Originally Posted by
channa
Maybe you should ask UA to serve LAX-MIA. They might put a new 739 with on TVs on it.
I'd love to see a regularly scheduled 3-cabin transcon widebody on UA like you had on AA.
No airline serves all routes equally as well as the others.
AA serves LAX-MIA with a widebody because both LAX and MIA are hubs (LAX being a mini-hub at the moment) from which that 1 772 continues onto Asia from LAX and South America/Europe from MIA. MIA isn't a hub at all for UA, so UA would never serve that with more than a 739--it wouldn't make sense. Please keep in mind that all of the OTHER AA LAX-MIA flights ARE on 739s.
As I said, and others below have agreed, I prefer a nonstop whenever possible. If I fly SNA-SLC or SNA-ATL, I use DL. If I fly SNA-DEN or SNA-ORD or SNA-EWR or SNA-SFO, I fly UA. If I fly SNA-SEA I fly AS. If I fly SNA-DFW, I fly AA. When I have to fly from LAX because the nonstop doesn't exist from SNA, I fly UA first and then AA or DL or VX or AS as schedule favors.
When I fly internationally, I fly almost always from LAX--but use whatever airline I can get nonstop for the best deal for F if at all possible, using miles if possible or paid when necessary.
When I had to go to Moscow, I flew Aeroflot in J LAX-SVO instead of SNA-SFO-FRA-SVO using *A. When I went to Burma, I flew OZ F LAX-ICN and OZ J ICN-YGN. When I returned from HKG, I flew CX F HKG-LAX. When I had to go to Paris, I flew AF in J LAX-CDG. When I went to South Africa this past December, I flew UA F LAX-LHR and SA J LHR-JNB--but returned on Emirates F CPT-DXB-LAX for a great price.
In the end, I've flown international and USA domestic and intra-Europe and intra-Africa on far more airlines than most, usually in F or J, but occasionally in Econ.
It turns out that UA GF is still pretty good to me, with a very comfortable seat, decent food and service, and one of the best IFE out there (IMO only CX has better...though I've not yet flown SQ!). And I can almost always use miles to get UA GF! UA BF is solid, though given the chance I'd always pay more/use more miles for GF since I'm 6'2" and need more seat pitch/bed length.
UA domestic F is sufficient but nothing special...but then that's generally true for DL BE and AA domestic F as well, IMO. But I can always use miles to get UA domestic F, so it's easy. UA domestic F (and AA and DL) are still better than the fake intra-Europe F on every Euro carrier, and even TK.
I am sticking with UA because UA works very well for me, both domestically and internationally--with relatively easy award redemptions and occasional regional upgrades domestically. But I have no compunction about flying another airline in international F when the nonstop offers me that option on another partner or non-partner carrier using miles or when I rarely need to pay for it.
Originally Posted by
Kacee
DL did take the lead last week in the race to the FF bottom with its no-advance-notice "we no longer publish award charts" maneuver.
DL SkyPesos were largely worthless even before this latest DL move...unless you use them to upgrade because you are a DL elite and live near one of their hub cities (and have no choice). Of course, you can become DL elite just by credit card spend (which is how I've always gotten it when I've needed it). But it just isn't worth it to me since I fly internationally so often and definitely prefer a true F if at all possible.
Say what you want about UA's devaluation...but it has made it much easier to redeem for awards now if you have the increased miles.