Facing the big alliance decision...*A vs OW
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Kitchener, ON, Canada
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,266
Facing the big alliance decision...*A vs OW
Well - in the next few days, I have to book a trip to Asia and two trips to Africa. At the moment, I have 1P status with United, and the equivalent (Plat) with AA. I'm not going to make both this year.
I'm tossing back and forth - Star Alliance versus OW. I'm really torn.
Pros of Star:
Better redemptions (no BA surcharges)
Easier lounge access (I'm in Canada, so every flight is international.)
Route network, especially in Africa
Pros of OW
Better airlines. This is a big one. Cathay Pacific is great, BA & Qantas are solid.
AA treats their elites better.
Local airport (Kitchener) is only serviced by AA. Otherwise its a 1hour (YYZ) or 2 hour (BUF) drive.
The big one - Premium Economy on a LOT of airlines, that earn 1.5* on points. At 6'4", the extra legroom is a big deal.
Cons of Star
United & Smisek.
Total lack of domestic upgrade potential
Cons of OW
Big hole in the route networks (Africa and Canada, two appreciable markets for me.)
BA redemption surcharges
No easy lounge access options domestically
I really did have my heart set on switching to AA, but now I'm really quite torn - and it's soon going to be decision day.
Thoughts? My flights are a mix of domestic North America and International (a few are purely domestic within Canada, not enough to really worry about I guess.) So maybe the lounge access isn't a big deal...
Ugh. Am I missing anything? Should I just suck it up and continue on with UA? I'm only looking at 200k lifetime miles so it's not like I'm approaching a milestone.
I'm tossing back and forth - Star Alliance versus OW. I'm really torn.
Pros of Star:
Better redemptions (no BA surcharges)
Easier lounge access (I'm in Canada, so every flight is international.)
Route network, especially in Africa
Pros of OW
Better airlines. This is a big one. Cathay Pacific is great, BA & Qantas are solid.
AA treats their elites better.
Local airport (Kitchener) is only serviced by AA. Otherwise its a 1hour (YYZ) or 2 hour (BUF) drive.
The big one - Premium Economy on a LOT of airlines, that earn 1.5* on points. At 6'4", the extra legroom is a big deal.
Cons of Star
United & Smisek.
Total lack of domestic upgrade potential
Cons of OW
Big hole in the route networks (Africa and Canada, two appreciable markets for me.)
BA redemption surcharges
No easy lounge access options domestically
I really did have my heart set on switching to AA, but now I'm really quite torn - and it's soon going to be decision day.
Thoughts? My flights are a mix of domestic North America and International (a few are purely domestic within Canada, not enough to really worry about I guess.) So maybe the lounge access isn't a big deal...
Ugh. Am I missing anything? Should I just suck it up and continue on with UA? I'm only looking at 200k lifetime miles so it's not like I'm approaching a milestone.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 25, 2014 at 8:01 pm Reason: Enchanced title to make issue clearer, please avoid vague titles
#3
Join Date: Sep 2002
Programs: UA 1K 2MM
Posts: 226
Can you let us know:
1) How often you redeem miles where the BA surcharge matters.
2) How often you travel on the better OW airlines vs. AA.
3) How much you mind driving to a UA-serviced airport.
4) How often you travel within Canada on a non-Tango fare.
5) How much the extra 500 miles via Kitchener both ways helps you out.
Etc, etc.
If it were me, having to drive an hour or more extra for every trip both ways would trump pretty much everything else....
1) How often you redeem miles where the BA surcharge matters.
2) How often you travel on the better OW airlines vs. AA.
3) How much you mind driving to a UA-serviced airport.
4) How often you travel within Canada on a non-Tango fare.
5) How much the extra 500 miles via Kitchener both ways helps you out.
Etc, etc.
If it were me, having to drive an hour or more extra for every trip both ways would trump pretty much everything else....
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,693
Primarily use OW. Fly Air Canada for Canada and Air Canada/Lufthansa/Swiss/etc for Africa crediting to Agean for easy *G.
