I'm curious as to the threshold of others on our forum. With all the cahgnes that take place, and people seeking comps on other airlines, I am curious:

What is the most important perk, without which, your patronage would go elsewhere?

I thought about this for a long time. While upgrades are important (crucial for international), and elite phone lines are helpful, it is the elite check in that has me doing the extra mileage runs.

I cringe when I see the lines at WN. I am so thankful that I can bypass all that with elite status.

1. Int'l upgrades
2. Int'l upgrades
3. Int'l upgrades

My hot buttons are different.

I am pathological about getting places not only early but early with plenty of time to spare, so the elite check in lines are wonderfully nice and #2 on my list, #1 is is upgrades.

Not for the pre-boarding, and not for the greater width of the FC seats--just for the extra leg room and the possibility of a meal. I could not care less if I get an exit row in coach or a FC seat-- leg room and a meal or lots of pretzels and Bloody Mary mix on a connecting flight is what does it for me. I can not tell you how often that meal or snack has been the only thing I have had to eat on a midnight flight with an hour drive to the work site with everything closed for the night and NO chance of eating anything until the next afternoon at lunch.

I know this sounds really trivial, but take that away, and it does not matter any more which airine I fly.

#1. Elite check-in and phone service.
#2. Elite mileage bonuses (allows me to accrue faster and redeem for more int'l upgrades).
#3. Ability to swap 4 earned e-upgrades for 10,000 miles that I could use towards more int'l upgrades.
#4. Ability to reserve the best coach seats at time of booking (exit row, etc.).
#5. The occasional Op-UG I get on int'l flights.

Note to AA: notice that "The ability to swap 4 earned e-upgrades for 2,000 miles" didn't make my list. May I reiterate ->

If either AA or UA stopped giving double miles for mid-tier status and higher, I'd have to reevaluate my flying patterns. That one item would be enough for me to jump to a carrier that did offer double miles. Everything else (upgrades, phone lines, priority seating) are nice perks, but their loss would not sway my choice of carrier(s).

Looking at what they have taken away of late, I hope we don't give our favourite program(s) any ideas!

Jer

[This message has been edited by teahan (edited 01-13-2003).]

Economy Plus Seating! Take that out of UAL planes and one airline is the same as another. And if it's a RJ on UA, I'll ride another airline with full size planes, and AA looks good for a #2 with MRTC. Daze

Unlimited space available upgrades on CO/NW...without that single perk, their programs are essentially nothing...and off to AA I would go.

The ease and lack of restrictions on international upgrades on AA. I love it (not really) when some other airlines require you to purchase a coach tix costing several hundred dollars more than the cheapest fare currently available simply for the privledge of then spending your hard earned miles to upgrade. On AA elites can upgrade ANY coach fare, no matter how cheap.


BTW Great thread!

[This message has been edited by writetorich (edited 01-14-2003).]

I hope this continues to be true. I have purchased L fares from AA that have language in them saying that they are not upgradable. However, in practice, they've let me upgrade them with a 25,000-mile one-way certificate and - better yet - I got an Op UG off of an L fare one time.

Even if they bonged my L fare upgrade (heck, it was under $300 R/T MCI-CDG!) I still give AA props for allowing mileage upgrades on nearly any fare.

For me:
1. Int't upgrades
2. Domestic upgrades
3. Bonus (100-125%) miles
4. Elite check-in, seat choice, etc.

I have been NW plat elite for several years but could not upgrade any of my int'l flights because most of the coach class fares I purchase are not upgradable. Last year I did the AA plat challage. So far this year I've already gotten 3 AA round trip int'l (NRT) upgrades for 1/9, 2/6 and 3/6 from V class coach fares. Since I enjoy almost 100% domestic upgrades from any fare including award tickets and 125% bonus from NW I plan to also maintain my NW plat elite.

So, for AA its the int'l upgrades and 100% bonus miles and for NW its the domestic upgrades and 125% bonus miles.

I have never seen or heard of that on AA before, and I find it very hard to believe. Can you provide fare rules?

1 - I am confused about your getting some place early and how do elite check in lines help? No matter when you check in, the plane lands at the same time for everyone??

2 - Upgrades - top perk. Reduced ability to get them, and more RJs make flying less desireable.

Are you Elite with AA?

Actually, Only Golds, plats & Explats can upgrade from any fare basis. The flyer who travels less than 25,000 miles per annum DOES have restrictions on international upgrades from "cheapies"