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DL, AS, or AA
I am VERY NEW so please forgive me if I don't know the rules of the board. I usually just watch these boards for information but my question is complex and instead of trying to piece mail it, I figured no better time to start my post.
I live in TUS which is dominated by WN and I refuse to fly them for various reasons. The 2nd largest airline in town is US, which is just really an expensive taxi to PHX where all there action really takes place. So I am trying to pick "my" airline since my wife and I go on a lot of conferences and might be able to get some status... We always fly either AA or DL. I am a DL fan although AA on the last few trips was surprisingly wonderful and usually cheaper to sit up front with then DL In the next year we are flying BWI, MCI, DSM, MSY, ORD, Possibly NRT, MCO, SEA, DCA With a bunch more International Travel coming in 2015 and beyond... We are planning Thailand, Tanzania, Italy, France, and possible multiple trips into Mexico (Veracruz, which is only served by UA and AA) So far we have been using AS to keep our miles between the 2... DL - I already have about 15,000 miles on them. AA- I have 0 miles on them. AS - I have 18,000 miles on them. We also get Small Business Points with both DL and AA, even if we use AS milage. The question comes in at status... I know if we fly the way we are planning in 2014 we could get to Gold on any of the airlines we choose. If we get our status on AS, we really don't get much on AA... On DL, upgrading is a joke, although most of the time we pay to be up front anyhow. Should I choose 1 of the 2 airlines over the other (AA/DL) and if so which one? Or maybe should I consider UA as well? Should I keep putting the miles in AS and if I should get status basically only use it on DL and whenever I fly on AS? Lots to think about... Any help would be appreciated. |
I avoid Delta
I avoid Delta like the plague...I almost always find the I can seats on AA or UA for MUCH less than DL. I won't go into details/horror at DL mile requirements but you can comapre for yourself. Just see how many miles are needed to Rio or Buenos Aires around January.
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Originally Posted by Michael Iafrato
(Post 21632317)
I am VERY NEW so please forgive me if I don't know the rules of the board. I usually just watch these boards for information but my question is complex and instead of trying to piece mail it, I figured no better time to start my post.
I live in TUS which is dominated by WN and I refuse to fly them for various reasons. The 2nd largest airline in town is US, which is just really an expensive taxi to PHX where all there action really takes place. So I am trying to pick "my" airline since my wife and I go on a lot of conferences and might be able to get some status... We always fly either AA or DL. I am a DL fan although AA on the last few trips was surprisingly wonderful and usually cheaper to sit up front with then DL In the next year we are flying BWI, MCI, DSM, MSY, ORD, Possibly NRT, MCO, SEA, DCA With a bunch more International Travel coming in 2015 and beyond... We are planning Thailand, Tanzania, Italy, France, and possible multiple trips into Mexico (Veracruz, which is only served by UA and AA) So far we have been using AS to keep our miles between the 2... DL - I already have about 15,000 miles on them. AA- I have 0 miles on them. AS - I have 18,000 miles on them. We also get Small Business Points with both DL and AA, even if we use AS milage. The question comes in at status... I know if we fly the way we are planning in 2014 we could get to Gold on any of the airlines we choose. If we get our status on AS, we really don't get much on AA... On DL, upgrading is a joke, although most of the time we pay to be up front anyhow. Should I choose 1 of the 2 airlines over the other (AA/DL) and if so which one? Or maybe should I consider UA as well? Should I keep putting the miles in AS and if I should get status basically only use it on DL and whenever I fly on AS? Lots to think about... Any help would be appreciated. I consistently get upgraded on DL with my Alaska MVP in fact I only fly DL on cash tickets- + 50% bonus AS miles, 500 mile minimums, etc. I love my Alaska MVP status. Actually am flying a Delta flight tomorrow. BUF-JFK, JFK-BOS. Hoping for more upgrades- Delta app is looking good atm Love it. IMHO |
here's an example of a delta nightmare. I was just searching for a O/W jfk to syd flight. dl wants 100,000 while aa wants 37,500 miles. u do the math and figure which airline i will use
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Originally Posted by chelsea10011
(Post 21635934)
here's an example of a delta nightmare. I was just searching for a O/W jfk to syd flight. dl wants 100,000 while aa wants 37,500 miles. u do the math and figure which airline i will use
