I was directed here. I just realized this is only for star alliance airlines and I had not narrowed it down that far yet. I am open to any airline for travel, is there somewhere else I should post or could anyone tell me if *A is, in fact, the best option for me?

As of now, I don't know if most of my flights will be transcon, midcon or short hops, or even if there will be a regular flight length. Not knowing this, should I go for A3 or United Mileage Plus? By the way, it doesn't matter that I won't be flying A3, I can still rack up miles by joining their program?

Thanks!

For your profile A3 sounds good.

Better option than Mileage plus, especially with the merger and the complete overload of elites.

And yes, you don't have to fly A3, although their planes and lounge is incredible...

if you only fly 25-30k miles a year, and you don't concentrate on one alliance, there is no doubt that A3 is the only option for you...