Is It Time For A New Oneworld Status Strategy?

Is It Time For A New Oneworld Status Strategy?

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Am I the only one who is increasingly considering giving up on earning status with American AAdvantage, and instead pursuing status with a foreign oneworld program, like British Airways Executive Club? I figured it would be interesting to talk through this, as I imagine I’m not the only person who is considering this.

I mostly fly American, and have Executive Platinum status

I live in Miami, so most of my domestic flying is on American. That’s not because I seek out American or think it’s the best airline in the world, but the airline has by far the biggest network out of Miami. If I want to fly somewhere nonstop, American can usually get me there. Best of all, in many cases the airline flies wide bodies on domestic hub-to-hub flights, which makes for a very comfortable ride.

While flying American is far from glamorous, the airline has done a great job improving its operational reliability, and I’m at least happy I don’t have to wait in a line to use lounges, unlike at Delta.

I have AAdvantage Executive Platinum status through American’s Loyalty Points system. I earn the status through a combination of flying and a moderate amount of credit card spending. If you’re going to fly American (or any airline), it’s of course better to have status than not to have status.

The thing is, what I value from Executive Platinum status has changed over the years. What I do value is the basic priority services (priority check-in, boarding, etc.), Main Cabin Extra seating, bonus miles, and especially oneworld Emerald status.

What I value a lot less than in the past is the following:

It really reflects how things have changed over the years. I remember a decade ago when I had Executive Platinum status, and that automatically offered eight systemwide upgrades, plus I cleared nearly 100% of my domestic upgrades. Those days are long gone.

American is my go-to airline out of Miami

Why I see value going for oneworld status with a foreign airline

Long story short, I’m considering no longer crediting my American flights to the AAdvantage program, but rather crediting them to a foreign oneworld program, so I could earn oneworld Sapphire or oneworld Emerald status. What are the advantages of this?

Note that if you earn Sapphire or Emerald with one of American’s closest oneworld partners (British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, or Qatar Airways) you also get Main Cabin Extra seating.

Essentially you’d be forgoing the chance at a complimentary upgrade, and instead you’d receive Flagship Lounge access (for oneworld Sapphrie and Emerald members) and Flagship First Check-In (for oneworld Emerald members). For many, that seems like a fair tradeoff.

Flagship Lounge access on domestic itineraries is nice

How hard is oneworld status to earn with another airline?

Lets use British Airways Executive Club as an example, as it’s probably the most popular foreign oneworld program. Elite status with the program is based on earning a certain number of Tier Points during a membership year:

  • Executive Club Silver (oneworld Sapphire) requires 600 Tier Points per year, plus at least four British Airways segments
  • Executive Club Gold (oneworld Emerald) requires 1,500 Tier Points per year, plus at least four British Airways segments

How many Tier Points do you earn for flights? British Airways has a calculator that shows how many Tier Points you earn per flight (they’re awarded per segment, so there’s a big advantage to connecting). Just to give some examples:

  • A short haul American business flight (basically anything shorter than a transcon, like Miami to Tampa or Chicago to Los Angeles) earns you 40 Tier Points
  • A transcon or haul American business class flight (including New York to San Francisco or Los Angeles to London) earns you 140 Tier Points

Tier Points accrue at a much slower pace for economy, but then again, my plan would be to mostly earn them on discounted business class tickets, which are fairly easy to come by. Aside from the requirement to fly four times on British Airways, this status is pretty easy to earn.

I mean, a simple roundtrip between the east coast and west coast of the United States with a connection in each direction would earn you 160 Tier Points, so that’s more than a quarter of the requirement for oneworld Sapphire. Meanwhile you’d earn oneworld Emerald in under 10 roundtrips.

Come and think of it, I think Qatar Airways Privilege Club Platinum (oneworld Emerald) might be even easier to earn. It requires 600 Qpoints to earn (or 540 Qpoints to renew), and you earn 20 Qpoints per short haul business class segment on American. You do still need to take four flights on Qatar Airways, or earn 20% of your Qpoints through Qatar Airways travel. Hmmm…

There’s merit to going for status with a foreign oneworld airline

Why I’m sort of “meh” on this whole concept

As tempting as it is to go for oneworld Emerald status with another program, let me provide some balance on why I’m also sort of lukewarm about all of this. 10+ years ago, I would’ve gotten a huge thrill out of going for this status. Like, if I had access to the Qantas First Lounge before every trip from LAX, I would’ve always arrived at the airport hours early, and would’ve had endless food and drinks.

