No, I know all of that. The poster had said that, if he had to connect, he preferred to have one long non-stop flight combined with a short connecting flight, versus having two flights of equal length. That's what I was asking about.

It would depend on circumstances. In most cases, I'd take the F seats with the connection. I'd use the 2 hours to send some emails and make a phone call or two.

Only exception would be if I absolutely needed to be at the destination at a specific time and didn't want to add the delay risk.

Depends on the coach seat. In a UA 320 in an E+ aisle, coach would be an easy decision. Other carriers (CO, DL, NW, US, etc.), no coach on a transcon unless a GOOD exit row aisle is available. On VX, the answer is simply no due to the incredibly uncomfortable coach seat.

I think I'm coming to the conclusion that F is always better, even with a connection - at least for me.

Yes, you can get extra legroom in E+ on UA, but then there's still the issue of the shared armrest, which can drive me a little nuts, especially if I'm next to some burly/beefy guy.

And then there's the possibility that you might get stuck on the tarmac for some reason. Again, it's better to be stuck in F than stuck in Economy.

Was this just a hypothetical to stimulate discussion (or help you develop your own point of view), or was this a real question about two alternatives you had?

If it was the latter, I'm curious what your routing would have been.

My view is that it's a no-brainer: F and connections. Better seat, better service, and--most importantly--more miles! (Surprised there are so many posters who aren't attracted by the miles and points...)

If both the nonstop and connection options were in Y, and the routing were something like LAX-ORD-JFK vs LAX-JFK (where the difference is only 10 miles), I might pick the nonstop (although if I'm traveling for leisure without a set schedule, I may very well stop in ORD just for the heck of it...I like wandering around airports, or I may even schedule a stopover [if allowed] and spend half a day or longer in the city).

It'd be a bit harder of a choice if the nonstop were in F and the connection were in Y, and the routing were something attractive (from a miles perspective) like SEA-LAX-DCA vs SEA-DCA, it'd be hard. (Of course, if I could come up with something like SGF-ORD-LAX-JFK vs SGF-ORD-JFK, it'd be a no-brainer, even if it were in Y...)

And of course, if we're talking paid F on the connection versus discount Y on the nonstop, I'd take the nonstop because cost is a very primary consideration for a leisure traveler like me. But if it's because an upgrade is not available on the nonstop and it is on the connection, I'd definitely go with the connection.

So, lots of considerations, but given your exact hypothetical, I'd say go for the connection in F!

I had a recent predicament reminiscent of the OP:

Get from ANC to Florida for cheapest cost over Spring Break (4pax)!

ANC-SEA-MIA for 20K OW in coach (same day service)

or

ANC-JNU (4 hours layover) JNU-SEA (dinner & overnight) SEA-MIA for 20K OW in First

We took the latter ^

It was a little of both. It was about my deciding between ONT-DFW-TPA or ONT-IAH-TPA in First/Business, or LAX-MCO in Coach. There is one LAX-TPA flight on DL/NW, but it's a red-eye going out and a 7am departure coming back - neither of which is appealing to me.

I wanted to leave the question a little bit vague so that I'd get a broad idea of where others stand on the issue.

Thank you for your very detailed response.

I'm assuming the long flight has reclining seats with footrests, like VX F or UA PS. With a stop in the Midwest, the meal isn't as fancy and the seats are standard domestic F. I like my trans-con like international C.

Not all connections yield more miles, at least not enough to go for the connection. SFO-JFK is about the same as SFO-DEN-JFK.

Unless time was a factor, I would go with F.

Unfortunately you originally left it too vague to really provide a really useful analysis.

For example, I often face a similar decision flying SFO to Washington. Do I take the UA or B6 nonstop to hideous IAD, or route through DEN or ORD so that I can land at DCA. Do I fly UA (where I can sit in E+) or fly AA where I can usually get an exit row or have a better chance to upgrade?

5 hours in E+ is materially different than 5 hours in cramped coach, depending on the plane you may only get 2" more legroom in F (and less width if the E+ middle seat is unoccupied). Also depending on your connection you may risk delays - which most of us strive to avoid.

And as previously noted the type of jet (RJ, 737 or widebody) may make a big difference. Not to mention the cost of upgrading (if any).

In your case you don't indicate how much time you would save (or lose) by flying from ONT. Or whether you can fly E+ from LAX. Or whether TPA or MCO is closer to your final destination.

Assuming all these factors are equal, free upgrade, and a short-connection time, I'd probably go with the F option in order to avoid LAX (also prone to delays).

I wish. I know it's not quite as far as LAX-NYC, but I've been on way too many flights from LAX-ATL, or LAX-anywhere in Florida on a 757.