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JFK (NYCA) <--> SFO monthly - what Airline/Alliance if starting from scratch

JFK (NYCA) <--> SFO monthly - what Airline/Alliance if starting from scratch

Old Feb 26, 2020, 3:43 pm
  #31  
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Originally Posted by guv1976
If it were I, I'd opt for extra-legroom seats (with free drinks) over lounge access, but the OP might feel differently.
OP has specifically mentioned "Good Lounge" without mentioning seat comfort. Even all the U.S. airline lounges suck, I would interpret that OP would prefer lounge access over comfort.
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Old Feb 26, 2020, 11:13 pm
  #32  
 
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There's a mix of discussion on J and Y, although I'm not really sure it makes a huge difference in my view. But assuming OPM (and hopefully J), to me this seems like an obvious *A play since they are the only ones with nonstops on all of the routes you frequent. Thus sticking to *A will mean maximum FF accruals while always having the convenience of nonstop (and frankly I think UA to SFO, AC to YVR, and NZ to AKL will also be by and large the most comfortable options). Unless you have some issue with EWR (which you shouldn't in the general case, but obviously if you're starting from Jamaica or similar it might be a different story), I really don't see how one could argue for any other move.
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 9:44 am
  #33  
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OP said upthread it's a mix of OPM and own money, and mostly Y with some PE. Also, he's going to/from Brooklyn so EWR is less than ideal.
But I agree if traveling somewhere more convenient to EWR and in J on OPM, UA/* is probably the best option.
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 10:01 am
  #34  
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Tom911 presents it well.

As someone who travels SFO/NYC from time to time, I can tell you which airlines have the best rides, but that's all about "up front" and that doesn't apply to you, unless you have a reasonable chance of sitting there. And the only one where you will with mid-tier status is AS. Once MVPG, you'll also receive some upgrade products that you can use on lower (but not the lowest) fares at time of booking - this is in addition to the regular complimentary upgrade scheme. For the time being, and hopefully for quite some time to come, AS gives you full earning on all fares, has a pleasant (although not great in the F&B department) JFK lounge, uses a pleasant SFO terminal (probably one of the nicest in the USA) and should have a lounge open late this year, and generally has pleasant crews.
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 10:25 am
  #35  
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I just flew out of EWR yesterday — it's off the table.

Only looking at JFK.
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 11:42 am
  #36  
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Originally Posted by willstew
I just flew out of EWR yesterday it's off the table.

Only looking at JFK.
If you want lounge access, and won't have the necessary elite status to get it, consider getting a credit card that offers Priority Pass lounge access. The AS lounge in JFK T-7 is a Priority Pass lounge; Bobby Van's Steakhouse in AA's T-8 at JFK is a participating Priority Pass restaurant ($28 credit per visit). Note that the Amex Platinum card no longer provides access to PP restaurants, only PP lounges. But the Chase Sapphire Reserve card still provides access to both, as does the U.S.Bank Altitude Reserve card; the latter, however, limits you to four PP visits per year.
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 11:46 am
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Originally Posted by willstew
I just flew out of EWR yesterday it's off the table.

Only looking at JFK.
You're one of thousands of reasons why UA closing JFK was stupid. If Alaska knows how to fly one flight per day to a station, then UA should learn how to do it. UA should have kept JFK open even if only for a few LAX and SFO flights. The next step at growth might have been a IAH or DEN flight. ORD is tough because one flight is not enough unless they want only Midwest-ORD-JFK am flights and JFK-ORD-Midwest late afternoon flights.
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 12:09 pm
  #38  
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Originally Posted by A318neo
You're one of thousands of reasons why UA closing JFK was stupid. If Alaska knows how to fly one flight per day to a station, then UA should learn how to do it. UA should have kept JFK open even if only for a few LAX and SFO flights. The next step at growth might have been a IAH or DEN flight. ORD is tough because one flight is not enough unless they want only Midwest-ORD-JFK am flights and JFK-ORD-Midwest late afternoon flights.
Totally, if UA was out of JFK I wouldn't have even made this post! EWR is great if you're in Manhattan already / doing reg. business travel, but JFK more easily services so many more people in BK/Queens via MTA & ride-share, etc.

