2,000 miles actually.

Alaska Lounge airport lounge policies and rules - Alaska Airlines

Alaska never heard of hanging a sport coat. It’s a strictly leisure airline. AA never fails to hang my coat when I’m sitting in F. Sitting in AS F at this exact moment in fact. No PBD. AA usually serves a PDB. Food on both is subpar; in my opinion AA is slightly better but YMMV.

All in all, I don’t think you’ll notice any difference (unless you’d like you’re coat hung in the closet), although it’s always crew dependent and error bars are large.

Even with pre-order, still better to take a seat further towards the front, or at least avoid the last row. Have been lucky enough to be upgraded on a few dinner flights so far this year, but only the last row was available. Missed out on the chocolate lava cake once, and last time they ran out of sourdough rolls by the time they got to my seat.

please feed back to Alaska Listens. A full-bar PDB is the service standard for a couple of months now.

If you don't value the nonstop premium I'd go with AA via DFW. Alaska is a pretty good midcon airline in F but the transcon service is basically the same as midcon, which is weak. Certainly not better than AA.

from Jan 2024 to 31 Mar 2026 I’ve logged 58 flights in F on Alaska, and 25 in F on AA — a mix of west coast, mid-con, and TCON on both; also three AA TATL trips in Business

when you’re directly comparing narrow-body mainline fleets, or regional affiliate 76-seaters, there’s no substantial difference between ‘em … opinions re food choices on any given flight are completely subjective; opinions of service reflect how the counter staff and GAs and FAs are performing their duties on any given day

for PDX<>FLL, I’d choose on the basis of a balance between cost and schedule

that said, the convenience of a nonstop, if AS has one, would be a significant consideration on the schedule side of the equation, because AA connections at both CLT and DFW can get hosed *very* quickly

I fly AS more often and if I'm in Y, they have a much better BOB product line with pre-order guaranteeing you can get what you want regardless of where you're sitting. On AA in F, I prefer their catering over AS because...
1. They have more "comfort" food options like the always reliable beef rib.
2. They still serve salads with meals unlike AS which frequently has been subbing it out for a glob of humus.
3. AA offers a choice of bread from a bread basket whereas you only have one bread option on AS.
4. Ice cream sundaes on longer transcons with AA whereas AS serves small cups of pre-packaged ice cream that typically includes "weird" flavors I would never choose on the ground.

Mmm, I hope the flight I'm on serves polenta and kale!

Actually, neither AA nor AS has a non-stop from PDX to FLL, AS's only non stop is through SEA (also SAN I believe) at an ungodly hour, the AA options are much more tolerable (and no I don't want to fly to MIA).

In any event I did buy the tickets on AA through DFW and I'm sure they will be fine (1 hr 15 min connection). And I'll still get my AS miles (dried up all our AA miles a long time ago).

Another quick question about AA since I'm really not familiar with them anymore...on AS, if your ticket price drops, they give you the difference in the form of a credit, does AA do the same?

I really appreciate all the info here.

Not automatically, you have to cancel and rebook.

I've flown both AA and AS domestic F often over the past few years and the above is about all you need to know. There are small differences in the food, wine, seat pitch, etc., but the point about service on AA versus AS being entirely dependent on how an airline staff person's day is going is spot on.

Yes. If the fare on an AA ticket drops you can call them and ask for a travel credit. It will appear in your AAdvantage account. I don't know if AA can issue travel credits without an AAdvantage account like AS can. I don't have an AS account and they simply email me a travel credit voucher. I've never needed to do this with AA since I've had an account with them since long before electronic vouchers became a thing..

"Yes. If the fare on an AA ticket drops you can call them and ask for a travel credit. It will appear in your AAdvantage account. I don't know if AA can issue travel credits without an AAdvantage account like AS can (I've never needed to with AA)."

We actually do both have AA accounts, but they are long depleted. Will figure it out if and when the time comes. Hopefully it won't.

The travel credit is identified by a ticket number, and does not need to be tied to an AAdvantage account. If you do have an account, the credit will show there but that is just a convenience, not a requirement.

WRT the original question, I prefer the seat on AS. The AA domestic seats wreck my back without some sort of lumbar support that I have to supply myself. I used to have a clear preference for the food on AS but in the last year I found them to be pretty meager. Cheaper mains, no salad and the desserts were weak. If you route through CLT, the AA meal will be more substantial and made to order sundaes will be served. if you route through DFW the first meal will be basic: main, side salad or small app, and dessert, probably a slice of decent cake. The second meal, as it is a longer flight, will have a separate salad and appetizer, warm bread served from a basket, and an ice cream cup or cheese plate. Both will have warm nuts to start. Service is crew-dependent on both airlines.

Also, AA now has free wifi on all flights. It's not blazingly fast but has been reliable on all my recent flights.

When AAdvantage went to spend-based accrual rather than mileage-based accrual, I switched to QRPC. OneWorld elite members and premium cabin flyers (I think) in all programs other than AAdvantage gain complimentary access to Admirals Clubs.


And, of course, better chance of quick availability of a replacement aircraft at DFW in the event of aircraft mechanical issues.


Well, it's only a 30-40 minute drive between MIA and FLL, which, speaking only for myself, I'd much rather do as a nonstop plus the drive compared to a connection anywhere, which will make your journey hours longer.

While cancelling and rebooking is the only "self-service" option, I prefer to call in and ask for a re-fare. This method preserves your PNR #, seat selection, and meal selection if made. (Assuming the agent does it correctly.) If you did the cancel and rebook yourself, you'd need to put the second PNR on hold, cancel the first and await the email with your credit voucher/ticket number to apply to the new PNR, and then you'd get a new credit for the difference emailed to you when then second is ticketed. You'd also have to reselect your seats in the second PNR as you already are sitting in them in the first PNR. If you cancel the first before at least holding the second, you risk the possibility that your new fare will not be available when you reticket, although that is not too likely if the fare has dropped.

As far as the connection time just be aware with AA if you misconnect (especially with two of you), the chances of getting the front cabin on the next flight will be very low. And the compensation AA will offer for the downgrade is generally considered woefully low by those receiving it.

It's actually 2,000 miles now (I think it changed due to HA merger):

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/ai...cies-and-rules