Originally Posted by
tphuang
Sure, a lot of people have their cards and get into the lounge that way. But I would say more people have priority pass type of card, which is what I have. Chase sapphire reserve is a much better value than any of the dedicated airline cards. The redemption on Chase Ultimate rewards is light years ahead of any of the airline co-branded cards, since you can redeem on any of the major alliances. And pp card access is world wide. None of these airline co-branded card will get my lounge access in Phuket airport or Madrid airport.
So given that I don't have DL card, their club access is meaningless to me unless I fly them internationally in business.
Amex Plat also gives SkyClub access. I also have the CSR but the Amex Plat has so many perks it is well worth it to me to carry as well, and honestly it's also easy for me to maximize the credits every year so the effective annual fee is only $50. For $50, having unlimited SkyClub access and Centurion Lounge access and so on is well worth it. I also have the CSR but honestly I use Amex Plat lounge access a lot more.
Originally Posted by
tphuang
Yes, any type of lounge is better than none. Especially in cases where you are transiting, but it's less of a deal if you are not transiting. Especially for shorter flights. If I'm flying a < 2 hour flights, I want to get to airport an hour before my flight, go through TSA precheck and board. I don't think I've made any decisions in the past few years on which airlines I will fly on based on lounge access out of JFK.
I think this is largely subjective. I really love having a lounge to relax in before a flight, regardless of how short it is. It dramatically improves my peace of mind for the overall flight experience, just giving me this oasis of respite which helps improve my overall flight experience. It's a psychological thing. Plus, it saves me a meal, typically; I save maybe $10-$20 on food and drinks, which adds up over the course of the year.
Originally Posted by
tphuang
If you are at platinum or above on AA, you can select Y+ for free at time of booking without needing to wait to get upgraded in there. DL might be the only airline in the world where adding 3 inch to the pitch and no width makes it a separate class and you need to wait for "upgrade".
Yes, that's what I'm saying. Delta Platinum and above has the same thing. Comfort+ is free at booking, you don't have to wait for an upgrade.
Originally Posted by
tphuang
AA and UA are not that bad. I've flown with them quite a few times. Not had any major issues. Then again, I never had any major issues with JetBlue either.
AA is planning to retrofit every plane with the "Oasis" seats, plus the smallest bathrooms on any plane, 30" pitch in economy, no IFE, incredibly uncomfortable seats (based on reviews I've read). Why should I reward this with my loyalty?
UA has a terrible overall customer satisfaction rating. Also, they don't even fly into JFK, and I hate EWR.
Plus, SkyClubs are nice, and trivial to get access to (via the Amex Plat).
Originally Posted by
tphuang
because you have their card. I don't have a card with skyclub access. Most people don't. Because it's a raw deal compared to CSR. When I had my AA card and CSR, I still ended up booking AA flights with CSR, because the reward is so much better. There is a reason legacy airlines make so much money off credit card. They are terrible deals for consumers.
Again, Amex Plat. Given all the perks which you can get for $50/year, it seems well worth it. But -- I can maximize the $200 airline credit pretty easily, because I do a lot of short haul within California and there are still workarounds if you do a lot of short haul.
I think the main argument against Delta for you is that you do a ton of Asia travel where SkyTeam isn't the right network. For me, I'm doing mostly domestic business travel and I want to also do mostly domestic personal travel. So Delta works well for me. We also occasionally go to Korea and Europe, maybe Japan once in a while. Honestly I really hate KAL which is the SkyTeam airline to Seoul, but you can't have everything. My main reason for hating KAL is no internet access AT ALL. So, for that I'll probably use Asiana, so oh well, it doesn't fit with Delta, that's OK. Supposedly KAL is adding internet in the next few years so eventually I'll be able to fly KAL again. But I can understand why Delta doesn't work for you. For me, it seems to be a pretty good candidate for an airline to try out.