Virgin America Elevate - Any LOYALTY PROGRAM reason to fly Virgin trans cons vs. AA?

Hi all,

I have been flying trans cons on AA and wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything as I could be flying Virgin.

Leaving aside the differences in product, here is my quick evaluation. Would love to hear if there is anything I am missing:

I fly trans cons in F each week on AA. This earns me ~12,500 miles / RT (Plat bonus + F bonus). Alternatively, I could be flying VA and earning ~9000 pts ($1800 * 5pts). After say, 10 RTs, I will then have 125,000 miles on AA (enough for a great premium international award) or 90,000 pts on VA (enough for a domestic F ticket).

From a points perspective, it seems like AA is the way to go. Anything I am missing here?

Thanks

VX does not have a great FF program - not really worthwhile if you are only interested in points or 'status'.

They do however have a better product that is worth more (IMHO), but often costs less. When faced with a choice between VX and UA, points don't even enter my mind (they are like a carrot on a stick).

VX does not have a great FF program - not really worthwhile if you are only interested in points or 'status'.

They do however have a better product that is worth more (IMHO), but often costs less. When faced with a choice between VX and UA, points don't even enter my mind (they are like a carrot on a stick).

That's too bad b/c I really like the idea of a program based on $$ spent vs. miles flown. I just wish the points earned were more valuable...

That said, I'm still looking forward to trying the product. Maybe, then I'll see the light:cool:

That's too bad b/c I really like the idea of a program based on $$ spent vs. miles flown. I just wish the points earned were more valuable...

That said, I'm still looking forward to trying the product. Maybe, then I'll see the light:cool:

That is usually how it works with VX - they have really cool "light" :p

VX's strengths don't include their loyalty program. That being said, I prefer flying better airlines to flying a worse airline and occasionally getting a neat experience on a different airline as a bribe to keep flying the worse airline. YMMV.

I'm Executive Platinum on AA and still fly VX whenever I have a choice. I agree with others here who say that Elevate is much worse than AAdvantage; there is really no comparison. No elite status on VX, miles are worth less, can't be used on other airlines, etc. For me, though, GoGo (internet access) trumps everything else, so I take VX over AA every time if I have a choice. If AA had GoGo on its 757s, it would be a harder decision; I agree with others who say that Virgin's product (especially the F product) is much better than AA's, but the frequent flyer program is a significant advantage for AA.