FF Card Trumping - what's your experience?

[aplmac]

Here's a scenario: you have serious-status with your favourite airline. Your favourite airline has a partner airline, and you have actual BIS status with them, too, but not-as-serious. You book a rewards flight using points with your favourite airline, who just happens not to be going in that particular direction at the time that you want to go, so they book you onto the partner airline instead.*

Which FF card do you pull to get the best experience? Your serious-status favourite airline card, or the not-as-serious partner airline card on whose metal you're actually flying? Both are valid.

Are there advantages or benefits one way or another? Are there better outcomes with higher 'complimentary' status over BIS earned status on the home turf metal? Or does nobody really give a rat's rectum at the end of the day what card you have?

Anyone with experience on playing the trump card?

(* For example, VA and EY)

 

[horseman]

I'd flash both

 

[Deleted member]

Is it code share? If so then surely your preferred status goes with you.
If I am say Plat with QF and book a flight in say J ( or even Y) , but fly JQ, I would think my QF status carries through for lounge access etc. maybe not a great example but you get my point.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Is it code share? If so then surely your preferred status goes with you.
If I am say Plat with QF and book a flight in say J ( or even Y) , but fly JQ, I would think my QF status carries through for lounge access etc. maybe not a great example but you get my point.

Unless something has changed recently, to the best of my knowledge OW status does not print out on JQ manifests so the cabin crew would not not who's WP/OWE or who is a NB.

In your scenario I would put the ffn in the booking for which you have the highest status eg enter your Plat VA membership into EY pnr & show again upon checkin in case they had the need to op-up anyone.

It really depends on the airline whose metal you're travelling on and their attitute to elite pax holding status with a partner airline.

Perhaps it's a question you could ask on the EY forum on AFF or FT or at least read a few threads in those forums.

People have said on AFF before that CX are particularly good at recognising Emerald status of other OW airlines.

 

[Hvr]

Similar scenario: I am an AA member and only purchase miles from them to redeem for flights. Recently I redeemed a flight on CX (F from HKG-JFK) and got my QF WP number put on the ticket.

Not sure if it helped but I think it did when I did some first class lounge hopping (CX and QF) in HKG.