Originally Posted by ibogost

I live in ATL, and so am, as they say, hub-bound. I've ignored a lot of FTers DL complaints due to the convenience of direct flights and my general optionlessness, but I'm starting to change my tune.

My general question for y'all is this: what does it take for we hub-bound folk to give up? I'm having the first such pangs today, and I thought I'd relate why.

I have to travel ATL-VIE in the coming months. The best BE fare is $4800 ATL-AMS-VIE (and actually, it's KL metal, including the possibility of the lumbering old MD-11, even if the KL soft product is better than DL BE). Normally I'd do it for the MQM, but for one thing, that fare is booking in KL S, which according to DL.com doesn't pay out at 150% (?). For another thing, I've already requalified for DM for 2011, and even with rollover, the prospect of a nearly $5k TATL on metal with tiny screens and no in-seat power is mortifying. Meanwhile, DL doesn't fly ATL-VIE direct anyway, so I have to stopover no matter what I do. And I can book, e.g., BA via LHR for under $4k all in in Club World, which is a better hard and soft product anyway.

The fact that I'm even considering anything else seems insane. But yet, I am. Why?