Have you looked into flying out of BUR or LGB or even ONT? if you are not flying business, BUR-JFK might be the best option. Both flights are going to be on A321s next year and most likely with A321NEO and the new IFE + pantry. There is no lounge, but it's a lot easier flying out of these local airports vs LAX.

for me, lounge access really depends on how crowded it is and what the rest of the airport is like. AA's flagship lounge in JFK is good for much of the day, because it doesn't get that crowded. I heard DL sky club gets really crowded in T4. I think B6 with the new combined terminal at JFK should get at least a couple of lounges you can get in with priority pass.

It's true that there is no cheap way to access Admirals Clubs on a domestic Coach ticket unless you have at least oneworld Sapphire status from another oneworld airline. However, if you wanted to try AA before the Amex Centurion Clubs open, you might consider getting a credit card that gives you access to Priority Pass restaurants, and not just Priority Pass lounges.

The US Bank Altitude Reserve card provides four annual Priority Pass visits (including restaurants) to cardholders. After annual travel credits, the card's annual net cost is just $75, which also gets you twelve GoGo WiFi passes, and primary car rental LDW. All "travel" charges (as defined by US Bank) and all mobile-wallet purchases also earn 4.5% back, applicable to future travel (subject to certain minimums on lodging and rental-car charges).

The Chase Sapphire Reserve will have a somewhat higher annual net cost, but includes unlimited Priority Pass lounge and restaurant visits, as well as primary LDW.

Currently, Bobby Van's Steakhouse -- in the AA terminal at JFK -- is a participating Priority Pass restaurant.

There are no Priority Pass lounges or restaurants in the LAX AA terminal, but there are some in the TBIT and LAX T7, both of which should be accessible airside from the AA terminal.

Edited to add: If you're primarily a Hyatt guy, and can achieve WOH Globalist status, you might be interested in this recent FT thread:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyat...lobalists.html

While it's true that even AA EXPs don't get lounge access on domestic Coach flights, EXPs should be treated very well by AA -- and you would get free MCE seats, free checked bags, etc.,etc.

The AS lounge at LAX T6 supposedly accepts PP as well. I've read plenty of reports of people being turned away or told to wait. I'll be going there in February, and I plan to wait if necessary :D

-J.

I assume you mean on JetBlue -- they're the only airline with nonstop to JFK from BUR or LGB. But the whole thing that prompted my current musings around switching to another airline have been some (perhaps bad luck) mishaps on JetBlue, in terms of my own ticketing as well as in the terminal, and what I perceive as a steady decline in quality of the details like food at T5, the on-board "Eat Up Cafe" on domestic economy, etc. But also, as I mentioned I really like lounges, I don't care if they're crowded as long as I can find a seat somewhere -- even SFO Centurion has always been fine for me, at the times I typically fly. It refreshes me. I had my first experience at the SFO Delta SkyClub which was very nice IMO and that started me thinking about this. But personally I kind of hate Burbank airport for some reason. I don't know why. LGB airport is much more appealing, but Burbank is closer to me. However again I love getting recharged in a (nice) lounge before my flight, so I doubt those options will end up really working well for me.
I already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve -- basically I'm both a Chase and an Amex guy. I like Chase for Hyatt, primarily -- easy to get 2x - 4x in value from the points -- maybe slightly less than that with the recent devaluation but still, it's been great. Amex I use almost exclusively for the perks and for things like return protection and so on for big ticket items, though now that they've added travel insurance to the Plat I will probably start using it a bit more for travel. Honestly it's a bit difficult to come up with reasons to use my Plat for organic spend. I'll probably end up getting the BBP and personal Green so I can put more spend on my Amex cards.

I have read about the Globalist/AA link up. I'm a mere Explorist right now, though I intend to hit Globalist next year, there's no guarantee the AA Exec Platinum thing will still be happening by then. But who knows, maybe it will. By then both JFK and LAX should have the new Centurion lounges so like I said I may reconsider all this for 2021 and give AA a try.

With you 100% on Burbank. I would pick LGB every time. The terminal in Burbank is old and run-down, and has very few food options. Also, the short runway means some flights to JFK/BOS occasionally have to make a stop for fuel on the way back east. I am only going to LAX in February since it was cheaper (on AS); otherwise I would have picked LGB hands down. I love that airport.

-J.

I like LGB too, but next time I head to LA, I'm going to try BUR assuming that I don't want to shell out extra money for J seating. With A321NEO, fuel stop should no longer be a concern.

I would definitely make the switch to Delta. Their on-time performance is excellent, their flight attendants and customer service is fantastic, and having access to the skyclub is a game changer. I don’t think the extra inch of legroom matters as I’ve never had an issue using my computer on a delta flight. Their new planes are also extremely nice, and their route network is much more extensive than JetBlue’s.

I managed to get a taste of the 767-300ER on this Seattle-Paris international flight (it's only because of this thread I realize this flight which I'd scheduled months ago happens to use the exact same plane as Delta's LAX-JFK). I'm actually posting this from the plane as we speak. The legroom compared to JetBlue is noticeably more cramped, but, it's workable. JetBlue's 34" feels luxurious by comparison. But the guy in front of me is reclining yet I can still open my laptop and more or less work. But, so far, the wifi has been stable and solid, unlike JetBlue's Viasat which, while blazing fast when it works, usually seems to cut out completely several times per flight, which is annoying and makes working a lot less productive.

