Which Star Alliance programme to keep? (or join?)
 

Hi -

I am currently a member (no status) with United and US Airways in Star Alliance. I may be making a Europe - Caribbean roundtrip later this year, using Air Canada. I travel frequently in the US, but I don't plan on making many (or any!) domestic trips with United or whatever US Airways turns into (I am gold with Northwest, about to make Plat for the first time). I can use a Europe mailing address, or a US mailing address to join another Star Alliance member, so as not to let any miles get away. What do you recommend? I am thinking of Lufthansa or Air Canada, but am open to other suggestions.

Thanks for your advice!

Is it really worth joining another *Alliance FF programme just for one round transatlantic round trip when, as you say, you don't use the alliance much otherwise? Why not just put the miles into the UA programme you already have? It would get you nearer to a some small award.

I doubt you'd get status on any European programme in a single round trip. The nearest would be BMI (though you can only be a member in certain countries). You get silver status at 16,000 miles and you earn 200% miles for journeys in Star Alliance C and 300% in F. So, if you did the journey in C (or even in Premium Economy on their own flights - it also gives 200%), you might get silver in one round trip. They fly to certain Caribbean destinations once or twice per week each from Manchester. But you don't get much with a BD silver card, apart from a 25% mileage bonus. Even lounge access to their own lounges is restricted if you're on certain economy fares (the cheapest). They don't have much of a network (and they're running down what they have) and the programme is only really any use for depositing miles earned on other *Alliance airlines. Their best feature is the ability to pay part cash and part miles for awards, even one way flights on *Alliance flights. These can be a real bargain in C and F (if you can get them). So for £140 (around $250) and 25,000 miles you'd get a one-way award between anywhere in Europe and anywhere in North America. A round trip would be double those figures and would also give you one stopover, as long as it was not in the originating travel zone. These are probably the best redemption levels of any *Alliance member. The worst thing (certainly for a US member) about almost every European airline FF scheme is that vouchers of any sort for upgrades are virtually non-existent. This seems to be a very important feature of all US schemes.

I'd go AC. You can redeem short haul flights @ 15k, north america flights @ 25k. It's pretty easy to make silver (even though they raised it from 18k to 25k), and they have really good fares from the US to europe and asia (to make up for having to connect in YYZ/YVR, I guess). Also get 100% EQMs on US/UA, and if you get status you have access to US/UA lounges, which you don't get on their own FFPs.