Hello all FT'ers:

I currently have general member status with DL, UA, and AA (no miles with AA yet). I'm still in college, so the only flying I do is mostly to go home to Florida. However, I've accepted a job for next September up in Washington, D.C. and I'm interested to get your opinion on the best frequent flyer program out of there. I know that UA has a hub at IAD, and I expect to fly all around the country quite a bit with no one specific region. I understand that DL offers complimentary upgrades once you hit elite status, regardless if you purchased a full-fare B/Y ticket. That seems like a big bonus to me, especially since you have to have full fare on UA to get a comp. upgrade.

What's your opinion? Thank you much!

UA

Care to expand a little on your choice?

Where is "home" in Florida, or in the DC area? AA, for instance, flies DCA-MIA 8 times a day, and has a pretty good sized operation at DCA, and wonderful folks that run the AC there. It's my favorite DC area airport to fly into. If you live out near Dulles, though, it wouldn't be a useful airport.

A lot still comes down to how many miles you expect to fly each year, and "where" you expect to fly. Each carrier offers perks that can vary depending how much you're going to fly. There's not enough information in your post to see who would be the perfect fit for you.

Thanks for the responses. As far as living close to either DCA or IAD, it'd definitely be IAD... a place close to the Metro in DC is a must, in my opinion. My home airport in Florida is Tampa, but once I'm up in DC, I doubt I'll be flying home a lot. I'll be flying all over the country, with no real rhyme or reason. I know that IAD has more transcon flights, but I like the convenience factor of DCA.

What would be your choice based on upgrade availabilities/options? Any other perks/negatives that I should know about?

i fly in and out of DCA almost every week...USair is big at National. i really didn't understand when you said that you'd probably use IAD (dulles) and that you are going to live in DC proper. if you live in DC proper, then you can metro to DCA (national) but not to IAD. you have to drive to IAD. so...with all that said, i prefer DCA and USair...

hope this helps...

Or take the bus.

When I lived in Dupont Circle I flew out of IAD a lot, and it is isn't that big of a deal.

I'd go with UA as my main and fly US out of DCA as necessary.

Oh whoops, I meant to say fly mainly out of DCA... my bad!

But thanks for the tips guys!

Look at the AA timetable from Washington, D.C. (DCA), to get an idea of where they fly nonstop. If you're heading to the west coast, there's frequent connecting service at ORD and DFW (I route via DFW for more miles).
http://www.aatimetable.com/aa.pdf

If you're going to fly 50,000 miles a year, the two programs I am familiar with, AA and UA, offer 100% bonus miles once you qualify for that tier, and once you have elite status at the 25,000 mile level get things like emergency exit rows and elite check in lines. If you're going to fly 100,000 miles a year, you get additional perks, including systemwide upgrades.

You may want to spend time on the US, UA, and AA forums to get a grasp on the different programs. I know AA has a informational sticky at the top with program highlights.

US is very well represented at DCA. AA is ok. UA doesn't have much.

I'd probably go with the US/UA combo.

I'd also consider the best carrier to redeem miles on. A current thread in this forum seems to favor UA and AA:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6801534

If you go with US or UA, you can fly nonstop on US to Florida, Phoenix, Vegas and much of the East Coast from DCA, which for me is significantly more convenient then IAD. Not only is it closer, but the airport is easier to navigate.

Unless you want to connect most places, AA doesn't seem like a great option, unless you fly to AA hubs.

Before you even consider upgrades you need to realize that IAD isn't close to the metro! I know there's a bus that leaves from somewhere that goes out there a few times a day but I don't know the details. DCA is extremely metro accessable as the metro station is at the airport itself and I take the metro to DCA all the time.

If you are living way out by IAD you may want to fly out of there rather than deal with quite a commute to get over to DCA. When pricing flights I won't go out to IAD unless is saves me at least $150 off the DCA airfare once I factor in parking, gas and commuting time.

It leaves from Rosslyn and L'Enfant Plaza and it is every hour.