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The question comes in at status... I know if we fly the way we are planning in 2014 we could get to Gold on any of the airlines we choose. So... what exactly are you expecting out of status? Best chance at complimentary upgrades? Awards? Lounge access on international itineraries? The bottom line is a 25K/50K elite level is no great shakes on any airline- you won't be getting complimentary upgrades on your TPAC/TATL travel. So getting some idea of what you want out of elite status other than "gee, isn't that a nice shiny card" will help us advise you here. Also... DL will soon be requiring minimum spend to hit DL Gold. At present, AS and AA do not require minimum spend. One other thing: US has some downsides, but US probably has the best ability for you to get cheap upgrades into their F cabin compared to DL and AA. I wouldn't discount them as a possibility. *(40K if you fly AS only, which is probably not an option based out of TUS) |
Originally Posted by Mauibaby2008
(Post 21635226)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Iafrato I am VERY NEW so please forgive me if I don't know the rules of the board. I usually just watch these boards for information but my question is complex and instead of trying to piece mail it, I figured no better time to start my post. I live in TUS which is dominated by WN and I refuse to fly them for various reasons. The 2nd largest airline in town is US, which is just really an expensive taxi to PHX where all there action really takes place. So I am trying to pick "my" airline since my wife and I go on a lot of conferences and might be able to get some status... We always fly either AA or DL. I am a DL fan although AA on the last few trips was surprisingly wonderful and usually cheaper to sit up front with then DL In the next year we are flying BWI, MCI, DSM, MSY, ORD, Possibly NRT, MCO, SEA, DCA With a bunch more International Travel coming in 2015 and beyond... We are planning Thailand, Tanzania, Italy, France, and possible multiple trips into Mexico (Veracruz, which is only served by UA and AA) So far we have been using AS to keep our miles between the 2... DL - I already have about 15,000 miles on them. AA- I have 0 miles on them. AS - I have 18,000 miles on them. We also get Small Business Points with both DL and AA, even if we use AS milage. The question comes in at status... I know if we fly the way we are planning in 2014 we could get to Gold on any of the airlines we choose. If we get our status on AS, we really don't get much on AA... On DL, upgrading is a joke, although most of the time we pay to be up front anyhow. Should I choose 1 of the 2 airlines over the other (AA/DL) and if so which one? Or maybe should I consider UA as well? Should I keep putting the miles in AS and if I should get status basically only use it on DL and whenever I fly on AS? Lots to think about... Any help would be appreciated. Everybody says upgrading on DL is a joke with AS MVP. I consistently get upgraded on DL with my Alaska MVP in fact I only fly DL on cash tickets- + 50% bonus AS miles, 500 mile minimums, etc. I love my Alaska MVP status. Actually am flying a Delta flight tomorrow. BUF-JFK, JFK-BOS. Hoping for more upgrades- Delta app is looking good atm Love it. IMHO |
Originally Posted by Thomps000
(Post 21636003)
You can't book one way award tickets on Delta (easily), so the 100k is a round trip price normally.
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I would go with AA, since you are interested in international destinations. Its much easier to redeem AA miles than the other two programs for international trips.
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If you want to use your miles, avoid DL. Or if you have to fly them, at least credit to AS or AF.
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Originally Posted by Rae Song
(Post 21640393)
I would go with AA, since you are interested in international destinations. Its much easier to redeem AA miles than the other two programs for international trips.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...age-miles.html One of the partners that still has easy redemptions on AA is CX... which is a partner that AS shares. |
Originally Posted by eponymous_coward
(Post 21653162)
Might want to check out this thread before making categorical statements:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...age-miles.html One of the partners that still has easy redemptions on AA is CX... which is a partner that AS shares. |
Originally Posted by Michael Iafrato
(Post 21632317)
I am VERY NEW so please forgive me if I don't know the rules of the board. I usually just watch these boards for information but my question is complex and instead of trying to piece mail it, I figured no better time to start my post.
