The AAdvantage Program has some features that work well for some people. It is not going to be better than QF in all cases. Generally, the benefits of AA over QF are as follows:
- Better earning rate for AA miles over QF points for people who hold mid-tier status. AA Platinum member earns 100% bonus miles while the equivalent QF Gold member only earns 50% bonus miles.
- AA Platinum status (and hence OneWorld Sapphire status) can be earned quickly if you happen to be taking the right flights in the right fare types. See this thread for information on the AA Platinum Challenge.
- Award flight redemptions using AA miles cost significantly less miles that the same flight award redemption using QF FF points. This is even more pronounced when using premium cabin awards (business and first class).
AA does not charge fuel fines on award tickets, which can be a significant real dollar saving over awards using QF FF points.
- If you attain AA Executive Platinum status, you are given 8 eVIP upgrades, each of which can be used to upgrade up to 3 flight segments. These eVIPs carry significant value to many people. QF only offers upgrades using FF points, and the number of points required for the upgrade is often more than the number of AA miles required for an award ticket in the upgraded cabin.
- AA offers confirmed upgrades for their FF members on AA flights, QF does not confirm upgrades on QF flights until the day of the flight.
However, AA does not work out best for everyone. Some of the cheap fares that are often used by passengers may not earn miles or status in the AA program, such as Qantas Red-e-Deals. And if you don't actually fly on AA flights, then you are not going to be able to take advantage of the AA upgrades. You cannot use AA miles to upgrade a QF flight. An AAdvantage Platinum or Executive Platinum member does not get lounge access to AAdmirals Club lounges when travelling on AA domestic flights (unless they have a same-day international connection), while QF Gold and Platinum members do get lounge access in those circumstances.