Gertjaars

Star Alliance or OneWorld while keeping ATL as your home base? You're in for a bad time and bad awakening if you're not going to relocate + change your name.

lindros2

I did about 550k miles on Continental pre-United, so if I go back over, I'm only a couple good years from million mile (as if).
Star in Europe is excellent - I absolutely love the SAS lounges (hope they're updated after bankruptcy)
However, United out of Atlanta and Minneapolis (not to mention the EWR debacle) are terrrrrrriiiiiiiible.

ijgordon

I mean, do you also think Zorak was claiming Delta was going to kill your friends and family?

ijgordon

Pre-pandemic Spirit had improved its on-time performance substantially, to the point I might have considered it, especially in a big front seat or exit row (I think seat pitch is 28" elsewhere . But I'm pretty sure they've fallen quite a bit in the operational stats since the recovery. I just don't want to risk IRROPS because of the lack of recovery options. Also, if you do need to check a bag (which I thought was usually cheaper than a cabin bag), expect a good chance of a long line.

(And FWIW, I've had 4 great cabin crews in a row on DL in F over the past month).

lindros2

oh and right after I typed this, my family (sans me) had both ATL >> CHI (first MDW, then ORD) cancelled today...

ijgordon

That’s why I try to look at data not anecdotes.

5khours

Bottom line... How do I get to where I want to go as fast as possible in the best seat at the lowest possible price. Loyalty is a lot less important variable in this equation than it used to be.

photojojo

Unrelated yet slightly related... I've been trying to book my first trip since 1998 on United.com and holy snots; I will never - ever - again speak negatively of DL.com again.

The grass ain't always greener.

lindros2

In case I forgot the most important part - ATL to Chicago on Delta was cancelled...
Terrible situation, too...

xliioper

Numerous flights cancelled into Chicago yesterday morning as thunderstorms were rolling through. It wasn't just DL . https://flightaware.com/live/airport...ed_destination

BradLivermore

Honestly, if I am doing a short flight where I can't justify buying F, I think I might prefer SW these days. We flew it for a short flight this weekend and it was super efficient. It left on time (not a single Delta flight has left on time for me this summer), the crew was great, the pilot was great. I think I even like the lining up part. I pay th $15 fee to guarantee a spot in the first group and it is so painless. Nobody crowds the gate. There is no crush of people trying to merge at the last minute. Everyone just sits until they say "line up" about 5 minutes before boarding. Everything is orderly. You get on knowing there will be easy overhead space since you are in the first group.

When flying economy on Delta, I often pick an Exit row over my free Comfort plus upgrade. So I am often boarding with the Sky group, but they forget to call it half the time. I am left in that awkward position of trying to decide if I should just board with Comfort+ and risking being rejected or chastised by the gate agent, or risking boarding with Main 1 and not finding overhead space near my seat. There is also the crowding of the gate and lack of a normal line at most airports, where everyone is jockeying to merge in front of you. And like I said, Delta hasn't been on time for a single flight for me this summer.

Frankly, SW was just easy and efficient. The plane was actually nicer and cleaner than a few Delta planes I have flown on recently too.

I usually buy first outright for anything longer than two hours, and would still prefer Delta in those cases, but I think I will default to SW for my short for awhile. I wish Delta would find some way to make boarding more efficient and orderly. I am not sure what it is, but I am sure there is a better way, even with reserved seats. Heck, maybe assign line spots based on class and status, with a Sky Priority lane for first to be used at any time (they don't even seem to use those lanes most of the time now). Or have dedicated lines for each boarding group like KLM uses. I would also welcome the day where they charge for crayons for economy, unless you have status. I think people worrying about finding a spot is a big part of the problem.

jhaas2629

Yep. My wife and I individually signed up for AAdvantage credit cards as they were offering the best sign-up bonus at the time and we were paying for wedding stuff. Booked a trip to Europe when it was all said and done. Ended up being on BA metal for all segments (ORD-LHR-KRK and MUC-LHR-ORD) and we paid several hundred for our "award tickets" due to those fuel surcharges (and this was in 2019). AA customer service was sympathetic and let us know we could book AA metal for the TATL flights to save some of that cost. We ultimately stuck with the all BA itinerary for convenience purposes but won't forget the experience.

Duke787

I would take *A over OW just about any day if Europe is your typical destination.

The OW folks are going to tell you that OW is better because OWE gives you F lounge access while *A tops out at J/*G lounge access (depending on airport and what is actually there). The big drawback IMO is back to the LHR is your primary connection point into Europe piece.

Yes you could go via MAD or HEL but that's not really all that realistic, you are basically either on AA metal or are connecting on BA via LHR and you still are stuck with the fuel surcharges.

Benefits of *G in Europe is that you have a TON of different connection points (FRA, MUC, ZRH, GVA, YYZ, YUL, BRU, VIE, IST) and a lot more flexibility in mid-tier to upper tier airlines (LH group, UA of course, Air Canada, TK). Award redemptions vary but at least on UA while mileage can range (same as DL) they only pass along taxes/fees no fuel surcharges.

The biggest challenge (same as with AA) is that you are based at ATL you go from direct (or single-stop) flights with DL/ST to having to connect (and at time double connect) to get just about anywhere (although there is an ATL - FRA and ATL - IST that can help depending on when/where you are going)

Zorak

Just curious what you found worse about the UA website compared to DL? IMO while the UA site has its faults too, I can think of a number of advantages of the UA site off the top of my head

• it remembers multiple recent searches
• shows fares for adjacent dates too, easy to switch and compare using a tabbed format
• the display is more compact, showing more results at once
• see seat maps/details via expanding sections directly in the search results, not a slow pop-up that takes forever to load
• you can enable expert mode to see full revenue bucket inventory
• you can apply the equivalent of upgrade certs yourself, even on partner airlines
• it shows you partner PNRs on applicable bookings
• it shows FF program accruals for upcoming trips, not just during the booking process
  

pbiflyer

Same boat as OP. 2m lifetime BIS miles but find myself flying cheaper airlines when I pay and more reliable ones when company pays.
They screw you over and say too bad. They have slashed customer service to the bone.
And they don’t care. My last 4 flights have had cancellations due to crew shortages and I got no compensation. (Including today).
Flying TATL in a month. Delta $400-600 more than the competition. Can upgrade on other airlines and have a better experience.
They won’t care, but I do.