But I’m at a different stage in my life now. When I’m starting my trip from Miami, I don’t really want to hang out in the Flagship Lounge longer than I have to, but I’d rather spend time at home with my family.

Even when connecting, American doesn’t have Flagship Lounges in Charlotte and Phoenix (where I often connect), and in Dallas I also quite like the Capital One Lounge, so there’s not huge incremental value to the Flagship Lounge.

As far as Flagship First Check-In goes, I’m usually through TSA PreCheck in a matter of minutes, so I’m not sure the time savings there are necessarily huge, or worth going out of my way to earn.

So perhaps this is something that’s more interesting to talk about than to actually pursue, at least in my current stage of life.

Spending endless hours in lounges isn’t as appealing as it used to be

Bottom line

With elite upgrades to first class becoming increasingly rare (as airlines sell more premium seats), I think there’s more merit than ever before to being loyal to an airline other than the one you fly with. For us oneworld flyers, being loyal to a foreign oneworld airline could offer you significant advantages, especially for lounge access.

There’s no doubt an opportunity cost to this, as you’d generally forgo any chance of complimentary elite upgrades, but I think it’s not necessarily a bad tradeoff.

What’s your take on going for oneworld status with a non-US airline? Do any people who primarily fly with American Airlines use this strategy, and if so, how has it worked out?

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  1. Corealog Guest

    I found Asia Miles to be stingy in awarding miles.

  2. jejb Guest

    I've been BA gold for years, mostly flying domestic AA. The correct coast to coast routes (like SEA->CLT->JFK) actually earn 360 tier points round trip in Business, so 4 round trips for Emerald. I got into it because AA offered my company cheap business fares in 2018 and it seemed more comfortable than economy direct on a 5-6hr flight. I'd be happy with Sapphire, since that gives the AC/Flagship access I most care about.

    Obviously,...

    I've been BA gold for years, mostly flying domestic AA. The correct coast to coast routes (like SEA->CLT->JFK) actually earn 360 tier points round trip in Business, so 4 round trips for Emerald. I got into it because AA offered my company cheap business fares in 2018 and it seemed more comfortable than economy direct on a 5-6hr flight. I'd be happy with Sapphire, since that gives the AC/Flagship access I most care about.

    Obviously, since my company gets cheap(ish) business tickets, I only really care about lounge access for domestic, so I'm a great fit for this.

  3. nc-retiree New Member

    I was BA Silver for several years until and through the pandemic. It was much easier to earn than AA Platinum, and since I flew out of ORD a lot the Flagship Lounge was a better perk than an upgrade from my exit row aisle to domestic F. I'd slip to Bronze for a couple of months until I picked up the four BA flights, and then I'd get another 20 months as Silver. During...

    I was BA Silver for several years until and through the pandemic. It was much easier to earn than AA Platinum, and since I flew out of ORD a lot the Flagship Lounge was a better perk than an upgrade from my exit row aisle to domestic F. I'd slip to Bronze for a couple of months until I picked up the four BA flights, and then I'd get another 20 months as Silver. During those Bronze months, I'd buy up to domestic F on AA and knock out the bulk of the tier point earning.

    I gave up on the scheme post-pandemic only because I retired - I don't fly ORD or DFW as much any more, and I'm trying to burn down a few hundred thousand AA miles and AA gets cranky about using those miles with a BA account.

    F or anyone based in the US doing one or two annual trips to Europe and 30-40 paid domestic segments, it's worth looking at the BA program.

  4. OneWorldEmeraldPassenger Guest

    What this article fails to address is the flip side of accruing points, which of course is spending them. Earning status on a foreign airline might be more advantageous for upgrades or system-wide benefits, but spending those points to book airline tickets on your favorite local carrier can prove to be incredibly challenging. So if you're just going to collect status for the benefits of the flight itself, this probably works. On the other hand...

