Newbie here with need of program advice
 

Am DL DM, fly about 160 segments and now my company is changing my area to less Delta friendly destinations. I fly out of DFW, but Love field is an option, and now I will be covering Tx, La, Ms, Tn, and Ok. Looks like the options I have for a new regular airline are going to be SW or AA. Company policy has me limited to cheapest airfare +$200 without going into an exception status. I'm pretty satisfied with DL, but looks like I am going to need to switch to accomodate company policy. Kind of hard to beat $100 rt fares to Houston. Which program gives the best bang for the buck compared to Delta?

I would go with AA. I fly out of DFW often and always use them. I don't have much experience w/ SW, but I have enjoyed the perks I have w/ AA.

I would also say AA, except a key question will be - are the non-stop AA flights really the cheapest? Or will your company be pushing you to connect on cheaper flights anyway?

Theoretically, a case could be made to just connect at IAH on Continental. Especially if you want to qualify for elite status using segments.

Can you run some hypothetical scenarios and see which airline the company's policies would lead you toward? And how status may or may not matter to you?

I'd try to avoid Southwest if award redemption is important to you. If all you're buying is cheap "Wanna Get Away" fares, you may dramatically reduce your earning rate compared to a scenario where you are connecting on an airline with 500-mile minimums and elite status bonuses.

Tho it is nice to always fly on a full-sized plane.

Welcome to Flyertalk, cdhbfcp!

I'd say probably the main reason(s) for you to go with Southwest would be one or more of the following:

1. You change/cancel flights often. On Southwest this is free, on legacies not.

2. You have a shot at the Companion Pass (which you will with your frequency of travel), which gives you free flights for a Companion on every Southwest flight you take. This could save thousands if you have a spouse, girl/boyfriend, partner, business associate, child, whomever to take on domestic flights.

3. You want to fly on all 737s (no tiny jets).

Or you could do a mix of airlines (depending on destinations, non-stops, schedule, etc.) and achieve high status in both. My guess is that this would be the optimal solution for you.

Visit the various forums here and start reading.

I would look at Southwest. More flights and if you fly Busn Select, you can change flights without any fees. Some good rewards, again espec if you fly at the slightly higher fares. If you have a companion who would fly with you 4+ times a year, the Comp. Pass is a great option.

Of course, in Dallas it depends on how close Love field is vs. DFW.

And, starting in 2013 (I think) the Love Field restrictions come off and there will be more flight options.

When my traveling significantly jumped this year I looked at both AA and SW. For the routes I traveled the AA fares were very competitive with SW but the clencher for me was that I could obtain elite status on AA for my frequent name sake travels.