aero0729

Hello all,

I think we will be faced with a no-brainer situation shortly! American is about to leave Delta in the dust when it comes to benefits for top tier members on Intl flights:

1. On American EXP's will get same day upgrades to Premium Economy FREE! No such possibility on DL!
2. American will have extra legroom coach seats on almost all their international fleet for if upgrades do not clear. Delta will have limited planes with such seats.
3. Delta will have 28 J seats on 777s. American will have 37-52. Upgrades should be far easier!
4. The new Delta suites are not really a premium product. The Vantage Business Class seats (XL included) are not considered even remotely close in comfort to the Reverse Herringbone and APEX suites. Who needs a door!? .. Id like to not stick my feet into a 5 inch hole!

I am still EXP with American and Platinum with Delta. Im thinking with these upcoming changes its best to keep it that way and not go for Diamond. I am hard pressed to understand DL and how they keep customers loyal.

3Cforme

Delta has extra legroom seats on all of the international fleet today, and has for several years - just as Delta has had lie-flat seats in all of long-haul J for several years and AA still doesn't.

Delta also has more domestic aircraft with extra legroom seats, more domestic aircraft with wifi, more domestic aircraft with F cabins, more aircraft with AVOD at every seat...

TheMadBrewer

I am mostly a TATL flyer (with some pure domestic now and then) so the loss of C+ won't effect me -- yet.

When/if they start removing C+ from TATL flights then I certainly will start to research options (not that Delta will miss me). I am not such a snowflake that I can't survive outside of J but that extra few inches for me is the difference between tolerability and discomfort.

And before anybody starts on "what did you do before C+" -- with PMNW the first 20 or so (may have been more) rows of the 330 were essentially C+ with extra legroom and power.

wlau

The bigger problem is Delta cancelled many Asia-based routes, including a lot of my backbone routes for business travel. So much so, I know quite a few DM elites are considering leaving Delta/SkyTeam including myself... Delta is slowly becoming likes of Southwest, a domestic airline...

Orange County Commuter

I've been elite on both. Those upgrades you see on AA are even rarer than Delta upgrades.


AA is proof the grass is only greener because there is differerent manure.

But the churn continues. DL fliers go to AA. AA fliers go to Delta.

dinanm3atl

Delta could easily, if they really think it's an issue, offer Upgrades to PE(as if it was C+).

dzflyer

Until AA steps up their horrendous hard product they will always be the little train that coulda woulda shoulda but didnt.

fpmurphy

+ 1 I also believe that DL will revert to being a mainly domestic airline..

I now have zero loyalty to DL for TPAC flights due to cancelled routes, older aircraft and reduction in quality of the soft product.

SuperG1955

DL doesn't do J upgrades. Occasional OP-UP's, yes.
Didn't AA just announce that they're going to revenue based priority for UG's? Are you a BIG spender?

Duke787

Having bounced around all 3 programs after leaving UA as a very dissatisfied 1K at the height of the Smisek fiasco all I can say is the grass definitely ain't green anywhere.

That's why I've landed as a FA who takes the flights that suit me. I've found it's much​ less stressful and also cheaper in the long run to just buy what I want on a specific flight.

aero0729

Super G. Im referring to Instrument upgrades. In most cases a bigger J cabin means easier upgrades.

javabytes

When is the last time you've flown AA long haul J?

Revenue-based as a tiebreaker after elite level.

bennos

What's your source? The PE thread in the AA forum has come to the opposite conclusion.

aero0729

AAs hard product is now better than Delta

I'm not a fan of either carriers 767 seat and Delta has more 767s.

American has reverse Herringbone on most planes. That's the winner. These delta One suites might look snazzy but the Thompson seats lack in comfort. The new seats are really the same seat but with a door and a bigger screen.

Food is a little better on Delta but it's so hit an miss on both airlines.

American DOES offer EXPs free Premium Economy on day of departure and it's really nice getting MCE if you miss an upgrade. In the future delta won't have any comfort plus seats overseas.

javabytes

No... the conclusion of the AA forum is exactly as aero0729 stated. This tidbit from yesterday would represent a reversal of course, and as such, would be big news if true.