Last edited by mduell; Sep 25, 2014 at 9:29 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Kitchener, ON, Canada
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,266
And Cargojon - no. BA flies TO Africa, but there's no point-to-point coverage.
With ET, MS or SAA, I can go from CAI to JNB to EBB, or anywhere else. With BA, I'd have to go via LHR. The only inter-African travel that BA has that I'm aware of is some small regional routes out of Johannesburg.
#8
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
#9
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
One thing you didn't seem to address is how you're going to accrue these miles (clearly you intend to use them as you commented on the BA fuel surcharges). At AA in 2015, as a Platinum/50K flyer, you'll be earning 100% plus 100% bonus miles on AA metal/codeshares, though you do have to be very careful when booking partners under their flight numbers to make sure you're not in a discounted class that doesn't accrue miles, or very little miles. BA flights accrue full miles.
How will you be impacted come March with UA's new revenue based accrual system? Compare your One World routes to Star Alliance routes. Which will bring in the most miles after the new UA game plan is implemented? Have you done a side-by-side comparison? This would seem like a major deciding factor. If they're $10,000 tickets I'd expect it to tilt in UA's direction.
If you don't see a lot of positive in the new UA system for you, I can't see the point in hanging around for March 1 to arrive.
Cons of OW
Big hole in the route networks (Africa and Canada, two appreciable markets for me.)
Big hole in the route networks (Africa and Canada, two appreciable markets for me.)
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...es/westjet.jsp
#10
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,693
#12
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: DC|NYC
Programs: UA GS, DL Plat, Marriott Bonvoy LIfetime Titanium/SPG refugee, Hertz Prez, Amtrak Select
Posts: 3,201
Pros of OW
Better airlines. This is a big one. Cathay Pacific is great, BA & Qantas are solid.
AA treats their elites better.
Local airport (Kitchener) is only serviced by AA. Otherwise its a 1hour (YYZ) or 2 hour (BUF) drive.
The big one - Premium Economy on a LOT of airlines, that earn 1.5* on points. At 6'4", the extra legroom is a big deal.
But StarA has SQ, LH, LX, SA.
I guess it depends in which cabin you fly. I'd put SA airlines up against OW airlines any day but that's only from a J/F perspective. Can't compare econ products.
#14
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,461
*A has some great carriers, including in addition TK, NH, NZ, OZ, and TG.
But I would venture that CX is currently the best alliance partner in the world. State of the art long-haul J, fantastic F, best AVOD (along with SQ) in the industry, incredible home base hub with great lounges, and probably the most predictable and generous award availability of any top tier airline.
SQ, by contrast, is a terrible alliance partner. LH still has angle-flat seat J in much of its fleet, and it's "new" J is not close to state of the art. And LX releases no F to alliance partners.
But CX and BA have PE, which OP specifically referenced as a point in favor of OW. UA E+ can't compare to a true PE product.
But I would venture that CX is currently the best alliance partner in the world. State of the art long-haul J, fantastic F, best AVOD (along with SQ) in the industry, incredible home base hub with great lounges, and probably the most predictable and generous award availability of any top tier airline.
SQ, by contrast, is a terrible alliance partner. LH still has angle-flat seat J in much of its fleet, and it's "new" J is not close to state of the art. And LX releases no F to alliance partners.
But CX and BA have PE, which OP specifically referenced as a point in favor of OW. UA E+ can't compare to a true PE product.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,225
My reading of the OP's post is that the only two major disadvantages of OW to him are intra-Africa flights (out of the way but Qatar might be an answer) and BA fuel surcharges. Otherwise the equation goes OW's way.
The coming MP changes mean that I've reconciled myself to far fewer redemptions so I now focus on comfort and convenience for the $$ I'm prepared to spend.
The coming MP changes mean that I've reconciled myself to far fewer redemptions so I now focus on comfort and convenience for the $$ I'm prepared to spend.