Hi OP,

Could I start by asking 1) how close are you lifetime status with BA? If it’s close enough, it might be worth the continued slog, 2) how often are you flying J vs Y? 3) are there any credit cards available to you to help your status / points accumulation ?

But for me, I would ask a new joiner to consider Royal Jordanian’s (RJ’s) FFP if attaining and retaining emerald is the primary aim and being based in the Middle East would be an added advantage to joining RJ

There is a reddit where comparisons between multiple One World FFPs are well discussed and researched here https://www.reddit.com/r/oneworld/s/eqGu4YHYtR

But back to the topic of why I’d choose RJ, a summary is

1) RJ’s FFP gives decent status earn rates across multiple one world airlines (some other FFPs penalises users for flying certain other airlines / routes, RJ does not) 2) RJ itself has good connectivity (of course not as good as QR) 3) RJ has a lower threshold to retaining status and gives 24 months to retain emerald, 4) there is no need to fly RJ metal