nealcg

I am going to europe next year and I can use either Aadvantage miles or Skymiles for an upgrade to buisness. Which airline should I go with of those 2. I am most curious about seat comfort, amenities, F/A professionalism and A/C choices (prefer 777).

I appreciate your feedback.

landspeed

You didn't mention cost, but-

AA- upgrade any published/web fare, upgrade-able at the time of booking if C is available.

DL- you'll have to ask the DL experts.

AA J isn't perfect (who approved the much-maligned big blue seats?), but a cheap ticket to Europe or NRT+50,000 miles is worth it, IMHO, especially East coast- NRT or West Coast-Europe.

akhullar

Which city ? If by next year AA converts all Biz into flatbeds then by all means ^

leapinglizard

It's a no brainer...AA is the only way to go. You have to buy a very expensive coach ticket for the possibility to upgrade on DL, and they often do not upgrade you and let the flight go out with empty Business/First seats and you stuck in coach.

Tango

If cost is an issue, AA is the cheapest way to go. If comfort and service is an issue, the AA 767's routes are close to being equal with what Delta offers. On the 777 routes, Delta has a slight advantage over AA.

fastflyer

Setting aside the differences in getting into the business cabin (which are many), I prefer the DL business service to AA. I think the in-flight meals are bigger and better on DL; I think the onboard service is better on DL (I believe there are one or two additional crew members on DL vs. AA). I also think that the service is more warm and friendly on DL. AA has achieved a high degree of consistency with their business service, but it lacks the warmth of DL. You have to know what to look for in terms of wine quality, but there tends to be (one of each) good white and red and dessert offerings on both carriers.

The seats are roughly equal, although I prefer the IFE and the pitch on DL. Both carriers could improve their lounges, IMHO (AA uses its Admirals Club lounges in the US which are rather simple, better overseas; DL has a dedicated lounge, but at JFK it is somewhat rundown).

One big advantage to AA is the opportunity to upgrade to First. Delta does not offer anything above their Business/ Elite class. In AA First, you will have a fine meal, good wine, and much improved service compared to AA Business. Plus much better lounges.

Efrem

Much as I hate to admit it as an AA convert from DL, I'd go with Delta - if you can live with paying for an upgradeable fare, which may be much higher than the lowest available fare, and if you can get the upgrade confirmed when you book (or you may end up paying extra for nothing - one of my main issues with DL's program). The reason is that Delta has no first class and therefore throws many normally-F features into its BusinessElite F/J combo, and its cabin crew is aware that they're providing DL's premium service. AA still has F, though it is moving toward a merged front cabin on some flights, and doesn't forget this when it defines what the J experience should be.

The ability to upgrade to first on AA isn't relevant, since you'll have already upgraded once to business. Double upgrades happen, but they're so rare that they're not worth factoring into your planning. (I got one exactly once, in years of multiple trans-Atlantic flights as AA EXP.)

PresRDC

I've had three (plus one on BA), but I had a great lucky streak going last year!

hfly

The other disadvantage of AA is that every loser on pretty much every fare class is trying to get your upgrade. On Dl this is not so. Also many of the above posters are assuming that the lowest fare classes are normally available and will be when you fly. There are many permutations out there. In short, with DL just make sure you have it available when you book and you'll be okay.

Now to answer your actual questions:

DL has a better seat and legrrom in Biz.
DL has better F/A's in general.
DL has better food.
I am not up on the current AA amenities, but Dl are Occitane.

Thed only real diff is a/c. DL has few 777's I believe that AA has more, so it really depends where/when you are flying.

kef0913

It also depends on whether you are flying a two class 767 to Europe on AA or a 3 class 777. The two class is sold as J and has the blue J seats, but the service is a hybrid of F and J. If you are flying on the 777 then the service is firmly J. I prefer AA because their FF program is so much better for me than DL. This is because I pay for my own travel about 80% of the time. If I were flying on the company dime then I might have a different opinion.