Originally Posted by
ualvet
Just priced for comparison an award itinerary from U.S. to South Africa, Business out, First back, no stopovers, in the cheaper award buckets.
Such a comparison is going to be very route-specific. If one's needs are largely served by AA metal (and I know that AA's worldwide network is inferior to UA and DL), one may not be paying fuel surcharges at all, in contrast to needing to buy up to an upgrade-eligible fare on United.