Originally Posted by
RatherBeSailing
Given the fact that AA does not have any nonstop/non-codeshare international departures from the Bay Area, it might be easy to dismiss it as a viable option, but I too have found flying AA out of the Bay Area to be extremely manageable:
1. Good coverage to Asia/Australia on AA partners (Cathay, JAL, & Qantas)
2. Doing a connection in ORD, JFK, or even DFW for flights to Western Europe yields decent coverage to the major cities. And I prefer to connect in the good ol' USA instead of Europe (and LHR in particular).
3. Alaska/Horizon do a great job for flying up and down the west coast.
4. AA security line waits at SFO are almost non-existent
5. I feel that there seems to be lower percentage of elites on AA than UA making upgrades easier. This is not hard fact - just a soft conclusion based on an anecdotal evidence arising from conversations with colleagues.
6. AA routinely beats out UA on pricing for my itineraries which makes the bean counters happy.
7. And of course an AC with a great staff. Size doesn't matter. Or so I've been told.
The major gaps I've found have been SFO-DEN (mentioned by the OP), SFO-PHX, and SFO-SLC. If I needed to fly any one of those routes on a regular basis, I would seriously consider switching. I would be crazy (FT MR translation: quite sane) to want to connect on those journeys.
To the OP - good luck, but you wouldn't be alone if you decided to come back to AA
.
Agree 100%. IME AA is much better than UA at least at the 2P (and maybe 1P levels) for all of the reasons listed above but particularly #4 and #5. Plus:
8. I never reach an ICC at AA
and the AA CSRs are uniformly pleasant and generally quite competent and efficient.
9. IME, less trouble using miles for awards on AA and its partners.
10. Paid "sticker" upgrades are cheaper on AA ($30 v. $50) and more likely to clear.
11. I rarely miss E+ because AA Gold can book exit rows (only 1P+ can do so on UA). Exit row seats almost always free up during 24-100 hr upgrade window.
I find WN generally does a better job of covering the short haul routes (alas from OAK
) with no penalty cancellation and excellent US-based CSRs. As noted above, Alaska is great too!
Believe me, having always lived near UA hubs (SFO, IAD and for a time LAX) UA would be a natural first choice. But thanks to the Gold challenge a few years ago, I discovered that AA does a far better job meeting my needs even though UA offers better frequency.
I suspect OP may reconsider his decision after he discovers that he has difficulty upgrading (due to the large # of elites @ SFO) or even getting a seat in E+ particularly when booking last minute.
