Originally Posted by
Mark_T
Group 1 is available for purchase, not 'Priority Access', problem is that most people who buy Group 1 think it means they get to board first, hence the scrum at the gate
Taking the boarding issue first, according to AA's web site, Priority AAccess and Group 1 board at the same time.
(Short version: Behind F, Uniformed Military, EXP, Plat & equivalents; in front of groups 2-4) So as of now, Priority AAccess = Group 1 at least according to what AA is saying.
What's not clear, is if Group 1 should be 1st in the Blue side, or just use the Red side with the Gold's and other bottom tier elites. The web site implies "Go with the Golds" Finally different GA's board differently.
Reference @ AA's web site:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/urls/boarding.jsp
AA Credit Card holders also get Group 1 as a published benefit.
It may be that group 1 could be shuffled out of Priority AAccess at a future time if the boarding process is changed again. Other airlines, i.e. UA, DL, seem to get the same complaints perhaps more so from the Credit Card than purchased Group 1.
As far as other benefits go, Priority AAccess seems to imply the use of Elite security lines where Group 1 does not, same for using the F check in. This is more or less monetized as "Five Star Service" (where available) as far as mixing things at security.