I agree.

When I started with a lot of business travel, back in the 1980s, I decided to concentrate on AA because they had good connections to Wichita, my home town, and because they were giving a year of triple miles. I could get the cheap "Saturday night stay" tickets by flying in and out of Wichita. (Hotel Mom and Dad = $Free.)

I'd see my family and a few friends, then go on to Los Angeles on Sunday.

Over the years I built up a lot of Aadvantage miles, and took a lot of free trips. Eventually I got Lifetime Gold status, much to my surprise.

That was then. This is now.

Aadvantage Gold has been devalued, that's for sure, especially considering that credit card holders get many of the same perks.

Still... AA flies to the places I need to go. I still go to ICT every year or so, and my work has settled down with a few choice customers, and they are convenient to AA. I am not looking for new business, not now.

If I were to look at other airlines, I would be status-less and since I only have the one Aadvantage credit card, I would not have whatever credit card gives pseudo-status elsewhere. The ticket on UA or DL or whatever would be an additional ~$50 out of my pocket with baggage charges.

What about Southwest? Well...

Some years back my 85-year old MIL wanted to go to Sacramento to visit her sister. She hasn't flown anywhere in over 20 years. It was necessary for my husband to accompany her and make sure she was OK. They wanted to fly ONT-SMF. Southwest was virtually the only option.

Fine, OK, no worries about MIL having "status" or getting frequent flyer miles. But, they don't do advance seat assignments. I wanted this frail, timid elderly lady to be able to sit next to her son. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so, on Southwest.

I phoned their reservation line, and found out my only option was to purchase Early Bird reservations, $10 pp each way or $40 total. Getting Early Bird reservations would not GUARANTEE son and elderly mom could sit together, but would greatly increase their chances. Thus, the cost of the Southwest tickets increased by $40. That ticked me off!

Every airline and every frequent flyer program has its plusses and minuses. Aadvantage works for me and since I have Lifetime Gold, I am pretty much going to stick with them for the foreseeable future. It beats starting from Zero with another program.

For all UA's faults (including gutting of 1K), I think UA gold is actually better than AA gold.

Gold = Better than No Status
 

I'll agree with those who indicated that while it not may be the best, being Gold is better than nothing.

I'm CP/EXP now, but the difference between no status and Gold was a big improvement in the experience. Top benefits (to me):

• Group 1 Boarding - Even though I have the AA Citibank card too, the ability to board in the first group and find a space for my bag
• Free checked bag - not so much on my individual business travel, but when the family is together on a long vacation.. another big deal.
• Preferred seat selection - just increasing the chance of an aisle seat matters to me..
• 500 mile upgrades - may not be able to use them every time I want, but it helps

I don't know. I'm traveling with friends that have flown just enough last year to have AA Gold. On a $550 SFO-DUB ticket, they're bringing in around 15,000 miles. Over at UA, after you take the taxes away, they'd bring in 7 miles per dollar spent, so around 3,150 miles. 12,000 extra miles seems to tilt towards AA in my book.

Tom on AA135 LHR-LAX with 5 hours to go

Of course it is. Because UA Gold is the same status level as AA Platinum. Not AA Gold. However, I would rank AA Platinum better than being UA Gold.

And I would rank AA Gold higher than UA silver as well.

I thought he actually meant to compare UA Silver (25K) versus AA Gold (25K) and responded as if that was the case being that this thread is about benefits at the AA 25K level (Gold/50K at UA gets 1 more mile per dollar spent, so the numbers don't increase much in my prior example).

Silver at UA brings in 7 miles per dollar spent. Gold at AA brings in 100% miles plus 25% bonus miles. To get 15,000 miles from UA on Europe travel as a UA silver, you'd need to buy a $2,142 ticket before taxes. To get 15,000 miles from AA, you just need a RT 12,000 mile ticket with the 25% Gold bonus.

I don't quite understand.
I have never had an issue with sitting next to anyone.
If you check-in at the 24 point, there should be no problem getting seats together.

The easiest might have been to ask WN for pre-boarding. Best discussed in the Southwest forum, and water under the bridge anyway.

The difference between Gold and kettle is huge when traveling during the holidays.

My own situation: Im down to Gold now due to an issue with CX mileage credit(I've flown a legit 60k EQP this year....) and originally I was upset about being a Gold for most of the year after being PLT for two years. I was seriously considering the buy up offer from AA but I realized after a bit of thought that Gold actually does take the bite out of some of the worst parts of flying.

It is what it is but just be glad there isnt a revenue component (yet)

I agree, it's best discussed on the Southwest forum, and besides that, the matter is well in the past.

My point was that jumping ship to another airline may lead to unintended consequences. Every airline and frequent flyer program has its own quirks. At least I know the quirks of Aadvantage Gold.

I did, and they wouldn't do that. Pre-boarding is (was) not available for an elderly lady who wanted to sit next to her son.

Maybe things have changed since then. I, personally, haven't flown Southwest since 1999. My own experience was not positive.

Me neither. Your odds are at least as good on WN by checking in early. As we all know, and some here would probably love to remind the person who goes apoplectic when they get moved, seat assignments are not guaranteed.

NJUpintheair: Just to follow up on the CDG "fast track" thing, these are plastic purple passes handed out at the AA check-in station (Station 8) to anyone who's elite or traveling in J/F. (And, yes, you still have to check in even if you've already done so on line!) I've always asked, though, because they don't necessarily give it to you automatically. You then get to skip the lines at both the exiting passport control and at the security control. Also, I have a US passport, and so I'm not sure what the other commenter above was referring to with his reference to EU passports.

I must say, though, that this whole thread kind of confuses me. I've stated above, twice, what the five benefits of Gold are above and beyond credit card (e.g., Citi Exec) pseudo-status and, again, those five benefits either do it for you or they don't. It's a completely binary analysis.

Passport controls within the EU and Switzerland are minimal for holders of EU and Swiss passports (often using automated gates these days) so there are no fast-track lanes. Therefore, the fast-track passes go unused.