I think that may be true overall, but as a Charlotte resident I have benefited from the merger, at least temporarily.
In the last few years I have used AA for business/first class awards to HK, Beijing, Shanghai, London, and premium coach from Paris. (All summer high season trips.) This year I booked an August non-stop business class trip CLT-FCO and BCN-CLT for 50k each way. (Using the 100k I got as a sign up bonus last year for the Citi Exec Elite CC). I haven't used BA so avoided surcharges!
I figure that soon (as soon as the merger is complete) the mileage devaluation will continue, so I don't expect to have these opportunities last forever. I have stopped trying to accumulate miles with bonuses and just spend them. Enjoy while it last
Originally Posted by
dukerau
AA miles are pretty poor for premium class to Europe. Flying from the East Coast US and avoiding BA, you're left with a handful of Iberia routes, a handful of Airberlin routes, one or two Finnair routes, a dozen or so US Air routes on which it's very difficult to find business seats, and a fair number of AA routes that have very little premium availability and often route through London (more taxes and surcharges) or are on 763's with dated hard product.
Give me *A over OW all the time for premium class flights US-Europe.