Because to go to Hawaii, I chose to go the long way around.
Next week I am leaving for Hawaii, a trip postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic and in 2021 for [...]
British Airways
Oneworld
JFK
United States of America
Next week I am leaving for Hawaii, a trip postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic and in 2021 because of the continued closure of U.S. borders to us residents of the old continent.
In this article:
A trip I had been planning for some time and had managed to fit perfectly into my 2020 schedule, but then we all know what happened. The ticket changed dates 3 times, dates that jumped each time thanks to British Airways' flexible Travel with Confidence policies.
The last change was in January, this time because some of the flights in my itinerary had been canceled. Flying to Hawaii from Italy, except in special cases, requires a minimum of two stopovers, for a total of 6 flights, round trip. The reason is that there are no direct connections from the U.S. East Coast to the Pacific Islands, and similarly, there are currently no direct connections from Italy to the U.S. West Coast.
When I called the call center of theExecutive Club, British Airways' loyalty program, I had a goal in mind: to change the dates and add a third stopover, to put in my pocket Gold card in the British carrier's frequent flyer and thus the highest level in the entire OneWorld alliance.
Why one more stopover makes so much
To level up in the Executive Club, from Bronze to Gold, it is necessary to accumulate the qualifying points called Tier. Each flight earns a fixed number of Tier points based on distance traveled and class of ticket. It is the easiest program to understand, markedly easier even than Flying Blue, the Air France/KLM program that uses a similar system with XP points.
Each flight earns, as mentioned, a fixed number of Tier points. Obviously, the higher the class of travel, the higher the number of points. However, there is one factor that makes a difference, which is whether it is a short/medium-haul flight or a long-haul flight. Flying from London to New York or London to San Francisco brings the same number of qualifying points, obviously not of Avios which are instead parameterized on the actual distance traveled.
The level points you accumulate range from only 5 points for a short-haul flight, to 210 for a long-haul first-class flight.
2000 miles is the magic number
Flights of less than 2,000 miles allow you to accumulate between 5-20 points in economy and 40 in business class. Beyond 2,000 miles things change, and not by a little. A flight in economy, depending on the class of ticket, earns 20 to 70 Tier points, in business it rises to 140 points, and in first it reaches 210.
And that's where the extra stopover(s) comes in. Before the pandemic, I flew Italy to Japan with Alitalia, direct flight from Milan. Sure, the direct, nonstop flight is very convenient, but if you want to rack up the miles and take advantage of all the loopholes to get status sometimes it is better to look for an alternate route.
For example, I once flew with Qatar trying to create the fanciest itinerary possible: from Milan to Tokyo, with stopovers in Doha and Hong Kong for a total, round trip, of 840 Tier points. If I had flown with Jal via Frankfurt, I would have accumulated only 360 qualifying points, or via Doha, but without a stopover in Hong Kong, it would have been "only" 560 points.
My trip to Hawaii will have the following itinerary:
This is precisely why I tried, successfully, to modify my itinerary by inserting a stopover at JFK, both on the outward and return journey. A stopover that on balance allows me to accumulate 280 more Tier points Than the itinerary without a stopover in between. For a total of 920 qualifying points compared with 1,125 needed to reach the Gold level.
Why the Gold level is important
This level is the highest of BA's "human" levels., there is a higher tier called the Gold Guest List that is virtually unattainable, however, since it requires the monstrous sum of 5,000 Tier points.
This card opens the doors to the first class counters and related fast track routes at London Heathrow, gives access even when flying basic economy to the First Galleries Lounge and especially rewards holders with a bonus of the 100% of Avios points per flight. Right down to the ability to request free class upgrades to go from business to first, without spending anything.
It is also the level that allows for maximum recognition when flying with partner companies OneWorld and get upgrades even when traveling with American Airlines and other carriers.
Then there is an additional reason that has cropped up in recent days: Qatar announced that Avios will take the place of QMiles as the currency of the loyalty program, a surprise that can only make being a status holder in BA even more important.
In conclusion
This, after the miles run in January who has led to obtaining the Gold level with Air France, so it will be my second, and last, race for status which will secure me by guaranteeing me the highest level in all three alliances until well into 2024.
I got to this point mainly because of the fact that, because of the pandemic, many programs have made it easier to get status. But also thanks to To the many status match campaigns that have taken place over the past 24 months.
Of course, now the war in Ukraine is creating new instabilities, but in the world of frequent flyers, 2022 is the year of return to normalcy, so I will try to enjoy my statuses to the fullest without going crazy to maintain them all. My strategy beyond 2023 will also depend a lot on the future of ITA Airways and to which alliance will participate Italy's new carrier.
