Thanks for the responses so far - AA/AS certainly seems to be a good choice for these west coast routes and the ease of getting AA Gold accelerated by spend (hotel/car rental added on).
Originally Posted by
tennessetom
but my best advice is to think long term as she begins her journey
This is a great point, I appreciate the advice! Delta might well be a strong choice overall. The actual travel could change easily, even being based out of LAX there could be several trips away from the West Coast and routes on Delta will be as good or better than AA/United at that point. Lounge access is easy enough with the Delta Reserve, and then let the status be what it may over time.