Like many others, I am questioning whether to stick with my current program or try another one. I am currently AA Platinum Pro (was Platinum prior). Overall, I am pretty happy with AA. My biggest priorities in order are 1. exit row/extra legroom seating 2. ease of earning/redeeming miles for trips/upgrades (one of my favorite uses of AA points is for last minute short haul travel where cash fares are insane and miles fares are relatively cheap) and 3. help during IRROPS and (distant) 4. upgrades to F.
IME AA does a great job with the first two and fourth but a terrible job with the third. They used to be OK but this year was really bad. There have been at least three times where I have been stranded in CLT overnight due to delays, but AA refused to help me troubleshoot before I missed the connection (and several other times where I have had to argue for a seemingly logical solution and AA eventually relented -
On Rolling Delays on Rebooking - FlyerTalk Forums). Once stranded the lines in CLT for a hotel are horrendous and I end up ubering to the nearby Hyatt and eating the cost or working with my CC.
I fly 50% international (usually in paid biz to the middle east/asia/europe – I try to fly QR because it is great and a lot of my LPs are from my QR trips but also BA as there is a direct PIT-LHR) and 50% domestic (in cheapest economy, most common routes are PIT-EWR and PIT-IAH but also ORD/LAX/MIA/LGA/SAT). I foolishly either connect in DFW (for IAH) or connect in CLT/ fly to LGA (instead of EWR) and this has resulted in being stranded in CLT and occasionally DFW unnecessarily. The domestic flights are when the status really matters.
Has anyone gone to (or come from) UA (or DL) that can speak to how the airlines do on the things I care about. I will currently only make AA Gold but have some long-haul business travel coming up so could make AA Plat. I am flying AF over the holidays that will get me to flying blue silver but have some other trips that could be booked on AA/QR, DL/KL/AF or AC/UA/LH. I have a chase sapphire reserve card and could potentially open an AA branded credit card.
Thanks!