Originally Posted by
cmd320
Well, as someone who decided to jump ship from DL to AA at this point last year, I can give you my comparison but to make it as fair as possible you should know the background my opinion is coming from.
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Overall both airlines do some things well and most others just okay. My biggest reason for preferring AA is that they cater to the premium customer better than DL does. And while I'm sure they don't care about my loyalty any more than DL or any other company, they at least have faked that they do much better than DL thus far.
I'm sure plenty of people will disagree with me on many points and that's entirely valid. The reality is everyone has differences in what they prefer in an airline experience and I hope this comparison could be of some value to you. All the best in your airline transition if that's the route you choose to take and feel free to ask me any questions if I can be of any help.
Excellent analysis. I agree with all points. I would add...
You didn't mention the SWUs for EXPs. If everything else were equal this would still leave DL in the dust.
You're probably measuring AA at its high watermark. Most flights under 1,000 miles are expected to lose F meal service as of 9/1 and it remains to be seen whether the quality will stay the same for the remaining meals. I think most multi-year EXPs would say domestic upgrades have become tougher. My wife is Plat (= DL Gold) this year and on all 3 flights that she was traveling alone and requested upgrades she ended up #1 on the list after F was filled. ("So what is Platinum supposed to get me exactly?" she said after the third such miss this morning.) Saver awards and intl J upgrades using SWUs have become tougher to score. AA's recent decisions about how new planes are configured have all come down on the side of smaller premium cabins and more cramped Y seating. And there are big questions about the future of inflight service and FF benefits as the integration with US proceeds. The folks now running the AA show don't give anyone the warm and fuzzies.
The websites are pretty comparable. AA.com tends toward functionality compared to DL's confusing layout and attempts to upsell at every turn. DL's reporting on your FF activity is vastly better. And I have to give a strong nod to DL's app. More info and functionality, although I like how you can see the upgrade list on any AA flight.
So the grass is still much greener at AA, but it's definitely browning at the edges.