I did this in mid-November, have flown 14 segments with them so far, easily met the status match and haven't flown UA since then. I've been in the UA cocoon since 2000 (having been married to UA and an LAXSW (F/A) and taught to fly by a UA747 captain), I've always been a big UA fanboy (dare I say UA apologist). But, it's a no-brainer for me as I'm in a DL hub (and lots more competition for upgrades) but I wonder why I didn't do this sooner.
Schedules and
minimizing time away are my priorities - and DL does this better for where I need to go. So, if that's what works out of ABIA, I'd say switch and here are my positives:
- Clubs are nicer, food offerings are MUCH better - I was actually full off of a healthy breakfast in Dallas this morning (I'm AMEX Plat, too. No DSC membership)
- Service is consistently good (not that my experience with UA was every bad) - DL excels at consistency
- On-time performance for my destinations are equal to UA
- Domestic first class is well, just classier (bottle of water waiting, pillow and blanket at each seat), been called by name and thanked for being plat on EVERY flight
- Aircraft are nicer with a more modern feel (A220 is wonderful)
- IFE's not a deal-breaker but it's nice to watch the flight map while you binge your Netflix on the iPad
I'd say what have you got to lose - worst case you don't like it and can't status match again for a while. But, I've been pleasantly surprised and now looking forward to a D1 suite on the A350 in the spring.