elitetraveler

Based on my experience AA RJs at LGA are 100% jetbridge.


I should note the US flights go out of a separate terminal -- I think some of those are via the tarmac - but no bus -- just walk out.

monitor

Thanks. I am very familiar with the US side but now many of the US numbered RJs are flying under AA's colors.

SFO777

Tell me. DEN-LAX is moving to all US metal... so no EXP upgrades until T-24. Goes perfectly with the elimination of meals. Thanks Doug.

xliioper

Note that the JFK T4 Phase II expansion is supposed to be complete by next summer. DL is adding 11 RJ gates to T4 and will shift the RJ flying to there from T2 when complete.

monitor

...which does nothing whatever to help the average RJ business flyer using their service from LGA.

I am a basically satisfied DL customer since DL goes where I need to go with more frequency and with more nonstops than any other company with fewer CXLs. However, this new combination of US and AA seems that it may try to equal or outdo this and the rumor of AA putting on an E170 with actual first class on a route of mine that now is only 140s and 145s may very well tip the balance.

krlcomm

OP: read this post carefully as it is spot on. Longtime PMNW/DL customer and if UGs are important to you then you will want to stick with AA although how long that will last is unknown. UG chances are significantly better with AA. Hoping that DP takes some of the fat profits and sinks them back in to the product like RA is doing / has done at DL. The new AA aircraft are nice, they need to get more of them online.

Sabai

If upgrades and mileage redemptions are important to you.

DL - Good Airline

SkyPesos - Worst program of any carrier

Microwave

Paging rwoman (a FTer with extensive DL and pmAA experience).

Bowgie

Been wondering, too. I'm really annoyed with Delta with ending the easy redeemable miles accumulation in 2015 and forcing me to play mgf spending games with Amex to get $25,000 in charges on my card to requalify.

On the other hand, I'm 100% on domestic upgrades this year and missed only one ATL-LAX last year. (Off-peak flying). Alway able to redeem Skymiles on Alaska, Virgin Australia, or Air France. Delta has been faultless to me other than the devaluation.

At the start of 2014, AA had some really great biz-class fares to South America. If they repeat, I'd still be sorely tempted to do a status match to EXP.

krlcomm

Good point... UGs are more important to me but the Sky Peso "thing" doesn't work in DL's favor either. I've always just booked award tickets when I need them and have never paid a lot of attention to the redemption level I was booking at. That said, I never had a problem using DL miles but I'm sure I was forking over a ton of them to fly.

AA777

They both suck.

Cheers,
AA777

rwoman

I've been a DM since it started and an EP as well for the past couple of years.

Most of my travel is TATL and I often connect to transcon flights to SoCal.

Hard Product:
- International (TATL/TPAC) - all wide body DL a/c (except domestic 763s) have direct aisle access in J. While AA's 77W is a great product, they're lagging until all their a/c are refurbished.
- AA MCE versus DL EC - roughly the same. MCE is currently free for AA Plats and EPs on international flights while, with DL, it's complimentary for PM and DM on international flights.
- Domestic - some F cabins on DL have HORRIBLE pitch.

Soft Product:
- Service - I've had great crews on both, but favor DL a bit more.
- Food - I've often thought AA had better good but I've had great food on DL for LHR DTW LAX SAN MSP NRT HKG this week. When in economy, I've thought AA often had better food and quantity of food, but I do like that DL offers a grilled chicken salad.

Lounges:
- AA Flagship lounges are very good IME, offering something DL has not.
- DL recently introduced food to the clubs and it's been well received.

Upgrades:
- Domestic - AA offers complimentary UGs to EPs while DL does so for all Medallions, among others.
- International - EPs get 8x SWU while DMs get (only) 4 Global UG Certificates. I've had success with both.

Mileage Programs:
- Many are not happy with the spend requirement (MQDs) and plans to change how SkyMiles are earned in 2015. DL FFers are still waiting on the new DL award chart. Although many complain, I've had good luck redeeming for low awards on DL.

Much of my experience is international but I hope this helps!

monitor

Thank you rwoman but this 500 miles at a clip domestic business slogger has little need for that sort of exotica. All I really need to know is which of the two of them has the most nonstops to my destinations and how I am treated when I need to use one of their RJs.

Jetways for those airplanes are nice and can swing my business a whole lot more than any frequent flyer plan that nets me more miles than I can find time to use. Crappy companies and lousy airplanes like Chautauqua and SkyWest have are what you are going to get with either of them.

And yes, rwoman, some of the pitch in DL FC is atrocious but I came to DL as a US Chairman and since this airline, just like UA (and US before them), will be a small airline taking over a very large airline, perhaps hark back to the FC seat pitch in US and HP, another case of a small airline traveling in mufti.

I have changed airline loyalties twice in the past 11 years and will not hesitate to do it again if better convenience and comfort is offered. I do not have the luxury of changing companies because of frequent flyer plans. That is the domain of the aviation hobbyist who has some other day job.

Microwave

OK monitor, seems we now have a better idea how to help you.

I suggest checking Wikipedia for this. No need to ask us. @:-)

Frankly if you've been on one RJ you've been on them all. I'd suggest looking at which of the routes you found in your research above have first class cabins, as this is the biggest difference you'll find on a RJ. DL have also made a big push into Wifi on these birds. Despite your assertion that the programme details don't matter to you, domestic upgrade benefits play directly into your RJ comfort level (on AA a Gold or Platinum will have to pay for at least some upgrades on RJs while DL elites with similar flying patterns will not). So it pays to heed or at least research advice even when you think it doesn't apply to you.

Comments above will help. I think AA are all-jetway in the NYC area, can't speak to competition. Are there other markets that matter to you?

Well AA and DL both use outsourcers for this kind of flying, DL more so than AA since AA still technically own Envoy Air which still do a lot of AA's Eagle RJ flying. That said, expect the service provided on Envoy planes to be more or less in line with what you get on the other outsourcers, and for Envoy to either be sold off, spun off, spun down or marginalised as time (and the merger) marches on.

No need to get on your high horse. I asked rwoman for an opinion from someone who flies both AA and DL a lot. Some experiences will be more or less relevant, we're just trying to help. @:-) Good luck with your travels.

SFO777

Until a couple of years ago, I was both DL Diamond and AA EXP. As my domestic travel dropped, I stayed with AA and dumped DL. While DL FA's may have provided consistently better service, overall I just preferred the AA experience. The biggest deal for me was more comfortable F seats with up to 4" better pitch. Better meals on more flights, although that is now going the way of the dodo bird.

IMO, SkyPesos was a well deserved acronym... the lack of one way awards, limited Saver availability, near useless SWUs and inability to redeem for international partner F awards. AAdvantage is not perfect but it worked for me. I could generally find CX and EY First awards whenever I wanted and the AAnytime award mileage rates were attractive if I couldn't find Saver.

Unfortunately, rather than maintain it's clear lead over DL, the new USdbaAA has decided to "enhance away" a lot of the things that made AA a really good airline and AAdvantage a very good FF program. And DL has improved both inflight offerings (better food and wine in international J than AA's international F) and SkyPesos. It's still SkyPesos but not as bad as it used to be.

Choosing today between DL and USdbaAA is a lot more difficult as DL has improved and AA is clearly going backwards.