Food was nothing to write home about but it was decent, and a step up from the current Eat Up Cafe options. Also, the power outlet works without having to constantly unplug and plug it back in, as I usually have to do on JetBlue.

Basically, my conclusion is JetBlue is coasting --- Needleman started it with a vision, a higher quality experience even in economy, and there are lots of elements of that which survive. Seats are still more comfortable and spacious in every class of service than every other airline including Delta, things like super high speed wifi for free, that's a perk. But -- I feel JetBlue lacks something in the area of operational consistency. Things like Viasat constantly cutting out, the power outlets being flaky, the IFE systems often having to be rebooted, T5 food quality dropping, IT issues with ticketing and bag tag printing, even the way the toilets constantly flush in T5 when you're still sitting on them -- it just adds up to an attitude, to me, of complacency. There are two things to running a business: introducing a product and then maintaining and continuously improving quality. I just feel my experiences with JetBlue this year, while each individually a minor annoyance, taken together to me point to an overall lack of attention to the "continuous improvement" aspect which I particularly value.

Delta is definitely a step down in terms of the physical in flight seat experience. But I'm still going to give Delta a try this year.

Meanwhile, over at AA, the "Project Oasis" retrofit continues unabated:

https://viewfromthewing.com/american...-real-success/

which kind of makes me want to stay away from AA forever. They're not only making "first class" a downmarket product with no IFE, but they're even removing a ton of their economy plus seats, and they're squeezing the ones that are left so they have less seat pitch than JetBlue's baseline economy class. Definitely an airline going rapidly in the wrong direction.

I've been having similar struggles over the past year as JetBlue clearly is no longer the same airline as it used to be. And living in NY with my client base, Delta would be the likely alternative for me as well. I like Ed Bastian a lot and I've done some work for Delta so I'm familiar with things on the inside. That said, I had a medical issue on a Delta transcon in late 2017. I only flew Delta that day because I didn't want to fly the JetBlue redeye. The Delta FAs were not compassionate at all and passengers around me were all business travelers who were very unkind in general. Just an overall bad experience for me that to this day has left a sour taste in my mouth for Delta. I can't help but feel that that would not have happened on JetBlue. Other than that, my experiences on Delta have been fairly positive as someone without status. I do agree that it's more favorable to have status though.

I don't really care about lounges but I do like gate areas that are not cramped.

This will be likely be the year I decide whether to stick with JetBlue or move to Delta. If I didn't live in NY, I'd probably go with Southwest.

I have to disagree. I think Delta has become far superior. Most planes have TVs now, USB power ports at every seat, newer planes, and cleaner. Since jetBlue has been cutting routes, Delta has far more flight options. I am Mosaic, have been since the minute the program was implemented, and have been every year thereafter. I recently jumped ship to Delta after several bad experiences with jetBlue (poor treatment by reps on several occasions...and I'm not a high-maintenance customer). Customer service has plummeted (I think part of the problem is they're used to servicing low-end customers and don't know how to treat an elite flyer), and now that they've done away with Blue, Inc., I have no reason to stay. Even the snacks are sucking as they now never have any gluten-free option for me and get pissed if I ask if they have potato chips (usually they have them but won't give them out unless you ask). I became Gold on Delta very quickly once I dumped jetBlue, will most likely get to at least Platinum if not Diamond this year. Delta has done more for me in the last month than jetBlue has in years. I have a lot of jetBlue points to use up, but I won't be paying for any more flights with them.

^^ Speak up so they can hear you in the back. I have been saying this for years.

-J.

Yeah, the customer service experience I had with them was horrific and really, the final straw for me. I outlined it in my original post. JetBlue was clearly at fault in at least two ways (even if the “payment issue” was somehow the fault of Chase, despite Chase's written denial there was ever any issue with my card, they were 100% at fault for not notifying me of it so I had to find out purely by accident as I was going over my flights: when I pointed out that JetBlue at least could have let me know something went wrong at ticketing, the CSR had the gall to tell me I shouldn’t have trusted the “you're set to jet” email and should have myself checked over and over again the flight was ticketed. Are you kidding me?)

After many fruitless emails complaining about this, it was only when I threatened to take my 16-20 round trips a year to Delta that they finally begrudgingly agreed to credit me the $100 change fee. Too little, too late, to say the least.

Do they not realize that by nickel and diming their customers they are destroying their once stellar reputation?

I've been talking about the significant decline in customer service on here for several months now. It's apparent on both the phone and social media. In-flight, it's hit or miss what you're going to get these days but one thing that is consistent across the board is that morale is down internally. Talk to any crewmember and they will confirm this quietly. Unhappy employees do not make for happy customers, especially happy loyal customers.

Even though I'm a huge fan of JetBlue, I've noticed the decline in customer service as well.

Having gone over the fence to the other side, I've also noticed that despite JetBlue having great amenities, the crews on Delta are better. Why? Delta's flight attendants are warm and genuinely seem proud to be working for the airline when you hear their announcements. Meanwhile on JetBlue, the majority of flight attendants are 20-30 somethings coldly reciting a script.

It's not my place to go into the details of why this is on this forum, but I couldn't agree with you more. It comes down to training and motivation. When employees are barely staying afloat, a pizza party is not the way to save them.

A wise man once said, "Delta people are the very best at what they do."

-J.