    What this article fails to address is the flip side of accruing points, which of course is spending them. Earning status on a foreign airline might be more advantageous for upgrades or system-wide benefits, but spending those points to book airline tickets on your favorite local carrier can prove to be incredibly challenging. So if you're just going to collect status for the benefits of the flight itself, this probably works. On the other hand if you intend to use those points to book hotels, airfare or other benefits you need to weigh that very carefully.

    1. tipsyinmadras Diamond

      BA Avios work really well to book on AA, in fact that's been my top use of them.

  5. tipsyinmadras Diamond

    I'm a current Delta Platinum considering both AA and BA as exit routes - chief issue with BAEC is that it doesn't have the any ability to pad flight-based earn with CC spend in the way AA does (unless there's something I don't know about the BA Chase card).

    1. nc-retiree New Member

      You don't really need to. 15 domestic F short-haul segments and a four-segment BA/IB trip to Europe (and codeshare on AA metal counts) and you have BA Platinum. Nothing really to pad, although Chase does have a BA credit card.

    2. Sara Smith Guest

      >BA Platinum

      Ah yes, let's take advice from this guy. Dear god.

  6. Bob Guest

    Running over 80% success rate on domestic upgrades this year (which are only a minor benefit anyway)...never had an SWU go unused in 10 years of EXP (people who insist on only confirmable at booking are just limiting the value of SWUs, your choice)...EXP line has saved my bacon several times this year in IROPs/flight changes...LP system is fantastic, wouldn't be EXP equivalent on other airlines, easily make it on AA (and no i don't...

    Running over 80% success rate on domestic upgrades this year (which are only a minor benefit anyway)...never had an SWU go unused in 10 years of EXP (people who insist on only confirmable at booking are just limiting the value of SWUs, your choice)...EXP line has saved my bacon several times this year in IROPs/flight changes...LP system is fantastic, wouldn't be EXP equivalent on other airlines, easily make it on AA (and no i don't have an AA CC).

    So nope not a chance I'm switching to a foreign airline.

  7. Duck Ling Guest

    As much as OneWorld could have room to grow it is still better IMHO than the other two programs, especially that basket case SkyTeam.

    At least with OneWorld I know that airlines will respect and accept the reciprocity of benefits regardless of airline frequent flyer program. I have never had an issue selecting seats or using another Oneworld members lounge for example when I am within the rules.

    Skyteam on the other hand, good lord....

    As much as OneWorld could have room to grow it is still better IMHO than the other two programs, especially that basket case SkyTeam.

    At least with OneWorld I know that airlines will respect and accept the reciprocity of benefits regardless of airline frequent flyer program. I have never had an issue selecting seats or using another Oneworld members lounge for example when I am within the rules.

    Skyteam on the other hand, good lord. I am a Platinum member with ITA Volare which essentially means nada as far as AF/KL are concerned when trying to access their lounges.

    I recently booked a ticket with Air France in Business Class from Chicago to Vietnam via Paris with AF operating the Chicago - Paris portion and Vietnam Airlines operating the Paris - Hanoi portion. Despite being one ticket, both SkyTeam, codeshare blah blah I cannot manage my booking online or choose seats on the Vietnam Airlines sector even with a Vietnam Airlines PNR. Due to some stupid 'block booking' system AF and Vietnam have where AF books blocks of seats and then only able to manage and choose an actual seat until check in opens. Ridiculous.

    1. VladG Gold

      ITA is not a fully integrated member of SkyTeam and this was clear from the start. Judging the whole alliance by one airline (which is indeed basket-case) is ludicrous. Especially since most of your fellow Platinum members got their status through a match, not by actually flying on ITA or any other SkyTeam airline.

    2. Samo Guest

      I was considering switching to SkyTeam but they can't even get fast track right. There are too many stories of airports where SkyTeam airlines only contract fast track for business class pax, and Elite Plus status means nothing.

      Meanwhile as a *G, the only time when I can't access fast track is when I'm flying from an airport which doesn't have any.

      As much as I love AFKL, there is a reason why the alliance is called a Leftover Team.

    3. Duck Ling Guest

      'Isn't fully integrated and this was clear from the start'. Ridiculous. Skyteam's own website includes ITA as a member. ITA's website does also. So I am not sure where 'this was clear from the start' enters. This should not be claimed if they are not 'integrated' which again would highlight the poor practises of Skyteam.

