What Star Alliance FF program to join (based on RTW itinerary)

[zylin]

Hi all,

New poster here, so appreciate any help I can get I've currently booked the following RTW itinerary via Star Alliance in Business class for some work travel.
SYD -> SFO United (Z)
SFO -> LAX United (Z)
LAX -> EWR United (Z)
EWR -> CDG United (Z)
CDG -> FRA Lufthansa (Z)
FRA -> LHR Lufthansa (Z)
LHR -> BKK Thai (D)
BKK -> SYD Thai (D)

I'm currently determining which FF program to sign up for. I'm living in AU right now but have family in NZ so AirNZ is my preferred carrier. However, when browsing wheretocalculator I can't seem to see how many miles I would earn for this trip if I used my AirNZ FF. Also, I've read that the AirNZ loyalty program isn't that competitive compared to others due to the ‘Any Seat’ style seat redemptions. From the remaining Star Alliance carriers, I'd realistically only fly Singapore and United for leisure. I've thought about optimising for trying to get Star Alliance Gold status (via the easiest program) but it doesn't look like i'll be able to hit it with just this itinerary.

Knowing this information, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for what FF program is best for my situation
1. Is it worth going with AirNZ just because it's the airline I would fly with most regularly?
2. Are there other programs that I would be able to get better redemptions for with the miles?

Also, if anyone knows a way I can check how many status credits I would earn with AirNZ please let me know too !

TIA

 

[bernardblack]

Are you travelling solo? Or are you likely to have other family members travelling at some time such that you may want to combine?

 

[RooFlyer]

Welcome to AFF @zylin

This thread may be of help; it was recently updated, so see more towards the end.

Australian Frequent Flyer

Tips, Tricks & Chat for the Australian Frequent Flyer

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

See also this article: The Best Programs to Earn Star Alliance Status