footballfanatic

Hey guys - I'm seriously contemplating the move to DL. While I doubt the grass is any greener, I was wondering if any of you who actually made this move (or if you looked into changing to AA but decided against) might have some advice.

My sticking points:
- the DL reserve card seems great though i'm sure you need two cards, since Amex isn't accepted everywhere. On AA, you need to manage two cards for lounge access (Citi) and for EQM/EQD (Barclays), though only the upgraded Barclays card gets EQD. moreover, the upgraded Barclays card is impossible to apply for outright, and when/if upgrades will happen is not well defined. the lower tier Barclays card offers $3k EQD only. the companion cert is barely usable and only applies to economy tickets. Barclays customer service is atrocious.
- lack of lounge access at DTW at the moment (all i've got is fast wifi and North terminal concessions, which aren't half bad...but then why am I paying for Admirals Club access)
- non-stop flights, though routing through ORD/DFW can get a ton of EQM on otherwise short flights
- i want to fly PE generally (with occasional J) for long haul, so would avoid KLM and DL until DL gets PE
- BA no longer offers *any* drinks including water to Y pax on short haul until all paying pax are served. not an issue on short hops, but this is nuts. the delays in serving the Y cabin make it impossible to get a drink unless you're up front (so then why get an exit row). premium economy on some east coast BA flights get a candy bar as the second meal. not even a full size candy bar.

Questions:
- how is the air france premium economy seat for night flights? the threads here make it seem quite atrocious. BA's world traveler plus on their a380/787 is quite good for night flights. it seems like AF PE is a sweet spot for MQM earning, but I would hate to be miserable just to earn MQMs. this is the bulk of my MQM/EQM earning.
- has air france upgraded to all lie flat to US destinations? or are inclined seats still the norm?
- are CDG connections easy for intra-europe flights? are the lounges/showers good? it looks like 2E to 2F which seems like a 5 minute walk.
- do you generally buy comfort+ outright as GM/PM to avoid getting "upgraded" to a middle seat? are there any benefits to buying comfort+ outright that i'm missing? MQM appears to be the same. AA's MCE is part of Y, and you basically just get more legroom and first to exit the plane.
- how are IRROPS handled at DL for GM/PM? if a flight is late on AA, I've had great luck in the lounge/on the phone at getting this quickly addressed, but there's no opportunity to do this with the app. I generally have to go to the same destination airport, though.
- does Delta actually delay flights for 24+ hours rather than cancel? can you just use the app/call to get on a different flight early on? AA just flat out cancels flights, but Ive seen threads about people staying 1-2 nights due to these insane delays (are they elites?).
- how is the upgrade situation for GM or PM? on AA, i have a 90% upgrade rate...on a short hops to ORD, CLT. AA used to bump connecting pax higher on the upgrade list (thus sticking with AA was just fine), but this went away a few years ago.
- hows the predeparture beverage situation? the AA thread has been front page for what seems like 12+ months.

javabytes

IROPS are better on DL than AA if your goal is self-service. The moment a delay posts, the world is your burrito... on the website or app, you can pretty much choose any alternative flight between cities even hundreds of miles from your origin/destination, and for different days even.

Kiss your upgrade rate goodbye.

PDB is generally more consistent than on AA, but if FAs feel it would delay getting the flight out, or are just plain lazy, PDBs don't happen.

footballfanatic

also skypesos dont seem half bad these days compared to AA's refusal to release appropriate award buckets on AA-metal in J/F. BA-metal incurs an insane surcharge that just begs for you to purchase the J ticket outright.

KDCAflyer

Among the big three, DL has the best FF program at this point IMO. Sure you're not going to be able to book FC awards on the Asian or ME carriers, but in terms of a program that is functional and practical, DL wins. It's also the easiest program to earn miles for.

I'm generally happy with the amount of award space, and the lack of fuel surcharges in most cases is great.

If I see one more blogger try to promote an AA credit card...

javabytes

How exactly is DL easier to earn miles on than either of the other two legacy carriers?

MSPeconomist

From DTW, you're likely to see many fare rules that require nonstops for city pairs with nonstop DL service. However, you might be able to add a segment (for 500-750 MQMs and cheaper parking) if you can start your journey in one of the smaller Michigan airports.

KDCAflyer

I'm thinking in terms of credit card programs and flexible award currencies. AA doesn't have a major transfer partner. UA and DL are relatively close, but in my experience Amex MR points are easier to earn than Chase UR points.

MSPeconomist

Currently you can earn DL miles for Starwood hotel purchases/stays, one mile per dollar under the Crossover program.

redct

The Air France Y+ seat is pretty decent, especially the one on the 777 and A380. (A380 you get upper deck seats too, which can be fun.) They're certainly okay for dozing off on the way to Europe.

If you're interested in in Y+, I would recommend looking into Virgin Atlantic (if you're connecting into Europe/UK). The seat is loads better than the Air France one - much wider and more generous padding. The service is generally a lot better, too, and not connecting through CDG is a benefit due to the tricky transfers and more than occasional delays. You get full MQM / MQD earning.

SDQBound

Some answers for you:

-PE seats on AF aren't too bad, but people will always exagerate. They are better than most C+ seats (unless you are in a bulkhead and you use the carry-on bag as a footrest.

- Air France has not upgraded their seats to all US destinations. JFK is fully flat, as well as BOS, IAH, LAX (on the B777 flights). There are no lie flat seats on their A380s, A330s, A340, so whenever you see these planes, you will know that they are inclined seats.

-CDG connections can be easy or miserable. It just depends on the mood of the immigration officers.

- As a PM you are upgraded at booking (if available) to C+ on domestic flights, on international flights you can actually select a C+ seat during booking. When I was a GM (or when traveling with a GM) it depends on the route, for example, on a GIG-ATL or GRU-JFK flight I would pay for C+ because it was almost sure that there would be no seats left at the GM window.

- IRROPS are very well handled even for Silvers, I never had an issue to get rebooked. DL is very sensitive to IRROPS nowadays, so if your flight gets delayed a few minutes and you have a connecting flight, you will find out that they will immediately alert you and propose you a new itinerary even when you can make the original flight.

- Can't comment on the >24hr delays as my DL flights are usually on-time or slightly delayed.

- For the upgrades, it depends on the route. I have a better upgrade rate on AA (although I hardly fly DL domestic) but DL upgrades are free. On caribbean flights I have 100% success on both, ATL and MIA can be tough for caribbean upgrades on Friday, Sunday, and Monday, a bit better mid week. I do miss the "T" designation on the AA upgrade list that would put me at the top. In some DL routes, you will find upgrade offers that will cost you about the same as upgrading with stickers on AA.

- DL pre-departure drinks in my experience have been very consistent. Can't think of a flight where I didn't receive one in the last 5 years.

xliioper

This is incorrect. A number of international routes now have C+ as a separate fare class and have the same upgrade process as domestic C+ where there needs to be WU inventory for the upgrade.

"Delta Comfort+ is now available for purchase during the booking process in all markets within the U.S. 50, Canada, Asia Pacific region excluding China, Hong Kong, and the Latin America and Caribbean region except for Delta One markets (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru)."

Ledfish

I amazed that being DTW based, you have been able to be a AA loyalists. That could not have been easy.

SDQBound

You are correct. By International I meant TATL/TPAC and South American D1 destinations. Thank you for pointing this out.

xliioper

Note that certain TPAC markets (such as Japan) now have C+ has a separate fare class.

Gig103

Do you mean that DL offers more J seats for redemption? Or that SkyTeam availability is better?

Can you, or someone else, please explain what this means?