      Secondly, do not assume. I got my status by actually flying ITA and KL/AF.

      And I am not...

      'Isn't fully integrated and this was clear from the start'. Ridiculous. Skyteam's own website includes ITA as a member. ITA's website does also. So I am not sure where 'this was clear from the start' enters. This should not be claimed if they are not 'integrated' which again would highlight the poor practises of Skyteam.

      Secondly, do not assume. I got my status by actually flying ITA and KL/AF.

      And I am not basing my view on one data point. Read on about the stupidity with a one-ticket booking on Skyteam partners AF and Vietnam airlines.

    4. Anthony Joseph Guest

      I disagree with the reciprocity comment. Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways exclude OneWorld Emerald members from their premium lounges.
      I don't know about BA.... Stopped flying them a few years ago with the fuel surcharges, horrible flight experiences.

    5. Duck Ling Guest

      Singapore Airlines is not part of OneWorld.

      Qatar Airways still provides lounge access to ALL Oneworld Airlines who qualify for lounge access. They do not provide access to the QATAR Airlines Premium Lounges such as Al Mourjan or the LHR lounge but where they don't provide access to these specific lounges they still provide lounge access elsewhere (in DOH they have purpose built lounges for non F/J pax and in London non F/J pax can use the Malaysia Airlines lounge).

    6. tipsyinmadras Diamond

      VladG is correct here - ITA is only sort of SkyTeam. Ben has mentioned this a number of times in ITA-related posts. Yes they've got the logo on their aircraft but they're not fully integrated. There isn't full mileage reciprocity across other ST carriers. I assumed they half-joined because it was pretty much inevitable that Lufthansa was going to come along and pull them into Star Alliance.

    7. Duck Ling Guest

      Hey tipsyinmadras.

      This may be so...that ITA is 'kinda' in SkyTeam. And is exactly what I am saying about SkyTeam - they are messiest of all the alliances.

      Every alliance has airlines that are 'in transition' to joining. They announce they want to join, that their application to join has been successful and then when you go to OneWorld or Star's webpage it will display that information - say for example Oman Air. They are...

      Hey tipsyinmadras.

      This may be so...that ITA is 'kinda' in SkyTeam. And is exactly what I am saying about SkyTeam - they are messiest of all the alliances.

      Every alliance has airlines that are 'in transition' to joining. They announce they want to join, that their application to join has been successful and then when you go to OneWorld or Star's webpage it will display that information - say for example Oman Air. They are joining the alliance, they are undertaking all the IT work blah blah and it will be announced once they are fully integrated. Oneworld doesn't list them as being a 'member' until they are a member.

      Skyteam on the other hand - lists ITA as a member. Now I get it, most of us that read this blog are airline enthusiasts to some degree so may have an inkling that what the label on the can says isn't necessarily what is inside. But for the other 90% of the flying population they will take it at face value that 1) ITA says they are in SkyTeam and 2) Skyteam says ITA is a member. To only then, realise that you actually will get turned away from many ST lounges because ITA 'is a member but not fully integrated'. WTAF.

    8. CMM Guest

      Singapore Airlines are Star Alliance not with One World.

  8. Ehud Gavron Guest

    Please stop saying "complimentary" when you mean "complementary." If the two had even similar meanings it wouldn't matter, but they aren't even close.

    Complimentary - giving a compliment.
    Complementary - comes freely with something.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Ehud Gavron -- Per Merriam Webster, "complimentary" means "given free as a courtesy or favor," which is what I'm intending to say.
      https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complimentary

    2. VladG Gold

      Complimentary = free of charge
      Complementary = goes well with (i.e. complements) something

      To save you the embarrassment next time.

  9. Sean Guest

    I'm a fan of Qatar Privilege Club over BA Executive Club unless you're able to get to BAEC lifetime Gold. But now under this new system the miles you earn on AA flights will be vastly different. BA will credit similar to Aadvantage which could be very good or very bad, whether you're buying cheap fares or not. Qatar very has generous earnings for all of AAs premium fare classes including long haul premium economy....

