Originally Posted by
tomj888
The days of loyalty are over!. Flying a certain carrier for me is based upon these criteria:
1. Is it the most direct route to where I want to go?
2. Does it offer me the hard product I care about, i.e. FC for HK, LHR. Lie flats for TPAC and TATL.
3. Times that work for me.
4. Pricing.
That's the business component of air travel for most people who travel for business vs. Leisure.
I travel for leisure and those are pretty much my criteria, although not necessarily in that order.
Often the option is non-stop on another airline, compared to stopping in LHR or MAD with AA and OW. That choice is easy and is made easier by devaluations in the benefits of status and accumulating miles (not just on AA).