Segments

Being eligible for UDU on any award ticket after flying 85,000 miles in a program year.

ellis01

I was Diamond for several years on DL. The final year before I switched I had exactly *3* upgrades. (Good luck getting them in and out of hub cities). I far prefer the AA method.

Superguy

For me:

1) Star Alliance. This was the biggest single loss to me. *A had a lot of airlines I wanted to fly on, and lots of ways to get me there. Availability was generally good too. OW - not so much. The main Asian partner I would use is JL, and it's an airline I'm not crazy about (I prefer NH). Europe in general is much more limited without having to deal with LHR and BA. Great if you're going to the UK, but there are better options for getting around mainland Europe.

2) US's sense of customer service. Granted, my experiences with AA have generally been good so far, but US's attitude, IME, was they'd bend over backwards to help you. They were the only airline that ever called me back when asked - even as a lowly Silver. US generally treated CP like gold, and I felt like they always valued my business more than UA did. Maybe because they were smaller and worked harder to get the business. I don't know. The Winston-Salem CS center was always great.

3) Comp upgrades - and for companions too. I usually traveled by myself, but it was nice traveling with 2 companions (my wife was also low level elite) and having 3 of us get upgraded to F. I don't think I ever missed an upgrade as a CP on US metal. There were also times I'd book within a couple days of departure and I'd still get upgraded almost immediately.

4) I thought the US Android app was more useful overall. AA's is nice for what it does, but I hate being dumped out to the website any time I want to do anything more than checking my online account or getting boarding passes. I could buy tickets and change seats easily on US's app. Not so much on AA's.

MrAndy1369

I thought AA didn't outsource any of their call centers. I know their Reservations dept. was never outsourced, unlike DL/UA/pmUS.

donb25

Purchase the stickers and maybe receive a pre-flight beverage.

donb25

I have been Platinum with AA all year and not received a single upgrade on any route. If in FC it was only because I paid for it.

Superguy

I think I missed a couple to DFW this year, but that was it.

I miss the days of MR'ing in F. I could do my BWI-ANC run and be upgraded all the way RT and not pay anything. Now, that trip would be an insane amount of stickers - like 18-20 RT on the most basic routing. It's not much more just to pay for it outright.

JY1024

As far as I know, all reservations department, AAdvantage, and customer service departments are still in the US.

The only one that's changed in the last year is the web services group being outsourced to the Phillipines, which is now a truly AWFUL experience. (In the past, the web services team would either help me through my issue or confirm the issue I'm seeing and work with reservations to get the price on the site. Now it's mind-numbing conversations with people reading off of scripts who fundamentally do not listen to a word you're saying. I've come very very close at losing my temper at these poor folks because it's clear that they have very little context and training.)

JDiver

Regardless, it's documented on this forum that EPs are entitled to four checked bags of 32 kg / 70 lb weight per bag.

Please read the wiki in the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html thread.

This is precisely why we've added some beefed up threads with wikis for those members who are new to AA or crossed over from US. We want members to feel welcome and have easy access to the information provided here.

ccengct

Honestly there is nothing whatsoever that I miss about US/AL. For me it was an only-when-I-have-to airline.

I do miss PI, though. Still.

sinanju

Things I miss about US:

1) It was a separate airline that I hadn't flown since BA broke up with them.

JonNYC

I don't think that counts

jsieds

I was looking forward to the LAA SDC for shuttle instead of the LUS 3-hr shuffle when meetings ended early. Don't get me wrong, LUS agents would do the double move for me, but I was hoping for a simpler process. Enter the LAA SDC via the website which I have inquired with the online checkin four times since 10/17 (the day that will live in Shuttle infamy) in vain. There are 16 flights per day between DCA-BOS and BOS-DCA and there is never availability for SDC on the Shuttle. ... YMMV

flyingeph12

YMMV...In my experience, my success rate for SDC via online is 0%; my success rate for SDC via going to the airport and asking an agent is 100%.

This, of course, may be a function of when I tend to check for SDC options online vs when I'm inquiring with an agent.

Centurion

I was told I was crazy when I mentioned this: