Originally Posted by
mduell
I'd just take the cheapest flight, save the difference to the United airfare, and use the cash to buy business some time (the difference can be as low as under $1000 one way so it won't take too long). Enroll in one FFP per alliance so you always have somewhere to credit.
This is the best advice. It's liberating to not care about airline loyalty.
Originally Posted by
j2simpso
But then OP would have to fly AC long haul! IMHO I'd take UA long haul on an E+ emergency exit row seat than a cramped middle seat on an aged AC aircraft across the Pacific
-James
OP is not a Premier, and even if he occasionally qualified for Silver, that's rarely enough to secure an exit row without paying for it. It's not even enough to reliably get an E+ window/aisle. In every other regard, AC Y is equally good/bad as UA. AC has more PY seats that could be bought up into with cash, while UA has more J seats. AC flies to ICN from the eastern half of the continent, while UA flies to SIN. It's all basically a wash in the end in OP's case. Go with the cheaper/more convenient option.