Originally Posted by
Kacee
From my perspective, the only advantage AA has at this point is it's so much easier to earn EXP status on credit card spend and hotel stays. Which says something about the relative appeal of the two airlines - AA essentially has to discount status to attract passengers, while UA is able to keep raising the bar for elite qualification.
Aside from choosing based on a clearly better network for one's travel pattern, it seems broadly the case that:
* "I'm willing to fly AA because of AAdvantage"
* "I fly UA because work makes me fly UA enough to get status and that status gets me some good redemptions"
* "I'm willing to put up with SkyMiles because of DL"