For myself it is always an exciting challenge to embark on every year to achieve and maintain airline elite status. Specifically because it means I can research for new destinations and flights in the next year. If you fly frequently at least once or twice every quarter whether for work or pleasure, I think its important to try and stick to one airline group to gain points and status. When I was younger I was always searching and taking the cheapest flights possible, as I didn’t fly frequently. But as I got older and learned more about frequent flier programs I thought it was really critical to try and stick to one group and earn elite status.

The main reason at the time I wanted to achieve status was because I wanted to access airport lounges. I knew that this was possible as you fly more and move further up the status levels. However there are numerous other benefits you gain by getting elite status which some people don’t think about.

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For myself growing up in London, my home base was London Heathrow (LHR) so the biggest airlines was British Airways (BA). Therefore I signed up to be a member of the executive club which is the frequent flier program of BA. I have held this membership for many years, and kept it even though I moved to USA.

Note – Choosing the right airline and group is important to gain status. Consider your local airport and which carriers fly the most. Pick wisely based on your circumstances.

Airline Groups

The British Airways executive club is apart of the One World Alliance. As I now live in USA, I fly on American Airlines (AA) the most which a partner so I still gain points towards status. The other major airline partnership groups are the SkyTeam and Star Alliance, which have dozens of partner airlines. Every airline frequent flier program is different for the way you earn points and move up the tiers. For this post I will focus on British Airways as this is my membership.

You earn 2 separate sets of points for each flight. On BA the points system is called Avios, and those points can be used to redeem flights, upgrades, rental cars, hotels and many other things. In addition to avios points each flight earns points toward your status and for BA these are called tier points. There are 4 tiers with BA – Blue, Bronze, Silver and Gold which all come with increased benefits as you go up the tiers. As the executive club is apart of the one world alliance any status you earn will be equivalent across all the other partner airlines.

For BA – Bronze is equivalent to Ruby on One World, Silver is Sapphire and Gold is Emerald. So the benefits you receive on one airline will apply to all carriers in the one world alliance including American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Qatar Airlines, Qantas to name some. The alliance has13 airline partners with some future members joining like Oman Air.

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Points Example

To gain bronze status in the executive club you need to earn 300 tier points with 2 flights on BA coded flights within 1 year. For silver it is 600 tier points and flying 4 flights on BA. And lastly to gain gold status you need to earn 1500 tier points and 4 BA flights within 1 year. If you fly in an upgraded cabin you will receive more tier points, and can reach your next level quicker. Furthermore if you are in a higher tier you can earn more avios per flight too. Gold members will receive about 50% more avios per flight compared to blue members.

I am not focusing on the money aspect but of course earning elite status will mean spending a decent chunk of money on flights per year. Actually there are challenges online where you can earn BA gold status by spending $4,000 or $5,000 in a year, which nowadays can be the price of a one way business class ticket! So there are still ways of getting elite status by finding deals and looking for alternative routes to gain more points.

Below is an example of a flight calculator showing points earned on a one way trip from LHR to SFO, booking the lowest class fare on each cabin and being a blue member.

Cabin	Avios Points	Tier Points
Economy	1342	20
Premium Economy	5368	90
Business	8052	140
First	13420	210

For shorter haul flights the avois and tier point earning potential is much lower. Some flights in economy earn 5 tier points, with up to 40 points for business class. I am fortunate to have gained gold membership with BA the past several years, mainly due to work travel.

Many benefits below you can receive by booking business or first class flights. But by earning elite status you can always benefits regardless of the cabin booked. Lets get into the reasons why earning elite status will benefit you!

1. Lounge Access

For me the ultimate benefit of elite status is escaping the crowded terminals and going to a lounge. Especially with increased pricing on concessions, having complimentary food and alcoholic drinks saves a lot of money. In addition usually you will be in more peaceful environment to relax before a flight. Some of the better lounges have showers, sleeping rooms, business centers and more. On obtaining BA silver you can access the majority of all lounges across the one world network, but with gold status you can access some better first class lounges.

