Sure! C class is business on an international "three class airline". (not including economy plus offerings.) Y/C/F. J class is upper class on a two class airline. (again, without any Y+ options). Y/J.

The typical example I offer is BA Y/Y+/C/F as compared to VS Y/Y+/J. AA is a Y/C/F airline, UA does Y/Y+/C/F, and CO is Y/J.

Where did you get that idea from? It's completely incorrect.

You're wrong here too.

Well, for most of us mere mortals, two class aircraft is perfectly fine. Some people probably upgrade to FIRST, but I have never really seen the advantage (unless you have oodles of miles to burn, like some of my west coast friends who speak in Asia on a regular basis and have accumulated gigantic mileage balances on UA).

Besides, I like to be in Business/First because it gives me the feeling of being in the best seats on the aircraft!:p

Having flown both AA, DL and CO to Europe in J quite a bit - I about a year ago switched to BA. If sleeping is important, BA has the best J seat - i'm 5,10 - unless you are into the 6'+ range. The service is great and in ORD - where you could connect on a BA codeshare - there is preflight dining. This year I did 17 trips to Europe so I feel your pain.

When you are going on a monthly basis, comfort and sleep for me were the priority thus my selection of BA.

Yeow!!!!!

Just to clarify, if you make EXP (which you should) you get 8 one way certs which require no additional miles or co-pay and can be used on virtually all coach fares. For example, my wife and I are using 4 of them to fly to London in February on fares that came in at slightly under $500 each with taxes and UK APD thrown in.

Steve

Most biz class products are referred to as J. On AA for example C class is the booking class used for mileage upgrades and eVIP upgrades from Y to J (biz class) on international flights.

Yes, CO's BF is better than AA's biz class--I've flown them both. But when comparing business class to business class on these two airlines, you're still talking about a pretty high level of comfort either way you go.

But ijgordon's point about the FF program is, in my opinion, the most important consideration in the long run. The fact of the matter is that there are no SWU's for frequent fliers on CO; OnePass miles are more difficult to redeem at standard award levels; using miles for int'l (TATL & TransPac) upgrades is practically impossible on CO; domestic upgrades are tougher to come by on CO. The bottom line is that AA has the better FF program for top-level fliers.

The OP has to consider how important the modest increase in comfort he/she will enjoy in CO versus how much he's giving up by not accruing miles and status in AA's better FF program.

One final thing I would add: flying on a paid C ticket on a 3 class AA bird gives you the chance for an op-up to F. There's no op-up from BF on CO.

Thank you, but that response really has nothing to do with oopsz's wild assertions, which I was replying to in the quoted post. ;)

"I will be at GOLD after 4 trips, so no need to bother with a Comp to CO GOLD."

Should you choose CO and not do this, you'd lose three times 150% of the mileage from those trips as you'd lose all of the mileage bonus on trips 1 and 2 and half of it on trips 3 and 4.

Another thing that people are forgetting to mention when they talk about AA's FF program is that the benefits really apply to plats only. Below that doesn't get you the automatic upgrades. You'll likely hit platinum so you'll get that benefit eventually, but just don't expect it beforehand.

I can't comment on the AA international lounges, but the domestic ones really suck. CO does a much better job.

If you feel you could make EXP with AA in 2007, just remember you will then have the opportunity to Fly First on AA throughout most of 2008. Something that CO can never offer.^

i think in general, CO offers a better domestic product than AA. not everything, but in general looking at all flights and all cabins. i know AA offers better transcon seating, but CO offers better menu's. i also think CO offers a better intl (overseas) business product, but AA has intl FC and CO does not.

in terms of FF programs, CO offers a competetive program for 1st and mid level elites. AA offers a unbeatable product for top level elites.

if you're only going to make it to midlevel i'd stay with CO. if you've got a chance to make top level, i would seriously consider sticking with AA. i only say this b/c you get the system wide upgrades on AA and it seems EXP's are almost 100% in complimentary upgrades, where as CO's platinums (top level) consistently complain that they do not receive upgrades like in the past.

if you do switch to CO, you should absolutely get the match right away so you will not miss your 100% bonus miles.

you also have to remember CO's extensive route network compared to AA's and CO's mileage earning ops and reciprocal lounge bennies within the US.

I'm not sure where you get that from. Upgrades are not "automatic" for anyone. Even EXPs have to request them, but they are free. Platinums and Golds (AA's lowest elite level) can request them too, but have to pay with "stickers" either earned or purchased, unless traveling on a full (Y/B) coach fare, in which case the upgrades are complimentary for ALL elites, although they don't get confirmed at ticketing like on CO; you still have to wait for your window.

An AA Gold will still have a higher upgrade success rate than a CO Silver for 2 reasons: 1) more FC seats on AA, and 2) less competition for upgrades since they are generally not free, so not everybody requests them. An AA Gold could very well have a similar upgrade success to a CO Gold for these reasons as well. Further, AA does not prioritize upgrades by fare class, only by time of upgrade request (within an elite level). This obviously benefits advance purchase leisure travelers over last-minute business travelers, so you'd want to take that into consideration as well.

Beyond that, AA Golds can pre-assign exit rows online, something CO silvers cannot (but CO Golds can now). And ALL AA elites can do a companion upgrade -- and they often clear in advance at the appropriate "EUA" window. So they are much more likely to happen on AA for Plats/Golds than on CO for Golds.

Don't forget that, unlike CO, AA offers lifetime Elite status (e.g., Gold after 1 MM miles, acquired in any manner).

Neither
 

As the OP stated that the trips would be in paid business class, I would advise booking BA, whose business class is far superior to AA or CO. With all of those trips, the OP would have no trouble qualifying for BA Gold Tier.

The advantage of BA Gold Tier is that it entitles you to use any AA lounge, including Flagship Lounges, when you are travelling Domestic AA. You can enjoy the benefits of oneworld elite membership, and can claim the nonexistent awards on the same basis as AA.