mbc80

Hi all,

Hoping to get some advice on the following potential switch. I'm a UA 1K, I fly slightly over 100K BIS miles each year. I'm based in NYC and my flying patterns look like this:

• NYC-SFO: Once or twice a month, usually outbound Sun evening, return on Friday afternoons
• NYC-Random US destinations: About 6 times a year, hard to predict locations in advance. LAX, PHX, MIA, etc.
• NYC-LHR, CDG or MUC: About 4 times a year

I've been flying UA exclusively this year (mostly out of EWR) but I'm not very happy with my CPU success rate. So I'm wondering whether it would be better to status match at the start of the year and go with DL or AA instead. I don't really care which NYC airport I fly out of (JFK/EWR/LGA all fine). My priorities are, in order:

1. CPU success rate on NYC-SFO
2. Award availability for international flights
3. E+ availability when not upgraded

Thoughts/suggestions? I know the AA/US merger might eventually affect the AA program but for now, only concerned with maximizing my 2014 travel.

FlyerChrisK

As an AA EXP, my upgrade success rate on JFK-LAX/SFO is near 100%. My only miss last year was a single JFK-SFO evening flight (out of ~30 segments on JFK-LAX/SFO).

As far as international availabilty goes, AA's partners have better J/F products than AA does. Booking isn't as easy as UA (as many partners require a phone call) and BA flights have fuel surcharges... but these are hardly reasons to collect SkyPesos instead.

The 767-300's have MCE. The A321s will once they start flying early next year. The 767-200's are being phased out soon (early next year), so they aren't adding it.

8rulos

Nobody is happy with CPU rate between EWR and SFO.

darthbimmer

I'm not even happy with my RPU rate on SFO-EWR this year. 0%.

rodsren

I thnk AA is well known for a better success rate for y-->c , free for executive pkatinums, flat bed starting soon with their new a319 planes. They also give 8 Systemwide uofrades that you can use to fit business class if internationally if you are falling short of the 100k on aa. AA will give you an unpublished challenge but it's late in the test to get 25,000 EQP by the end of the year. They might give you instant Exec. Plat. Status if you really do fly 100k /year , especially if you show them year end statements for last couple if years. If you could get them to give you 30,000 EQMikes rather than 25,000 EQPoiints then you could go it with lowest fare Coach. I would try fir that . DL dues not give matches or challenges as they have no status at 100k,they might give youthful platinum 75k status, but exp on AA is much mites valuable IMHO. Good luck and fly safe.

Thunderroad

Welcome to FT! On balance, I'd say AA. among the reasons:

1. Upgrade likelihood much better than UA, as is overall treatments of EXPs versus 1Ks. Don't know how DL compares.
2. Those 8 SWUs per year for EXPs are nice. And unlike those of UA, they apply to just about economy fare, not just the most expensive ones. I believe that DL's SWUs are either very limited or nonexistent.
3. The new J AA is rolling out (including from JFK) across the Atlantic is the best transatlantic J hard product out there, with all-aisle access. Much better than UA. Again, sorry I don't know how it compares with DL.
4. Its main transatlantic partner, BA, is on balance better than UA's main partner, LH, except for in F. And LHR is a nicer airport to transit through than FRA. (Well, just about any airport beats FRA.)
5. A very nice perk of being an EXP on international travel is that you have access to F lounges, even if you're flying in economy.
6. I don't know much about DL, except the impression that it is a pretty good airline for paid travel but that its FF program is really lousy...very hard to redeem unless you shell out incredibly high levels of miles, plus its partners are much weaker than AA's or UA's.
7. Perhaps you're not looking to redeem miles for transpacific travel, but AA's partner CX has a fantastic F product that is often available for awards. In terms of the combination of quality and award availability, the best partner of any of the USA airlines.
8. I find AA to simply be a much better-run airline than UA these days, which is a bit of praise for AA but more of a comment on UA's current state and future direction.
9. JFK is not a great airport, but it sure beats Newark.
10. Because it's not an AA hub, miuch shorter security lines for AA in SFO and a much better lounge and terminal...though I believe that UA is getting a new terminal so this could change (except possibly for the security lines) over the next year or two.
11. For the above reasons and more, after 20 years as a UA 1K I've switched almost all of my travel to AA and its partners this year.

