As a DC based flyer who tries to avoid IAD like the plague, AA works well for me out of DCA. I fly DCA>STL and DCA>MIA>SAL frequently, have had no problems with upgrades since becoming gold this year. The AC is great. And the FF miles are much more easily redeemed then most airlines.

DCA flyer too. All great feedback above. AA works well for me, whether it's business (via DFW/JFK/ORD), personal or purely mileage runs (segments via RDU/MIA/TPA or MCO). The AC is outstanding to boot. As EXP, upgrades never an issue and I recall it was pretty much the same way as PLT. From time to time, IAD is my choice when I need to get to LA directly, quickly. Good fares throughout the year.

I'm also out of DCA/IAD.

I've been able to maintain AA Plat mostly out of DCA, which may have the mose significant AA presence outside of their hubs. And, oh, is DCA so nice an airport. Often, one does not need status to whisk thru security.

If I were OP, I'd stay with AA, as he already seems confortable with them. As necessary, eqm's can be earned on AS's transcon's from DCA. And AA has some presence at IAD, including IAD-LAX nonstops. THey've even added IAD-MIA (and it would be nice if they might decide to compete with UA on IAD-ORD).

I would say that for international travel, WAS is generally not so great for OneWorld, and OP might care to consider that.

Just wanted to clarify....

When I hit platinum status, I will still need to use upgrade stickers to actually get First Class, correct? I now know that as Gold I must use the stickers

Yes, that is correct. Remember the upgrade window is larger - 72 hours.

I was an IAD PLT for 4 years, going exclusively between IAD and DFW. I regularly cleared upgrades to and from DFW w/ no issues. I knew or recognized many of the IAD staff, as it's a pretty limited number of people. A good friend of mine is an FA for AA out of IAD as well.

That said, when my role changed and I started going nationwide, I switched to UA. I would even take the much more inconvienent (and smaller) flights on UA from IAD to DEN. Funny how brand loyalty works.

So, i guess it's a question of your flying style. If AA works best for your needs, then bend over backwords to maintain status. Otherwise, find someone who does.

I should mention that I preferred AA's program to UA's in many ways....but I just couldn't justify AA for IAD - NYC and other northeast locations.

you mention was-dfw flights. the AA flights are usually packed on fri afternoon and mon am. the prized members are allowed 2 large carryons each, so by the time i get on, i am forced to check my carryon. a lot of the planes used on that route are dc-9's or whatever they are called these days. the back section of that plane is unbelievably loud. i am surprised the FA union does not report the noise level to OSHA. if you book late, that's where you will land.

the US flights are by a contractor. forgot which one. they use rj 170's and 190's. they are fast, quiet, and the seats are nice. no first class. they are usually about 60% full on fri and mon.

I think US or DL will fit you better in DC. I like AA, but if you are doing much north-south travel on the east coast, AA doesn't make much sense for most business travelers. Which is a shame, because I would *like* to fly them more. I frequently fly to FL, SC, NC, NYC, BOS and PVD with ORD and LAX a little less often and other destinations infrequently. DL/US seem to be the best matches for my travel out of DCA. US has more directs, but DL has better service, IMO.

FWIW, the folks who recommend AE to JFK and connecting from there must have a lot of patience. It seems like everytime I have an afternoon/evening flight to or from JFK, we go a lot of sitting around at the gate and in line for take off.

^^

If DCA-LAX is a common route for you, definitely keep Alaska in mind. It is relatively low in the AS MVPG/MVP count, so fewer people requesting upgrades, and paid upgrade opportunities at check-in are pretty regular (only $100 for a transcon.) Plus AA members receive full EQM and early boarding, although checked bag fees would apply. If it was a very frequent route I'd even go so far as to bring up a status match.