<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Napa:
I will be flying LHR-SFO next month, and I don't have a lot of experience doing this on AA.
There are no direct flights, so it looks like I can choose to gateway through JFK, BOS, ORD, DFW, or LAX. Independent of schedule, which of these are preferable from the standpoint of:
1) Getting an upgrade to business from coach?
2) Customs and immigration?
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LHR flights don't clear at DFW, which is unfortunate because clearing there is the best in the AA system [can you go ex-LGW?], except possibly the brand new facility at LAX. Harder to get upgrades for LAX than DFW, surely.
Arriving at BOS is horrible since their Immigration Hall is too small to hold enough planes' worth of people as usually arrive at once. You could sit on board the plane for an extra hour. and then there's a crappy bus ride out in the cold to the AA terminal.
tough to connect domestically at JFK for most people, but not you since you're going to SFO. not a bad choice and many upgrades to score at off-peak times. arriving at ORD is middle-ground but good connections to most of the system and good for upgrades.
MIA is the most miles, but the highest risk of an airport horror story too. Their immigration at peak times and the accompanying re-security lines are legendary.