Chicago - Which airlines should I pick?
 

It looks like I will after 18 years have a chance to move back to my hometown!!!!!

Recently I was in Atlanta where I used the combo of AirTran and Delta. It worked out great. Airtran was an efficient low cost carrier with a great FF system. Delta had the AMEX Skymiles card and flew everywhere AirTran didn't (mostly non-stop).

Now I'm looking to do the same in Chicago. What low cost carrier is best? ATA? Southwest? Someone else?

Which big carrier is best, United or American? I am basically starting from scratch with each of these. I will live about equal distance from Midway and O'Hare.

It seems like American has a better FF plan and more legroom in coach, but UA has more flights out of Chicago. Any suggestions?


mac

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¡Viaja con Dios!

Where do you intend to fly the most? Any international routes?

I occasionally fly internationally, but most of my flights are domestic. Typically FL, GA, NYC, DC, TX, Las Vegas, but I'm liable to go anywhere.

Most of the trips will be personal/pleasure, but I may pick up some business flights later. I may try to make a couple of trips to South America for the first time

As a matter of fact, I make it a habit of flying to wherever is on sale. United seems to have more Web and weekend specials out of CHI, but the people on Flyertalk seems to like AA and HATE UA.

mac

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¡Viaja con Dios!

Looking at where you like to go, I'd say you've got two choices, and guess which ones they are. Let's just put it like this -- if you want to go non-stop from Chicago to the places you need to go, the two biggest airlines are your best choices. American will get you from hub to hub if you're flying to Dallas, United will do that for you if you're going to DC.

You'll be well served, no matter which one you go with .

Out of Midway it's definitely Southwest. They are adding lots of nonstops from MDW, including the west coast. Their ff program is simple but great for what it is - book online and you get double credits. That means - 1 free ticket for every 4 roundtrips.

And if you get 100 credits in any 12 month period, you get a free companion pass for a year. The credits can come from anywhere, including car rentals and credit card points ($1000 = 1 credit). You can even use the companion pass when traveling on a free ticket yourself.

[This message has been edited by JerryFF (edited 08-14-2002).]

Looks like you are a good candidate for American. Main reason I'd take AA over UA is that you said most of your travel is personal/leisure. That typically means restricted-Y, which on AA is always MRTC. On UA it can be E+ if you are elite, but even if you reach Premier status, E+ is sometimes tough to get. You will earn miles roughly in the same manner on either carrier, but you will be more comfortable doing it on AA.

Also, general consensus is that AA treats its nonelites and low-elites better than UA. I have flown as both Prem Exec and Platinum, and I would say this is definitely true. I feel AA employees treat the Gold/Plat levels with courtesy, whereas I don't get the same feel from UA.

LUV is obviously wonderful if you fly the right routes (i.e., if you were a weekly commuter to MCI or STL or something).

Yet another different opinion...

If someone else is paying for the fare and you want upgrades, then people often chose AA or UA. UA flies to more cities, but, as one post said, some like AA (some hate AA, too).

If you barely meet or miss elite levels, you may consider Alaska Airlines plan. You can get credit for American, Continental, Northwest, Alaska, KLM, British Airways, and others.

Southwest is not so awful as I used to think. Other airlines are also developing the cattle car approach and not serving even a muffin in the am.

Can someone please define MRTC, E+, and LUV? Thanks!


mac

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¡Viaja con Dios!

Don't forget ATA out of Midway. They have non-stop service to major cities on both coasts, as well as to Florida/Carribean. They don't appear to have much of a frequent flier program, but if you need a low-fare non-stop, they are a good option.

MRTC = More Room Throughout Coach (American Airlines)
E+ = Economy Plus (United)
LUV = Southwest's ticker symbol

If you think you will get at least 25,000 miles of flying in then go for UA or AA so you can reap the benefits of their status programs (ATA has no FF program, and Southwest has no premium cabins)Also O'hare is much nicer than Midway IMHO. I personally prefer UA because I fly mostly west coast and midwest and can fly just about anywhere for under $200 if I plan ahead. UA also has some bigger planes on their domestic routes (777, 747)if you care about upgrading. You can argue UA vs AA until you're blue in the face on FT. I would start looking up some sample fares on each and see what fits you better. Welcome Home!!!!!!!

UA does not fly out of Midway, while AA flies out of both O'Hare and Midway. I took a quick look at fares from Midway, and it sure looks like AA is competitive out of there ($168RT to SEA, LAS, LAX for the fall). If you're looking for "Southwest effect" fares, AA might be the better option in a AA-UA comparison, as they will have to compete with them out of Midway for similar routes.

Question for AA flyers: what nonstops does AA fly out of Midway other than DFW? Wasn't LGA recently added? Any others?

Go with AA

AA starts LGA-MDW service on September 4th with 3 daily flights.

UA vs. AA is a simple problem... pick the airline that is not going to go bankrupt anytime soon.