Originally Posted by
pinniped
I don't know...AA used to be the premium product, with MRTC in the back of the bus and the highest spend per passenger on food/bev among U.S. carriers in premium cabins. In my admittedly limited experience, they have slashed service in premium cabins in recent years and pulled MRTC altogether.
At least United has remained steadfast with E+ to the point where they continue to speak well of it to investors as being a profitable feature. And UA is about to retrofit many J/F seats, so I don't think all is lost.
Certainly don't want to see them cut anything out - and I'd love to see the "small touches" because they've been so sorely lacking for so long - but we should keep it in perspective. I will have 2 transatlantic J trips later this year, and they will probably both be on UA metal. I don't perceive AA as having a significantly better product. (If we were talking about non-U.S. carriers, it might be a different discussion.)
I think you are right, pinniped - I recall many threads on the AA forum starting about 2-3 years ago bemoaning the cuts in services taking place. Good for AA to be adding some back, of course...I hope qasr was correct and UA is waiting for the new J/F seat unveiling to bring back many of the "enhancements" we've come to expect and love.
Here's wishing the flash of new seats doesn't blind UA to the need for focus on their soft product...if I was a UGS I'd need to see serious commitment to that area to justify my continued spend. But hey - I'm just a 1P, so I can only dream of UGS.