How to choose an airline's loyalty program

Obviously, the choice should fall on the airline with which you fly the most or with which you can try to accumulate the most points to convert into award tickets. 

It is always convenient to be enrolled in the collection of each individual company, since activities are frequently carried out for the benefit of members.

It should be noted that it is always the user who chooses where to credit the miles on the ticket. For example, it is also possible to credit miles on Air France's program by flying with Alitalia and being a member of the Millemiglia club.

Each program is divided into various levels depending on the amount of miles one accumulates in a given period. Some companies, in addition to annual miles, also allow the accumulation of perpetual miles, which take into account all the points accumulated over a traveler's lifetime on that airline...

What are statuses and what are they for

Almost all collections are divided into three or four levels. Then there are lifetime statuses, awarded to travelers who have maintained a certain status for many years.

The basic level is that of the "newly enrolled" generally the benefits are none or almost none. 

For many airlines, Level II is the one that allows small benefits such as check-in at the business class counters, the ability to check in one extra bag in addition to those on the purchased ticket, priority boarding, and fast baggage reclaim (in the case of Alitalia it is called Ulysses status).

The real benefits for travelers often start at level III (such as Alitalia's "Winged Arrow" or Lufthansa's "Senator"). In this level you get in addition: lounge access, a multiplier of miles earned on each flight, the ability to receive class upgrades, better placement on wait lists, and the choice of the best seats on board at no extra charge.

Higher levels (in the case of Alitalia it is called "Winged Arrow Plus") guarantee a higher multiplier in earning miles, more opportunities to receive upgrades and many other benefits. This status in U.S. airlines brings significant benefits, as class upgrades are always guaranteed (unless unavailable), or with BA all surcharges are waived and access to First Class lounges is also guaranteed, even if you are traveling on a super cheap ticket.

One very important thing that you need to understand, however, is that there are, depending on the program, different types of miles/points. There are those qualifiers, which achieve status and are earned almost exclusively by flying or making purchases with airline credit cards, and those standard which can instead be used for purchasing airline tickets, car rental, booking rooms in hotels, etc.

Let's take an example.

If I fly from Rome Fiumicino to New York with Alitalia, I will earn a number of qualifying miles that depend on the class purchased, plus extra miles linked to my status or mode of purchase and/or special promotions made by the company. I will then have on my personal profile two different values: the first allows me to reach a frequent flyer level and the second corresponds to the total miles earned for all flights and other activities linked to my card.

It is important to point out that for almost all airlines, statuses last one year; in some cases the expiration coincides with the calendar year, and in others with the date the traveler enrolls in the program. Qualifying miles generally last for one year, while nonqualifying miles have a duration that varies by point collection and each individual airline.

Many companies, however, allow their frequent flyers to extend the validity of the miles indefinitely, thus allowing them to accumulate for years before they start spending them.

Below is a list of the main companies in the various alliances

Star Alliance

All the news about Star Alliance, from how to redeem prize tickets to how to go around the world

SkyTeam

The younger alliance, the one that currently includes Alitalia

OneWorld

The second most popular in the Italian market, here's the news from OneWorld

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