Dumb question: I assume LGA runway too short for these planes? Seems like the farthest distance for LGA flights is ~ Miami.

Last edited by willstew; Feb 27, 2020 at 12:16 pm
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 12:24 pm
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Originally Posted by willstew
Totally, if UA was out of JFK I wouldn't have even made this post! EWR is great if you're in Manhattan already / doing reg. business travel, but JFK more easily services so many more people in BK/Queens via MTA & ride-share, etc.

Dumb question: I assume LGA runway too short for these planes? Seems like the farthest distance for LGA flights is ~ Miami.
No; although LGA's 7,000-foot runways are short by comparison to other major airports, they are long enough to support trans-con flights on certain types of aircraft. But the Port Authority's perimeter rule, which is in effect Sunday-Friday, prohibits nonstop flights to airports more than 1,500 miles away. (There is an exception allowed for LGA-DEN nonstops, which were operating before the perimeter rule came into effect.)

LGA had a lot of DC-10 service back in the day, and DL has operated 767s in and out of LGA.
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 2:08 pm
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I'm sure airlines have thought about LGA-LAX on Saturdays but decided against it.

There's LGA-IAH, which is one of the farthest. DEN is an exception to the regulations and is permitted because of grandfathering.

I have been on a Delta Lockheed L1011 and an American Airlines DC-10 at LGA. They stopped using those big planes years ago.
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 3:32 pm
  #41  
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Originally Posted by A318neo
I'm sure airlines have thought about LGA-LAX on Saturdays but decided against it.

There's LGA-IAH, which is one of the farthest. DEN is an exception to the regulations and is permitted because of grandfathering.

I have been on a Delta Lockheed L1011 and an American Airlines DC-10 at LGA. They stopped using those big planes years ago.
Various airlines have dabbled in longer Saturday routes, I think maybe when WN entered they were doing LGA-LAX? Someone was. But I guess the yields just aren't there on Saturdays.
AA used to do seasonal LGA-EGE (Vail, CO) on Saturdays to supplement their daily EWR-EGE, which was subsequently moved to JFK. Obviously EGE is not a business-dependent route (and probably yields high anyway), and back in the day most lodging was Saturday-to-Saturday so it worked well.
But anyway, here's the acceptable radius. I think IAH is actually the farthest (marginally farther than DFW), other than DEN of course; there aren't really even any cities in eastern Kansas, Nebraska, or N/S Dakota which are closer to the perimeter. Looks like parts of the Dom. Repub. are close to the perimeter, but (1) I'm not sure if any key cities are within it, and (2) they'd need a US CBP preclearance facility anyway.

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Old Feb 27, 2020, 4:27 pm
  #42  
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Originally Posted by ijgordon
Various airlines have dabbled in longer Saturday routes, I think maybe when WN entered they were doing LGA-LAX? Someone was. But I guess the yields just aren't there on Saturdays.
AA used to do seasonal LGA-EGE (Vail, CO) on Saturdays to supplement their daily EWR-EGE, which was subsequently moved to JFK. Obviously EGE is not a business-dependent route (and probably yields high anyway), and back in the day most lodging was Saturday-to-Saturday so it worked well.
But anyway, here's the acceptable radius. I think IAH is actually the farthest (marginally farther than DFW), other than DEN of course; there aren't really even any cities in eastern Kansas, Nebraska, or N/S Dakota which are closer to the perimeter. Looks like parts of the Dom. Repub. are close to the perimeter, but (1) I'm not sure if any key cities are within it, and (2) they'd need a US CBP preclearance facility anyway.

Wow, there are sure a whole bunch of lakes in Canada...

David
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 6:41 pm
  #43  
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2 million lakes!
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Old Feb 27, 2020, 8:14 pm
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For the record, LGA-EGE is back this year.
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Old Feb 28, 2020, 10:21 am
  #45  
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AA is flying LGA-AUA nonstop (1,961 miles) on Saturdays. Tomorrow's one-way fare in Basic Economy is $139.
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