For semi-frequent fliers, “status” is relative

Few business travelers can earn all their miles with a single alliance, no matter how hard they try. Since you probably won’t earn top-tier status with your “fallback” alliance, it’s worth asking what kind of perks you can expect if your status never rises above silver level (or its equivalent).

If Silver status is the best you can do in the Star Alliance, don’t expect to feel very special. You’ll get priority waitlisting and priority standby, but that’s about it — no special boarding line, priority baggage handling and the like.

Oneworld treats its lowest level tier members slightly better. Ruby members get the same waitlist and standby perks offered by Star, but they also get preferential seating selection and priority check-in with Business Class travelers.

Finally, there’s SkyTeam, where basic Elite members enjoy all the same perks mentioned for Oneworld, plus priority boarding at the gate.

The verdict is pretty clear: All three alliances work hard to win the loyalty of top-tier passengers, but less-frequent fliers will notice sharp differences in how they are treated. SkyTeam and OneWorld are both good choices as a “fallback” alliance, with SkyTeam enjoying a slight advantage.

On the other hand, if you can’t reach Gold status with Star Alliance, then don’t bother carrying your tier level card: A silver membership is barely worth the plastic it’s printed on.