VegasGambler was talking about premium ("Main Cabin Extra") seats in the Economy cabin, not the Premium Economy cabin which AA does not offer on most domestic routes. ;) MCE seats offer a few inches more of seat pitch compared to regular Economy seats.

Yes exactly. AA calls it Main Cabin Extra, AS calls it Premium Class, UA calls it Economy Plus, DL calls it Comfort Plus, but it's basically the same. You get extra legroom and maybe a free drink (no free drinks on UA). On long domestic flights (like transcons) these can cost $100 or more as a seat selection fee; on shorter flights they are less but still not cheap.

If I'm flying on an airline without status I usually try to book first or business if the cost is reasonable, but if it isn't I'll book economy and pay extra for seat selection to get the extra space. Paying for this every time really adds up; status passengers generally get this for free.

There are also significant savings from having free checked bags on every flight.

Ah never heard of that. I'm tiny so just about fit in a seat 🙃

Ah I see. Guess UA is United Airlines, don'toften fly with American lines but we are no longer banned post covid. .. That sounds like PE in the UK with the extra space etc. All sounds like a good strategy. Now I know where to find decent J flights just need to make sure my bank account is full

It's not like PE in the UK. BA (for example) offers true PE on their long haul flights.

This is like getting an exit row seat on a flight from LHR to FCO. Both airlines will charge extra for this seat, but the difference is that the US carriers will give this a marketing name (like Main cabin extra, Economy plus, Comfort plus, depending on the carrier) and maybe include free drinks, dedicated overhead bin space just for those seats, and an earlier boarding group.

Also in the US, in addition to not paying for exit row (or similar) seats in economy, those with status will usually get space-available upgrades to first / business on domestic flights. So in addition to getting MCE on AA for free, I also end up in F about half the time, despite not paying for it. And while US domestic F is nothing special, it beats the hell out of economy (and euro-business for that matter)

The one thing that you don't get with status in the US is lounge access for domestic flights. They charge extra for that, and it's not cheap (the going rate is about $700+ per year, though you can usually get it slightly cheaper by signing up for a credit card, or buy day passes for $60 or so each). A lot of people swear by lounge access but I don't bother. You still get lounge access for international flights. Personally I prefer this to the EU model (I would rather upgrade my inflight seat than upgrade my preflight seat) but not everyone agrees with that.

Ahh that is all really interesting how they differ. Do you get told about status before your flight? Sounds like you mostly get upgraded when you fly which sounds amazing, wonder how they decide to upgrade. Never heard of exit seats with extras like that. Guess lounge access is expensive per year if it's F class, if not that is expensive. Guess status perks will differ in the UK. Seen alot of people using FB awards so will look at the airline partners if it is in my remit.

It's true that if you are a true frequent flyer, it's better to stick with one airline, especially for U.S. domestic routes. Suppose you take 100 flights per year, and are at the top tier elite level of the airline, and you get free upgrade 50% of the time, that's the reward for your loyalty to this airlines. But if you fly 10 times a year domestically, I just don't see the point of being loyal to any airlines.

This is no longer true any more, especially with US airlines perfecting FCM (first class monetization). I am 1K with UA, its top published tier, and I wish my upgrade was 50%.

I am a free agent, and my long game is million miler program with three different airlines in three different alliances. My current progress is 55%+, 30%+, and 20%+. I wish I had started out younger, but I am still young, and should accomplish all three within the next 10 years.

This is highly dependent on where you are based and what routes you fly. As an AA EXP out of PHX (still a hub) I get upgraded well over 50% of the time. If I was based in DFW I doubt I would do much better than 10%