Originally Posted by
Zeromus-X
I have to travel on AA for work, but it's all cheap/short flights (PHX-SJC mostly), which does nothing for me in terms of loyalty point accrual; I've been Platinum for years but may not even make Gold this year on work trips alone. If I factor in my personal (read: non-reimbursed) travel, I'd likely earn Gold in 2022 and 2023, but definitely not Platinum.
Ever since the program change I've been eligible for zero upgrades (and generally am dozens down the list). Free MCE is usually easy to get and I do like the legroom. An extra two points per mile is nice I guess. I've got the credit card so bags are free regardless of status. What else might I be missing? I'd like to be able to justify the slightly higher cost of going with AA over someone like Spirit (with Big Front Seat), or just the autonomy of being carrier-agnostic, but I want to make sure I know what I'm leaving behind.
Is Spirit actually still cheaper once you pay for your checked bag and/or carry-on, and maybe drink a glass of water on the plane?
Even ignoring Spirit, being carrier-agnostic means that you are paying for the equivalent of MCE on every flight, and either paying to check your bags or paying $400/year in credit card fees (AA, DL, UA, and AS cards). After all that, are you still actually saving any money?