I live in TUS which is dominated by WN and I refuse to fly them for various reasons. The 2nd largest airline in town is US, which is just really an expensive taxi to PHX where all there action really takes place. So I am trying to pick "my" airline since my wife and I go on a lot of conferences and might be able to get some status... We always fly either AA or DL. I am a DL fan although AA on the last few trips was surprisingly wonderful and usually cheaper to sit up front with then DL In the next year we are flying BWI, MCI, DSM, MSY, ORD, Possibly NRT, MCO, SEA, DCA With a bunch more International Travel coming in 2015 and beyond... We are planning Thailand, Tanzania, Italy, France, and possible multiple trips into Mexico (Veracruz, which is only served by UA and AA) So far we have been using AS to keep our miles between the 2... DL - I already have about 15,000 miles on them. AA- I have 0 miles on them. AS - I have 18,000 miles on them. We also get Small Business Points with both DL and AA, even if we use AS milage. The question comes in at status... I know if we fly the way we are planning in 2014 we could get to Gold on any of the airlines we choose. If we get our status on AS, we really don't get much on AA... On DL, upgrading is a joke, although most of the time we pay to be up front anyhow. Should I choose 1 of the 2 airlines over the other (AA/DL) and if so which one? Or maybe should I consider UA as well? Should I keep putting the miles in AS and if I should get status basically only use it on DL and whenever I fly on AS? Lots to think about... Any help would be appreciated. Flights to MGA and LIM were on AA. The rest were on DL. |
Originally Posted by Michael Iafrato
(Post 21632317)
I am VERY NEW so please forgive me if I don't know the rules of the board. I usually just watch these boards for information but my question is complex and instead of trying to piece mail it, I figured no better time to start my post.
I live in TUS which is dominated by WN and I refuse to fly them for various reasons. The 2nd largest airline in town is US, which is just really an expensive taxi to PHX where all there action really takes place. So I am trying to pick "my" airline since my wife and I go on a lot of conferences and might be able to get some status... We always fly either AA or DL. I am a DL fan although AA on the last few trips was surprisingly wonderful and usually cheaper to sit up front with then DL In the next year we are flying BWI, MCI, DSM, MSY, ORD, Possibly NRT, MCO, SEA, DCA With a bunch more International Travel coming in 2015 and beyond... We are planning Thailand, Tanzania, Italy, France, and possible multiple trips into Mexico (Veracruz, which is only served by UA and AA) So far we have been using AS to keep our miles between the 2... DL - I already have about 15,000 miles on them. AA- I have 0 miles on them. AS - I have 18,000 miles on them. We also get Small Business Points with both DL and AA, even if we use AS milage. The question comes in at status... I know if we fly the way we are planning in 2014 we could get to Gold on any of the airlines we choose. If we get our status on AS, we really don't get much on AA... On DL, upgrading is a joke, although most of the time we pay to be up front anyhow. Should I choose 1 of the 2 airlines over the other (AA/DL) and if so which one? Or maybe should I consider UA as well? Should I keep putting the miles in AS and if I should get status basically only use it on DL and whenever I fly on AS? Lots to think about... Any help would be appreciated. |
Originally Posted by Apieinthesky
(Post 21653917)
Did you read that tread? The overwhelming majority of posts there defend AA's program. I'm pretty sure Skymiles is pretty consistently regarded as inferior to AAdvantage there as well.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21607316-post28.html A lot of the posts are pointing out that AA own-metal availability (as well as some partners) is no great shakes, and has been going downhill recently. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21606200-post19.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21606857-post21.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21606943-post22.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21607521-post31.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21607568-post32.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21607769-post33.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21608351-post42.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21611472-post60.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21611562-post61.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21611604-post63.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21616581-post81.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21618799-post85.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21619114-post86.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21619355-post87.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21621425-post88.html http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21630099-post90.html This doesn't strike ME as "an overwhelming majority" saying AA is the best EVAR- this strikes me as a number of people noticing some significant program changes in the recent past, and not for the better. There is a decent argument to be made that a *A carrier (such as US or UA) might have more award availability than a oneworld one (one of the few things UA didn't hose completely post-merger is the award chart, and they actually removed Starnet blocking). Please note that I told the OP not to completely discount using US. UA could also be a viable option too. Oh, and one of the carriers called out as a great award partner for AA is CX. Guess what? AS has identical access to CX inventory as AA does. There's an argument to be made that for someone based in North America, having AS+AA+DL+BA+KL+AF+CX+EK+LA+FJ+KE award inventory is not exactly all that shabby. So I don't think "go AA" is a slam-dunk- it might be but it's not categorical. It all boils down to what the OP wants to do. Since they haven't come back to clarify what their priorities are (upgrades? premium class awards? lounge access?), we're left to guess. |
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