Hi There, I have recently gotten a new job that will require me to travel to Singapore every other week, about 25 flights a year. Wondering what is the best airline I should be with in order to earn the most miles. Do I book 25 flights with Qantas or Singapore Airlines? Who is going to give me the best bang for my buck?
I think this really depends on your company’s travel policy. Do you typically book business class or above, or slum it in economy? Is it lowest fare of the day or does the company have a corporate contract with either airline? You have to think about the benefits you want to get out any status or points you earn from flying so much as well. If you are flying business, the status benefits WHILE you are travelling wouldn’t be that much more than what you are already getting, but you might find it way more useful when you are going on your own holidays for example.
Having status and points with Singapore would restrict you to enjoy those benefits when flying Virgin Australia domestically, versus Qantas if you build up loyalty with them. Internationally, it’s having benefits with Star Alliance airlines (Singapore) or OneWorld airlines (Qantas). Similarly, redemption opportunities are sparser with Singapore than Qantas from a purely domestic standpoint, while it really depends on where you’d like to go internationally. Another thing to think about is the possibility of lifetime status. Singapore basically has no practical lifetime status offering, while Qantas’ Lifetime Gold and Silver status is quite realistically achievable if you anticipate being in this sort of travel pattern for the foreseeable future.