I agree with LAX Gambit, and even more after just completing my first free ticket this last weekend on AA. We, myself and three others in family, ran into 8 other travelers doing the free airline ticket trips. Five were going to use them domestic flights, 2 to Japan and one wasn't sure. NONE had heard of flyertalk, now they have. We did your flights from MCO to LGA to TPA. Granted we did get a strange look from the two ticket counter agents that wondered why going to LGA when you can drive to TPA in an hour or two?
The ealier you the flights, the quicker you'll get your voucher. I check with AA on T available seats to Europe and every city had plenty available for June and July dates I checked.
Which of the promo is better, all depends where you want to go and how much it's going to cost you to do it. On AA you can do it on any fare, DL except for T, UA (forgot). At $480 from DFW to do my free ticket, it was worth it, including the two hotel stays which gets me promo points (on a Hilton promo for 4 or 6 stays for 4,000 or 6,000 points).
I'm not one that travels for biz on the company $$, all my is pleasure travel and I fly mostly in coach, thank you. We still manage to qualify for gold every year and with a PLT challange, we enjoy those benifits now and then. If you use seatguru web site, you'll find the good seats in coach, there are plenty of them. Besides, I do recall, everyone on the plane gets the the city at the same time except you get on first and get off first if you're in First! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by AmericanFtWorthTX (edited Jan 26, 2004).]