Being a BA gold member also grants access to the first class lounges of American Airlines, Qantas, Qatar, Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Whom all have excellent lounges in the network, which I have been luckily enough to visit

2. Priority Check in

This is another great benefit and has definitely saved me a lot of time checking in before. Having dedicated lines for elite members will allow you to seamlessly check bags in quickly with dedicated staff. One huge plus for being BA gold is when you fly from Heathrow Terminal 5, you have access to the dedicated first wing where you can check in by going through a private security. Following all the check you can walk directly into the first class lounge, saying hello to horse on the way!

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3. Priority Security

This is not a benefit everywhere, but as I mentioned before in Heathrow with elite status even bronze you can go to priority security lines which should be quicker. On another note, for those in the US I recommend signing up for global entry which comes with TSA pre check which will speed up your security experience even more!

4. Baggage

With elite status, baggage is free and with higher status you are able to take even more bags for free. For example with BA gold on some flights you can take 3 bags free with increased weight limits, and this benefit can easily save hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year, depending how much you pack when flying.

5. Dedicated Customer Support/Service

I have used this many times when needing to phone the airline for a query. Normally it can be a huge pain with frustrating wait times getting to a service rep. But having dedicated phone numbers for gold & silver members I usually get straight through to a representative for support. This can help with rebooking flights, looking for missing tier points or even asking for upgrades.

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6. Seat Selection at time of booking

This is definitely a major perk you can easily forget about once you have status. At the time of booking for any one world airlines I can pick the seat I want, when purchasing the flight. I always prefer a window seat which I can immediately choose at the time of booking. This is another benefit that can save a lot of money and also save some stress about worrying where you sit. If you are doing a group booking, you are able to select everyones seat at the time of booking which is great and you can all sit together!

I know without status, sometime booking a seat can easily be upwards of $100 to $200 on long haul flights, so this a crucial benefit in my opinion. One ridiculous thing I’ve noticed is that even if you pay for a business class seat with no status, you still have to pay extra for seat selection which is crazy!

7. Avios Points

As you move up to gain elite status, the way you earn Avios points accelerates. You will get elite bonuses based on your status, and also flying in a higher cabin will earn you even more points. This will allow you to get points quicker to use on spending on various benefits in the future. Mostly I use avios to book reward flights and also upgrade cabins from time to time where there is a good deal.

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8. Equal Status on Partner Airlines

I’ve mentioned this before but its worth noting again that you get equivalent status across all other partner airlines. For example BA gold is one world emerald, which is equivalent to the top tier on American Airlines. This allows you to access all of the same benefits including priority check in, baggage allowance, seat selection and more when flying partner airlines. Therefore when planning flights around the globe, you can stick to the same group and enjoy the same comforts!

9. Board First

Being an elite member allows you to board the plane first. Being a gold member flying on BA gives you access to group 1 boarding, along with first class passengers even if you’re flying in economy. You are able to get to your sit first, settle in and have access to the overhead bins first. So I know this is another solid benefit, especially for people with anxiety about overhead bin space running out.

10. Upgrades

When a flight is full, sometimes you can get lucky and get upgraded to the next cabin or even sometimes business class for free. The higher priority is given to those with a higher elite status. I’ve been fortunate this has happened to me a few times, especially being a gold member this increases your chances. Not only has this happened to me on BA, but other partner airlines like Cathay Pacific and Alaska Airlines. This is not a guarantee but something you will definitely take advantage of if it happens.

In addition you can be given exclusive offers to upgrade to the next cabin. The offer can be a few days or a few weeks after booking, so look out for these deals.

Conclusion

I recommend to try and stick to one airline group to gain the various benefits. Even though sometimes you may pay more for flights on certain routes, you will gain and enjoy the perks later down the line. Being an elite member can add some prestige when flying, and adding that sense of belonging to an exclusive club. There are few other benefits below you can receive when earning status.

• By boarding first normally you will part of the first ones off the plane to continue your journey.
• When you check your bags, the airlines will add a special priority elite sticker to your luggage, with the idea it gets some special treatment.
• Many times when sitting in my seat, I’ve been greeted personally by the flight attendant. This can make you feel like a VIP for a small moment.
• Another really nice touch is from Alaska Airlines would have provided a chocolate only to elite members on a flight!

Let me know if you have elite status and which airline and alliance group you belong to? Let me know what you think are the best benefits and perks for gaining status.

Bon Voyage, JetLad