Originally Posted by
Kathamo
Things that are most important:
- Chance of getting upgraded to a more comfortable seat, whether for free or by tendering miles. Ideally business class obviously, but “premium plus” (or whatever they’re calling the middle cabin these days) or even extra leg room is better than nothing.
- Travel experience between the NY airport (assuming Newark for United, JFK for Delta) and downtown Manhattan
Nice to haves:
- Lounge access
- Waived baggage fees: when I travel with my family of three a couple times a year, these can add up
- Good food
- Good customer service
you likely do not fly enough to qualify for status with any airlines, so you have to pay for the upgrade whether in cash or miles. by upgrading with cash, you can save your miles for award flights (maybe houston), which are generally better value than redeeming upgrades. if you are open to fulfilling credit card's SUB, you should be able to accumulate quite a bit of miles, so you dont really have to loyal to any airlines.
lounge access and waived baggage fees can easily be obtained with a credit card.