There's nothing inherently wrong or bad about *A, and nothing magic about ST. Delta is only better than American, but that's a low bar. AFKL may not be great, but I prefer it to LHG, and we won't mention IAG. Aegean is well run. ST works for me in part because they don't have two-tiered lounges most places, and where they do, the lower-tier ones are good enough for me to get some work done (outside the US, where credit cards ensure a steady stream of infrequent flyers and their kids looking to party).
Having had to wait hours in line during *A irrops, I appreciate the status with ST. Having experienced Delta's hospitality during crowdstrike, I avoid them whenever possible.
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