    I'm a fan of Qatar Privilege Club over BA Executive Club unless you're able to get to BAEC lifetime Gold. But now under this new system the miles you earn on AA flights will be vastly different. BA will credit similar to Aadvantage which could be very good or very bad, whether you're buying cheap fares or not. Qatar very has generous earnings for all of AAs premium fare classes including long haul premium economy. The 4 QR segments or 20% isn't particularly difficult to achieve, keep an eye out for their regular sales or the premium fares on certain blogs. They only have to be QR coded flights, not necessarily QR metal. Flying a DONEx once a year as well is a lot of fun, super easy to get your QR segments, and bags a heck of a lot of miles.

    I've worked out BA Tier points vs QR Q Points on a DONE5 (RTW fare) recently and they were both quite similar in terms of getting to BA Gold or QR Platinum, so you'd most likely require the same flying either way, just work out which one is going to spoil you with the most Avios, since you can freely swap Avios between them when one has a better redemption than the other. (Their non-OW partners are very different, and a great use of Avios sometimes)

    1. Sean Guest

      Oh forgot to mention as well, as QR Platinum you'd get to use the Al Safwa lounge in DOH when flying a lounge eligible business class fare that would normally grant Al Mourjan access. (No lite fares basically)

  10. Stephen Guest

    This sounds a lot like the screw it I'm going free agent Delta posts You got them reddit these days

    1. Bob the builder Guest

      I've become a bit like you in this stage of my life, Ben. I used to get thrilled at the thought of connecting through Doha, for example, and spending time in their J or F lounge. Now the whole experience is kinda meh

  11. FMB Guest

    The whole loyalty concept no longer works with the airlines. They've made a move towards becoming divisions of credit card companies and don't value loyalty. It's really that simple. Once upon a time, frequent flying resulted in incredible benefits. Now not so much. It's that simple. Much better to get a credit card with good points and pick among 14 Airlines when it comes time to try for a free flight.

    1. Samo Guest

      This really only applies to the US. In Europe, co-branded credit cards aren't such a big thing (partially because credit card fees are much lower, not leaving the card issuer much margin to provide benefits) and most people with a status earned it by flying. Thus it makes even more sense to move towards an EU-based program.

  12. Alec-14 Gold

    Have you already hit your million mileage tier goal with American? If not that’s another opportunity cost

  13. JJ Guest

    Just did this with Qantas. Had a vacation in Australia and NZ, easily reaching the 4 QF or Jetstar segment minimum. Then back in the US, flying AA regional jets in first (far cheaper than you think) counts as business (40 status credits one-way). Reached sapphire (700 QF status credits) in 5 months. Same strategy might get me to QF platinum, but won't be able to renew in 2025 due to QF / Jetstar segment requirements.

    1. Mike C Diamond

      @JJ have you considered an old-fashioned status run for those four segments? QF flight numbers on partner metal (like AA and AS) count so even a discount QF R/T to Australia with connecting flights to and from their US gateway could give you the segments you need.

  14. Explore Guest

    One big Aadvantage of AA status (vs say BAEC or AS) is that you only have to earn it every 2 years if all or most of your LPs are earned in March. Yes that’s possible, especially if flying on carriers where mileage is credited by distance, or earned through AA Hotels for lots of lucrative short stays.

    1. Marcus Guest

      You can do the same on BA by earning status in your grace period

  15. Gray Guest

    You're not the only one eyeballing this. You've omitted the fact that BA kicks out 210 TPs on Domestic Flagship First (e.g. JFK-LAX), so if you're flexible on that front that becomes a rack-and-stack affair. The BA legs are a bit of a pain, but I think you can book via AA as long as you wind up on BA metal for the relevant legs, and if worse comes to worse you can mop up...

    You're not the only one eyeballing this. You've omitted the fact that BA kicks out 210 TPs on Domestic Flagship First (e.g. JFK-LAX), so if you're flexible on that front that becomes a rack-and-stack affair. The BA legs are a bit of a pain, but I think you can book via AA as long as you wind up on BA metal for the relevant legs, and if worse comes to worse you can mop up the legs in a day LHR-DUB-GLA and return.

    [Qatar is a bit more of a mess because of the lack of Fifth Freedom stuff to/from Europe like Emirates and Singapore have. Otherwise they might look pretty good...but I have no reason to go to Doha.]

    1. nc-retiree New Member

      If you booked BA flight numbers, you can do something like SDF-ORD-LHR and back and it will count the domestic legs on AA metal towards your four.