All this said, a few caveats:

1. While the merger is looking less likely, AA could go downhill if it's combined with US.
2. If you redeem miles for travel on BA, there are hefty surcharges added.
3. I've read recent reports about AA getting stingier with award availability over the past year or so. There's a thread devoted to this. I haven't experienced this myself yet, having two CX F tickets to Malaysia and two LAN tickets to Lima during this period. So perhaps the worst of the problem is domestic and/or transatlantic. Regardless, it seems that UA has AA beat in this regard in certain respects. DL ranks a very poor third.
4. I believe there are more JFK-SFO flights on UA than on AA

hiltonlondon2009

In my mind, it's not even a fair fight. If you'll be EXP on AA out of NYC, don't even consider UA and please don't even make inadvertent eye contact with DL. I'm 1K with UA and EXP with AA right now, and I can tell you that AA EXP blows UA 1K out of the water.

Oh, and don't over analyze this thing.

travel.flier

i would do AA anyday, especially on that route. free upgrades jfk-sfo on flat bed seats on a 3 class airplane. great mileage usage. and they appreciate their customers. no brainer.

flyertalker54234

I left UA for AA due to lack of upgrade availability or mileage awards in International First. Also NYC services were cut. AA has been much better. It gets worse each year as the accountants turn the screw on award travel to try to cut costs but still light years better than ual. Disagree with poster AA partners have better J and F, new 773 make BA product look very tired. Asia as ever leads the field. As
Noted never redeem on BA as they charge you for the flight and then call it taxes. Move to AA , I did and never regretted. Best thing is EXP phone line who are great at fixing upgrades including rare ones like lhr-lax.

Firewind

AA, hands down.

Call AA, ask if they're still offering the 1K => EXP status match. If yes, will they extend it to you all the way through 2014? If yes they're still doing it, but they won't extend it to you all the way through 2014, say you're not ready to decide. Call right after the first of the year, and decide in favor. Why? You don't want to be faced with a challenge to renew status early in 2014, when this year's elite status expires, after just four months of EXP. If you play it right, you'll get a status challenge during your 2014 tenure as an EXP for status in 2015. And you might as well top up UA in the meantime. That said, if you don't want to wait, getting the match immediately and facing a challenge to renew status soon is far from being high and dry.

Two caveats bear repeating. You probably already know that UK taxes & fees are egregious, on whatever airline. And AA's current generosity could decrease once they know the fed's merger decision, whichever way it goes. It may be only a year of grace vis a vis United's recent corrections. But it is still eminently worth getting while the getting's good. Hands down.

Boraxo

If it were me and I wanted CPUs between NYC <=> SFO it would be an easy choice: AA.

Unless you are GS you are unlikely to see free upgrades between UA hubs particularly SFO-IAD and SFO-EWR. IAH is not much better.

As for DL I hear the upgrades and service are good, but Skypesos are largely worthless.

mbc80

Thanks all - pretty unanimous feedback. Appreciate the advice.

Firewind

Also between BOS-SFO - because there are so many onwards to/from Asia. It can even be difficult to get E+ when upgrades to the front are all taken.

And it's even worse re Skypesos. Call it a shell game, whack-a-mole, skeet shooting, or "like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get".

pinniped

Near slam-dunk for AA on the NYC-SFO travel itself and the EXP vs. 1K treatment.

Only possible reason for pause would be if your primary desired award destination is Europe. Having to avoid BA metal at all costs on awards makes piecing together an itinerary a lot more difficult.

In the past 2-3 years, I've had much greater success and ease booking partner awards worldwide from United.com. AA.com is much more limited.

But that probably wouldn't put me off from flying AA in your scenario. The weekly travel experience would probably win out, and I'd find some nice Asian or South American destinations for my AAdvantage miles.

mikelat

How early do you book your flights? On AA the time of booking is the biggest factor in upgrades. if you're always booking close to departure then moving to AA may not help you as much since, as I understand, UA takes booking code in to account for upgrades more so than booking time.