...I'm newly based in NYC (most accessible airport would be EWR or JFK); typically fly to SFO, MCO, MIA, FLL, RDU, EWN, YUL, LHR, AMS, SYD, and MAD; typically fly 5-10 domestic trips/year (max 15% business) and 2-3 international/year (100% personal travel)
...I'm currently Platinum on AAdvantage (used to be based out of MIA) but don't have any status with other programs; this year was my first time ever to reach Platinum; Gold is more typical and more likely in 2011 unless I do some major flying in the final quarter of this year;
...I typically fly Economy as long as I can pre-select exit seats online;
...I typically use my miles and status to upgrade to Business, less commonly to purchase free trips;
...I typically use a Starwood AmEx card to accrue hotel points rather than miles;
...I have enjoyed AA's benefits and the ease of their online reservation system, but I prefer newer planes and leather seats, which are not AA's forte. However, I don't think NYC is a true hub for AA.

I would greatly appreciate guidance from the experienced and savvy members of this forum. Many thanks in advance!

FLY DELTA JETS

@:-)

I'd stick to AA with that resume. The other option is CO which has EWR as a hub. They're good and with the UA/CO merger, this could be a solid match for you, but you'd probably be best off with AA because you have the potential to reach the lifetime status milestones (at 1mm, Gold for life of program, at 2mm, Plat for life of program).

How far are you away from 1mm miles?

Things to keep in mind about Delta:

1. Complimentary domestic upgrades are unlimited and status trumps everything other than full-fare Y tickets.
2. DL has a 4th tier called Diamond Medallion and domestic UGs are in the 90-100% range for most DMs (based on my familiarity with the DL forum) even on the lowest fare classes.
3. DL just implemented complimentary domestic upgrades on award tickets. But one is last in line behind revenue pax no matter what your status.
4. Using miles or certs to upgrade to international biz class requires a member to purchase one of the three highest fare classes - Y,B, or M. EVEN if you buy a Y,B, or M fare there must be available inventory for biz class upgrades to use miles or certs. This is likely the #1 gripe with DL over at the DL FT forum. But there could be a tie with the gripe: The award calendar is broken!
5. I buy econ and rarely have to choose a seat that is not in an exit row. Sure, last minute tickets means all the exit row seats might be gone but because I am at 98% upgrades (domestic) even on cheap seats (I am Diamond Medallion) I consider it a formality when selecting my coach seat.
6. All the Delta mainline fleet prior to the DL/NW merger had leather seats. The former NW mainline planes with cloth seats are being converted over but slowly.
7. Delta.com is a nightmare and I do not consider this hyperbole even if others do. To find the itin I want I usually go to Kayak.com and click through to delta.com. This is ridiculous to say the least. Don't even get me started on the award booking engine. But since you use miles less for booking free tickets this might not be an issue for you.
8. Delta has a lot of old DC-9s.
9. Delta has a huge hub at JFK and quite a large presence at LGA.
10. One can earn million miler status on AA with miles that come from anywhere. DL does not do this.
11. Delta SkyMiles are also called SkyPesos for a reason (search and ye shall find).
12. If you do decide to go with Delta use your current AA status to get a status match with DL.

Many thanks to all of you for the informative replies (and apologies for the delayed follow-up; I think I was expecting a notification email in the event that someone replied to my post and thus neglected to log back in to manually check for responses!).

I currently have just 465,000 lifetime miles in the Aadvantage program, so it would likely take me at least 10 years to reach 1MM and thereby secure Gold status for life. Given this, I would think that lifetime mile benefits should probably not be the deciding factor for me, as I expect to fly a minimum of 25,000 miles every year going forward (and hopefully closer to 50,000).

It sounds like there are some strong cases for switching to UA/CO or DL. I have heard casually from some friends that the Star Alliance is greatly superior to the SkyTeam alliance, though I don't know the specifics of that argument. Can anyone weigh in on this issue?

Thanks once again!

For mileage accrual DL is better. For domestic upgrades DL is better
For Intl travel UA/CO is better due to a better alliance.

If you have some patience, DL miles are quite valuable, for simpler tasks go with *A.
Interestingly I have burnt more DL miles in past 2 years; before that it was all *A.

Since you will fly Intl on awards mainly, there are arguments for both, but favors *A. The gripe about DL is that a paid YBM fare is needed to upgrade, while on UA you can go to the next 3 levels for a SWU and CO now has an any fare SWU. You can not get them with your flying pattern of 25-50k, but others may sponsor you perhaps, while on DL they can not.
You can boost your status on DL to PM which will give you better benefits and wider award selection as well.

I was in the same situation last year when I moved to NYC. After asking a similar question on here, I decided to stick with AAdvantage for now since they are the only program that I have a shot at getting lifetime Gold/Platinum thanks to being able to use non-flying miles to get there. AA's direct flights to Europe from NYC are pathetic IMO. We flew CO and DL this year for trips to ATH and AMS but next year we'll stick with AA for Europe even if it means it won't necessarily be direct.

Useful info - thanks!

One clarification, though: I just about never use miles for award travel, whether domestic or international. I use them for upgrades only (though to be honest, I haven't done much of that lately, either). So I currently have about 275,000 accrued miles on AA that I should probably get cracking applying to upgrades. :-) It occurs to me that I should have put that in my initial description, since if I do a status match to DL or UA/CO, I will get the status, but I won't have any miles to use for upgrades.

Also, AMS and TXL will likely become more common international destinations for me - at least once or twice a year each. AA doesn't fly direct to either city, whereas both UA/CO and DL appear to. So I must weigh that convenience against the benefits of having 275,000 current miles and 465,000 lifetime miles on AA.

Not sure it would take you 10 years to get LT status on AA. Miles from all sources count towards LT Gold; and based on your flying estimate, I think it would or should take you less than 5 years to get to LT gold on AA based on your current LT miles.

Actually, I think you're right, jamflyer. I didn't realize that bonus miles and credit-card miles also count toward AA lifetime status - so I would probably reach Lifetime Gold in 5 years. If I understand correctly, 1MM with UA confers a better Lifetime status (Premier Executive), but only *base miles flown* count in that program, so it's more like attaining 2MM on AA.

The main drawbacks I see with staying with AA vs. US/CO seem to be:

1) Weak alliance and international presence - so no non-stop flights to AMS and TXK;
2) No Economy Plus seats - though we usually get exit seats, so this probably isn't a big deal;
3) No Premium Service trans-continental flights;
4) Older planes.

But (1) and (4) are the only serious drawbacks, so it looks like the benefits of staying with AA may outweigh the drawbacks.

If I've missed any important elements in this consideration, please let me know.

Thanks!

Personally, NYC area has better flights w/ DL and US airways. CO only counts on EWR travel.

Price compare to AA vs DL/UA, DL/UA is much better both in route and price.

LGA is best place to go to in NYC area.
JFK usually have better price, but also depends on the route.
LGA has DL shuttle.


Flying DL/UA out from JFK/LGA is best choice IMO.

If you use AA cc on everyday spending, just get another DL cc, use only to purchase ticket, still use AA for everyday spending for 1mm on AA(might take you longer tho. :P).