  16. Noa Guest

    I beg you please see how your website looks in dark mode - all the hyperlink text is completely unreasonable because it's dark blue over dark gray.

  17. Trevor_G Member

    My take is "meh" as well. Being Seattle based, I credit everything to Alaska and boy oh boy do I get very few miles for an AA economy flight. Status matters very little if I'm already flying business/first, and it's rare that I'm in an airport without a PP, Amex, or Alaska+ lounge (though of course many OW lounges are far nicer). I also don't fly AA a ton, but rarely is the first check...

    My take is "meh" as well. Being Seattle based, I credit everything to Alaska and boy oh boy do I get very few miles for an AA economy flight. Status matters very little if I'm already flying business/first, and it's rare that I'm in an airport without a PP, Amex, or Alaska+ lounge (though of course many OW lounges are far nicer). I also don't fly AA a ton, but rarely is the first check in line at Alaska any faster - often it can be a 20-30 minute line at SeaTac and so I just self tag. I love the chance to get upgraded if I'm flying economy for whatever reason, but I'm not going to go to crazy lengths any more. Now Accor status, that's an entirely different matter!!

  18. Crosscourt Guest

    You wrote ... "I earn the status through a combination of flying and a moderate amount of credit card spending" Really? That's wrong. Should not be allowed to earn status via credit card spending, should only be on flights taken as is the case with Qantas. No wonder the system is a mess with US carriers.

    1. Mike C Diamond

      Maybe so, but that's not the world we live in, and holding your breath till you turn blue in the face won't change what AA or any airline does.

  19. Gregsdc Member

    A classic YMMV situation. As an EXP living in a hub with no Flagship First check-in or Flagship Lounge, and flying primarily non-premium-heavy routes where upgrades are easy to come by, I am much better off continuing to credit my flying and spending to AAdvantage. I do gave the same question as Manny, Ben - would you rather be sitting on a pile of AAdvantage or Exec Club miles at the end of the year?

  20. Ed Guest

    Do JAL. It is ludicrously complex, has very few transfer partners outside Japan* but has amazing redemption rates, would make for good content.

    * my only JAL miles comes from swiping my membership card in BIC camera for the points and a discount.

    1. Mantis Gold

      I agree, and would be an excuse to get the JAL US credit card for the status accelerating benefits.

    2. Super Diamond

      +1 to JAL. This is what I considered when I looked into an alternative OneWorld airline so I could get domestic lounge access on AA itineraries. If you're not worried about the requirement to fly on their metal a couple times a year then the perks are pretty large: great redemption opportunities, a niche program that not many westerners use, and flying JAL is much nicer than BA.

      Granted, there are a lot more...

      +1 to JAL. This is what I considered when I looked into an alternative OneWorld airline so I could get domestic lounge access on AA itineraries. If you're not worried about the requirement to fly on their metal a couple times a year then the perks are pretty large: great redemption opportunities, a niche program that not many westerners use, and flying JAL is much nicer than BA.

      Granted, there are a lot more resources in the English parts of the internet for BA TP runs, and your readers are likely to find BA more relevant than JAL.

  21. Sel, D. Guest

    Pretty easy with AA hotels X citi executive. Example for $600 hotel spend:

    ~6,000 Miles/LPs for booking (sometimes less sometimes more). 20% and 30% LP bonuses when 60k/100k LP levels are reached.
    -6,000 miles and 600 LPs for Citi spend through AA hotels

    TOTAL- 12,000 miles and 6,600 LP’s. That’s 5% of what’s needed for PP.

    1. BenjaminGuttery Diamond

      That's an example of ONE hotel during ONE date pattern. The earn rate is SIGNIFICANTLY lower now and AA Hotels Sucks now.

    2. Sel, D. Guest

      Pretty consistent if you already have status. If you’re starting from scratch that’s another story.

    3. tipsyinmadras Diamond

      The 10x multiplier on AA hotels/cars through the Citi AA Exec is LP as well as RDM?

  22. Alex Guest

    I was working through this a while ago as well. Something else to consider is lifetime BAEC Gold for 35k TP is much better than the AA lifetime plan.

