Being a Platinum on CO vs. DL--a reflection
 

Well I'm three months into being comped a Plat with CO. I'll spell out the good and the bad below, but in a nutshell the bottom line is I'm in the back more than I was with DL :(

The Good

Nice new 738's and 739's for most of my trips on CO
Catering seems to be a tad better than Delta
Redeeming miles with *A easier than ST
Able to fly US and UA non stops to points out west while getting full EQM's
Direct TV a nice touch on the 8's and 9's.
Ease at using T2 at PHX (more of a personal benie)
Like the ability to get boarding pass on my blackberry
CO's website easier to navigate
Don't have to deal with ATL (although IAH isn't a walk through the park either, but still not as bad as Atlanta)

The Bad
No F in ERJ
DL has better updating mechanism for upgrades/standby's via the monitors at gates
I do miss the 76's and MD'88's :D
Usually batted 100% for upgrades either at the 5 day mark or battlefield (which was uncommon).
Coach is a wash for both, assuming I snag an exit row on each.


Overall star alliance works for me with my usual routings. I wonder if others in my neck of the woods flying CO feel the same.

Shouldn't this be under "The Good"?

Yes--Thanks ^

I lived in Tempe from 2006-2009, and I usually flew CO during that time. As a CO Gold, I almost always got the upgrade to/from IAH, but I rarely got the upgrade to/from EWR. Overall, I was a fan of flying CO out of PHX. (Of course, most of the time I needed to travel to Houston and NYC, so there you go...)

Overall I agree with you... I'm IAH based, so I've been CO Plat for the past 5 or so years, but I switched over to DL this year because of the upgrade situation (lack thereof!). I think in general CO is a better airline, and I do think *A is a better group, but I was down to a 40-50% upgrade rate as a CO platinum. I know I'm not entitled to an upgrade if I pay for coach (especially T fares), but I have been upgraded every single time but once on DL since I switched over late last year (ironically the exception was a PHX-ATL flight) . Delta's first class product isn't as good as Continental's, but I'll take any first class seat over a coach seat anytime and it's much easier to navigate parking, check-in, and security at Term A at IAH.

FYI - if you're relatively new to Continental using http://pda.continental.com from your cell phone is a priceless benefit. You get realtime status, seat maps, and standby lists. I checked it all the time when I was flying CO.

On that note, how much of a pain is it having to connect through ATL/JFK for most flights? I am also IAH based and have thought of getting DL status match and trying it. I do travel some domestically but also several times TATL and miss AF flights/service.

Agree that terminal A in IAH is quite painless (parking, check-in, etc).

ATL isn't nearly as bad as DL's "terminal" in JFK. That place is a pit.

Perhaps, I am the only one but...
 

Granted, I fly Delta only occasionally but I always find the staff more courteous and helpful. Not sure why that is but the Delta folks seem to care whereas CO is rather the opposite... Not sure what that makes me by choosing CO all the time.

AA Terminal 8 at JFK is soooooo much better then DL. DL is now T2-4? Oy.

Delta also has far better IRROPS handling.

Because of a new policy, a delta platinum stuck in an airport (even if its due to weather) will have his/her meals and hotel expenses taken care of. ^^ (also applies to Diamonds and Golds).

Continental on the other hand.....

I actually don't mind going through ATL (I'd rather take my chances there than dealing with ATC through EWR).

The bottom line for me is that I get upgraded with no issues and the DL employees at IAH actually appreciate the fact that you are giving them the business. That's a refreshing change!

BMW - I didn't know that. (I guess I got used to the shrug I got from Continental people and the number to call the Super 8 for a "Stranded traveler" rate)

Is there a place where that policy is stated so I can print out a copy and keep it with me. It would be helpful!

That's a huge understatement. continental.com is probably the best site in the business. delta.com is mostly unusable.

Perhaps, but they still have many shortcomings. Moreover, pda.continental.com/info and the related info you can see on continental.com itself set the standard for the industry. They more than make up for any advantage DL may have in the gate displays.

That is news to me and would probably be news to most other top tier DL elites. Can't say it would never happen but I have found myself on my own in those situations.

Overall I think the OP makes a fair comparison. It's also worth noting the excellent communication CO has on FT and the respective trends in the FF programs. CO appears to genuinely try to build loyalty by improving the program, while DL relentlessly takes away and calls it "best in class".

I disagree. CO.com can't even issue a ticket immediately when you buy it, and is not friendly to one-off bookings.

It works fine when you have everything setup, but try to book a new companion, or use a new credit card, and they make you add all this junk first before you can even book. Try to book something for a friend, and it's a real pain. You have to add them as a traveller, add their credit card as a card, and add their billing address as an address. All this on three (3) separate screens.

I can book tickets much faster using DL's site because it doesn't require that I save everything to my profile first. Name, email, credit card, address, and click purchase. Done in seconds, and off to the next one. Meanwhile, ticket is issued immediately, and receipt in the inbox in seconds. CO can't do that. It takes CO half an hour to issue a ticket, and then some to issue a receipt.

I think CO may be the only U.S. carrier not doing immediate ticketing these days off their website.


I actually like how DL does it better on their website. Once you login you're given your placement on the upgrade list. #2 of 16 on the upgrade list is all I need. I don't need everyone else's initials, nor am I able to look up information for flights I'm not on.

Where are you flying and in what class? For most fare classes, your earnings will be the same on AF or KL as they are on DL, so you could simply go back to flying AF to Europe, unless you typically fly L or N fares. DL also code-shares on both the AF and the KL flights, so you can circumvent the non-earning AF classes that way, too.

Going to Asia, and for many domestic flights, connecting through MSP or DTW (or even SEA, using AS) would be an option. SLC and MEM also offer some options for domestic flights. All DL flights, except those to MEM, have F. And don't forget (depending upon where in Houston you are) that DL has several flights from HOU to ATL.