xitek

Hi guys, I'm trying to decide which airline I should stick to. I live in Chicago. But from my past experiences, UA does not have much more options and cheaper tickets than AA. I fly mostly domestic. but twice a year to Asia. The experience of being stuck in the middle seats of an old Boeing 777-200 for 13 hours isn't great. I should say I almost vomit. I heard AA is replacing their old aircrafts on the routes to Asia this year, which makes AA more attractive to me.

I always fly in economy class and my travels will not get me to the third level of the elite status(flying 50k miles is ok but the next level is not possible) Things I consider are the following: which airline has better planes (e.g., more leg room in economy class), especially on long-haul routes? Which airline has cheaper air fare/rewards tickets, especially on international flights (to Asia)? Which airline has better chance of complementary upgrade after I earn an elite status?

Based on the answers to the above questions, which airline should I choose to earn a status? Any input is highly appreciated.

Seby12

I'll assume UA and AA are identical for domestic service and focus on your Asia trips. For long flights you want as much legroom as possible. Both AA and UA have complimentary MCE/E+, the difference is UA has TONS more seats (Some old AA planes only have exit rows and bulkhead as MCE) Also new planes aren't getting many MCE seats (the 773 only has 3.5 rows), meanwhile the UA 772 has 10 full rows of E+. Finally replacing Asia routes with new planes may take years to complete (talk is cheap) also you really don't want to get stuck in that unrenovated 772 that doesn't have AVOD but rolling entertainment.

SpammersAreScum

You say 50k miles in economy. Since AA has just added a spend requirement for status (effective Jan 1) you also need to decide whether you're going to spend $6000* for those flights (* including fare and carrier-imposed fees but not government taxes and fees), if you want to make Platinum (2nd elite tier on AA).

Yes, AA is upgrading aircraft. Some of those changes include adding MCE (Main Cabin Extra) or introducing PE (Premium Economy). I'm listing a couple threads, but I know there are others (but some focus on changes in business or first:

AA 737 MAX aircraft coming 2017 (discussion)
LUS 757-200 ETOPS "East" (European version) [master thread]

If you're going to stick with regular economy rather than MCE / PE / equivalents on DL or UA, I'm not sure you're going to see much difference between them on leg room.

Suggest you look up the award charts (earning and spending) across airlines for the relevant routes and carriers to make that comparison. Comparing fares is obviously trickier.

bse118

Note that this also applies to UA. You need $6000 in PQD there as well to reach Gold (UA's second tier). (*unless you have a foreign address)

neo_781

Seems to me you should just consider being a free agent. This way you can pick your flights based on price, time, aircraft, etc. and not worry about the status game.

Not sure what benefits you expect from status but with the small fees involved (i.e. credit card for priority boarding and bag allowance) or paying for a better seat (such as E+ or MCE) you really can get most of the "perks" without much effort (or at least the ones you reasonably can expect at the 2nd of 4 elite tiers for both airlines*).

It's really what the airlines want you to do anyway

*AA starting next year

abk

UAs Asia routes offer many more options than AAs.

satman40

I fly them both, it about who has the best schedule when I want to go..

JDiver

If you're flying in Coach to Asia on AA:

777-200: 47, all being converted to two class. All coach ten across, a small subfleet with Main Cabin Extra with nine across. Premium Economy to come. About 16 of 47 converted from three class (no MCE other than exit).

777-300: three class. MCE nine across, coach ten across. PEY to come. 18.

787-8: 20 with MCE and coach, nine across. PEY presumably coming. 16.

787-9: as above, Premium Economy built in. Later this year. 22.

A350-900:.PEY, MCE, coach - configuration unknown. Late 2017. 22.

A330: -300s going, -300 and -200 not used for Asia at this time.

For domestic (and above) see wikipost / links in:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...s-ife-etc.html

UltraSean

I've been flying both airlines so far, mostly depending on price and schedule. My UA status exempts from PQDs thanks to my Hong Kong address.
Actually I've never thought of spending $12k to keep exp. I'll probably wait for the AA cobrand CC spend EQD waiver.

aktchi

I would also recommend becoming a free agent. In addition to AA and UA, also consider:

Southwest for domestic. Good network, good flying experience.

Asian carriers for Asia. You didn't say where you fly to. However, Qatar, Etihad, Cathay, ANA, JAL, etc, all go that way; you are not limited to AA/UA.

Without achieving top tier (this much flying will not get you near that), you will not have a significant chance of free upgrade at any carrier.

mbfanos

I'm pretty sure UA has more flights to Asia than AA^

aktchi

I am always perplexed why people skip important information when asking for advice.

In any event, whichever Asian country/countries OP flies to, their airline(s) might be serving the route as well as AA/UA.

ty97

UA also exempts PQD (except for 1K, their top-tier) for credit card spend. No idea if the OP spends that much on credit in a year or cares too use the UA card though.

I agree with others here, OP is probably better off as a free agent and paying for the extra legroom seat on the two Asia trips a year. It seems like that may be cheaper than trying to earning the EQD/PQD required for status.

Gerbs

This is a major consideration. Depending on your destination, Cathay or ANA especially may offer superior service in either regular economy or premium economy (which both offer as a separate booking class). If Cathay is a better fit, your flights can be credited to AA; if ANA, your flights can be credited to UA.

carlosdca

Duplicate deleted