AA100k

I've been with all three over 15 years and during that time have lived in NYC, Atlanta, Kansas City and the Southwest. Today the FF programs are pretty much the same so for me it really comes down to hubs and flight availability for places I need to go. Now I fly with AA because I live in Southern California and they offer the best flight solutions for me. When I lived in the South, I flew with DL. I used United with I lived in NYC back in the 90's. Things are constantly changing though so I reevaluate yearly to make sure I have the best plan. Good luck!

Youngmiler

Delta IFE is free on personal electronics, while I believe AA charges (even if flying in F) for some movies. DL has Woodford, UA has Buffalo Trace.

I was on a WN flight once and on take off the flight attendant announced the pilots were going to make a steep climb and they were just going to throw the peanuts/snacks down the aisle and passengers should reach out to grab some if you were hungry. That type of comedy should count for free IFE IMO.

ty97

AA has had Woodford since April

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...ch-coming.html

Youngmiler

Blasphemy, I was on AA (CHS-CLT-LAS) in F and they didn't have it on either plane at the end of May

arlflyer

Unfortunately agree with this.


And, even as an elite, you're likely to be spending more time in Y on AA now than you were a year ago. As a lowly Gold, I went from years of hoping for a chance to upgrade to F, without about 50% success, to now hoping to "upgrade" to MCE with about that same 50% success rate.


Disagree with this. In June I flew B6 for the first time in years after pure US/AA loyalty. Let me tell ya - Y is not Y. Their standard Y (not Even More Space) is better than any plain Y seat on the AA domestic fleet and was IMO more comfortable than MCE. I'm not going to make a habit of B6 because I enjoy the network/alliance/FFP benefits of AA (for now...) but a pure cash flyer whose needs align with the B6 network should give them a serious look.

C17PSGR

The problem for the legacy carriers is that they have changed the value proposition significantly. I'm over 90K BIS miles this year on AA and other 25 on other carriers.

Old value proposition for regular domestic US business traveler making EXP

1. Superior service during problems
2. Regularly upgraded to F on domestic flights
3. EQM based on BIS
4. Decent redemption levels
5. Mileage based RDM
6. 8 EVIP's I can use for vacation
7. EVIP's clear to J

New value proposition for regular domestic US business traveler making EXP who spends 10-20K annually

1. Superior service during problems - same
2. Regularly upgraded to F on domestic flights - same for now
3. EQM based on BIS - same for now
4. Decent redemption levels replaced by much higher redemption levels
5. Mileage based RDM replaced by dollar based RDM with new RDM at around 40 percent of what they used to be
6. 8 EVIP's I can use for vacation replaced by 4
7. EVIP's clear to J in process of going to Y+


I don't know how I monetize this value but the combination of lower earnings and higher redemption levels, significantly decreases the value of loyalty. I realize AA is following the pack but essentially the only significant value of EXP for domestic US business travelers is reliable regular upgrades to F. If those go away ...

bchandler02

Or for those of us that are not EXP... there's almost no value left.

MEABFlyer

Admittedly, this is a small sample size, but for the last six weeks I've flown on whichever of the three legacies had the cheapest F fare. My observation is that Delta is the most consistent in terms of on-board service while AA and UA are hit or miss. The boarding corals that UA uses make a world of difference to me as I don't find myself guessing if I'm cutting in line in front of an F passenger or if I'm cutting in front of a zone 4 who is standing in the way. I'm trying to find a redeeming quality of AA in F, but I can't.

JDiver

Multiple airline comparisons are probably best not placed in a specific airline's forum, so we will move this for broader input.

JDiver, Moderator

puls

For that matter, SQ can cover UA, B6, and VX.

As somebody who flies enough to accrue redeemable miles but not enough for any meaningful elite status, having accounts with AS and SQ covers almost any airline I'd want to fly domestically.

(Elite benefits are another important matter entirely; I'm just trying to extend your line of reasoning here.)

Ber2dca

Based on my experience, DL just about has the edge but it's by no means a huge gap.