  23. Manny Guest

    Ben, You have not addressed redemption. With British Airways there are massive amount of fees on redemptions.
    Can you provide some information on how easy it is to get reward flights with Qatar Airways and how cost effective is it ?

    1. Sean Guest

      I haven't looked into redemptions with BA before. Are they just inherently be heavy or is it specifically fee heavy because all of the routes go through LHR which has massive fees no matter what airline is going through there?

    2. BenjaminGuttery Diamond

      CRAZY Fuel Surcharges.

    3. Gaijinsan New Member

      Qatar doesn't have live online redemptions with partners which makes it a bit of a PITA but thier fees can be very good or very bad, it depends. They have access to the same OW flights that BA has, plus several non alliance partners that are unique. They also have more options for Q Suite redemption than partners have. (Much like Singapore Airlines does with *A)

    4. nc-retiree New Member

      Redeem for domestic AA F. No fees on redemptions beyond the standard $11.20

  24. Mileage Burner Guest

    BA Silver (OWS) or Gold (OWE) status doesn't actually require 4 flights flown on BA metal. It's sufficient to have 4 flights that are booked under a BA flight number - i.e. codeshare flights are fine. Flights booked under an IB flight number and operated by IB (or their franchise partners) also count.

    So you could qualify without ever setting foot on BA metal, simply by flying 4 BA-coded AA-operated flights - on a transatlantic BA fare for instance.

    1. FDer Guest

      Does this require purchasing the ticket from BA directly or it's also possible to qualify even though the tickets are purchased from the original carrier but the flight is also codeshared with BA?

    2. nc-retiree New Member

      Buy from BA.

  25. Dave hughes Guest

    One cheap ex-eu to Asia flight (they will be back next year) or a us-Asia trip via Doha - plus a cheap biz ticket intra Europe or economy from a regional city via heathrow for your 4 ba flights, and you have ba silver easy…. Gold isn’t worth chasing unless you fly at least once a month!

  26. Franklin Guest

    Was Exp for 10+ years, until this year. Now Plat Pro. I have myself been thinking of switching to another OW carrier for exactly the reasons given above. Upgrades hardly happen, the phone line isn't so great, and I'd rather have flagship access than sit in economy with no lounge (I have AC access now, but who cares, really?)

    Also annoying is that I find that I am spending more than ever with AA, but...

    Was Exp for 10+ years, until this year. Now Plat Pro. I have myself been thinking of switching to another OW carrier for exactly the reasons given above. Upgrades hardly happen, the phone line isn't so great, and I'd rather have flagship access than sit in economy with no lounge (I have AC access now, but who cares, really?)

    Also annoying is that I find that I am spending more than ever with AA, but I've actually dropped a tier, to Plat Pro. For logistical reasons I can't put a ton of spend on an AA card. But without doing that, even with my increased spend, I no longer make that top cut.

    What I might miss, and that wasn't cover above, is that AA still has some very reasonable award rates and I would miss accruing miles on AA.

  27. Peter Guest

    Is the so-called JAL “lifetime” OWS still a sustainable thing?

    1. A_Japanese Gold

      JAL Global Club, which grants quasi-lifetime OWS once you reach Sapphire status with JAL mileage bank, will see major overhaul in 2024, but no details are available as of now. JAL Sakura lounge and ANA lounge at Haneda is always so crowded (hope new international ANA lounge in T2 could alleviate that) due to ever increasing lifetime OWS/SAGold from JAL/ANA, overhaul would be inevitable.

    2. Ivan Guest

      The jal first class lounge wasn't very crowded when I visited in July. For some reason jal identified me as emerald even though I only have MVP status on Alaska so I was able to check out the lounge. I do agree that the bis lounges are crowded and not very impressive in terms of food and beverage options

  28. Qatar Guest

    In addition to the above tier qualification and retention criteria, you will need to have earned at least 20% of your Qpoints or have flown 4 sectors (within 12 months prior to retention) or 8 sectors (within 24 months prior to retention) on flights either marketed* or operated** by Qatar Airways.

    *Marketed refers to the airline whose flight number is specified on your booking.

    **Operated refers to the airline you are flying with.

    1. Trevor_G Member

      My take is "meh" as well. Being Seattle based, I credit everything to Alaska and boy oh boy do I get very few miles for an AA economy flight. Status matters very little if I'm already flying business/first, and it's rare that I'm in an airport without a PP, Amex, or Alaska+ lounge (though of course many OW lounges are far nicer). I also don't fly AA a ton, but rarely is the first check...

      My take is "meh" as well. Being Seattle based, I credit everything to Alaska and boy oh boy do I get very few miles for an AA economy flight. Status matters very little if I'm already flying business/first, and it's rare that I'm in an airport without a PP, Amex, or Alaska+ lounge (though of course many OW lounges are far nicer). I also don't fly AA a ton, but rarely is the first check in line at Alaska any faster - often it can be a 20-30 minute line at SeaTac and so I just self tag. I love the chance to get upgraded if I'm flying economy for whatever reason, but I'm not going to go to crazy lengths any more. Now Accor status, that's an entirely different matter!!

  29. BenjaminGuttery Diamond

    Alot of people are actually doing this with Alaska. But I guess they don't get the lounge and check-in aspects.

    1. Ocean Guest

      You mean crediting to Alaska? Thanks.

    2. BenjaminGuttery Diamond

      Yeah, so what. Thanks word Police. I'm pretty sure 99.9999% of those reading this blog and then taking the time to read the comments understood what I was speaking on.

    3. Ocean Guest

      @BenjaminGuttery, I didn't mean it that way at all. I was just asking you if crediting flights from AA and other oneworld members to Alaska is the way to do it. I'm sort of new to the mileage thing.

    4. BenjaminGuttery Diamond

      Got it. I meant many frequent flyers are matching over to Alaska and crediting their program. They get all of the Alaska Status Benefits, and 95% of the OneWorld Status benefits (sans Flagship Lounges/Check-in, except on eligible flights). Part of Alaska joining OneWorld (where a founding member was based in the same country) was to block off some benefits as it would be " too easy" to just open up the flood gates. International partners...

      Got it. I meant many frequent flyers are matching over to Alaska and crediting their program. They get all of the Alaska Status Benefits, and 95% of the OneWorld Status benefits (sans Flagship Lounges/Check-in, except on eligible flights). Part of Alaska joining OneWorld (where a founding member was based in the same country) was to block off some benefits as it would be " too easy" to just open up the flood gates. International partners members flying through a US hub isn't as much as Alaska flyers would be using those services.

    5. Ocean Guest

      @BenjaminGuttery, thank you for the info!

    6. Cliff Yoshida Guest

      Hi, I'm with Japan airlines mileage bank since I flew from Tampa to DFW then to Tokyo every couple of months. But ever since the COVID pandemic, I stopped going to Japan and finally retired. I still fly AA all the time from Tampa to San Jose to see my grandson and have been using my Oneworld emerald status when I fly AA. As you stated, I can use my status with JAL for all...

      Hi, I'm with Japan airlines mileage bank since I flew from Tampa to DFW then to Tokyo every couple of months. But ever since the COVID pandemic, I stopped going to Japan and finally retired. I still fly AA all the time from Tampa to San Jose to see my grandson and have been using my Oneworld emerald status when I fly AA. As you stated, I can use my status with JAL for all the niceties. JAL has been very accommodating to me by keeping me at emerald status until March of this year. I am now Sapphire but still have the status!

    7. Manny Guest

      Even with Alaska you do not get lounge access is US like you do with foreign OW FFPs.

    8. BenjaminGuttery Diamond

      Yup.I said that. Like 3 times, 3 different ways Manny.

  30. Bob Guest

    You should status match to Mileage Plus...

    ;)

    1. Jake Guest

      Which oneworld airlines don't require 4 segments? BA and QR do, IIRC IB does as well. QF? JL?

      I would not sign up for a program that removes flexibility/requires stupid flying.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

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VladG Gold

Complimentary = free of charge Complementary = goes well with (i.e. complements) something To save you the embarrassment next time.

3
Ocean Guest

@BenjaminGuttery, I didn't mean it that way at all. I was just asking you if crediting flights from AA and other oneworld members to Alaska is the way to do it. I'm sort of new to the mileage thing.

3
Mike C Diamond

Maybe so, but that's not the world we live in, and holding your breath till you turn blue in the face won't change what AA or any airline does.

2
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