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If you can status challenge *successfully* on DL after hitting 75,000 (Plat) on UA, I'm not sure what the downside would be to doing that and experimenting with both carriers during early 2020 (after checking out DL at the end of 2019) and then deciding early enough in 2020 to make the 50,000 status level on your choice. AFAIK DL allows status challenges every several years, but of course it's a challenge and not a match and you must have earned the level in your current (hopefully to DL previous) major competing FF program. BTW I'd rather connect in ATL than ORD. Also, look at lounge access. If you have the regular AmEx Plat charge card, you can use DL lounges whenever you have a DL flight that day. Otherwise, you might want to get the DL Reserve card from AmEx which gives lounge access and potentially 30,000 status miles per year if you spend enough, plus some miscellaneous other benefits on DL. |
Originally Posted by DLFlyer16
(Post 31306271)
DL is a far superior airline. You'd be a fool not to switch given this opportunity
Sure, DL can get him to BHM a little faster, but a connection is still a connection. |
Tough call. UA has a direct to SFO now, so that will help. But DL also has directs to SFO
I hate ORD with a passion, but if I take the first flight in the morning, CVG>ORD, I will usually make my connection with plenty of time to spare. ORD>CVG is a crap shoot if weather is even remotely bad. After 1.8 million miles on DL, I felt I had to make the switch to UA with all of my HKG flights each year. I think DL is a better airline experience, but I really value the one connection to HKG that UA offers. If most of your flying is domestic, I would probably suggest trying DL. The chances you can get a direct flight is much higher with DL. |
Originally Posted by Feather Man
(Post 31306398)
Tough call. UA has a direct to SFO now, so that will help. But DL also has directs to SFO
I hate ORD with a passion, but if I take the first flight in the morning, CVG>ORD, I will usually make my connection with plenty of time to spare. ORD>CVG is a crap shoot if weather is even remotely bad. After 1.8 million miles on DL, I felt I had to make the switch to UA with all of my HKG flights each year. I think DL is a better airline experience, but I really value the one connection to HKG that UA offers. If most of your flying is domestic, I would probably suggest trying DL. The chances you can get a direct flight is much higher with DL. |
Originally Posted by Feather Man
(Post 31306398)
Tough call. UA has a direct to SFO now, so that will help. But DL also has directs to SFO
I hate ORD with a passion, but if I take the first flight in the morning, CVG>ORD, I will usually make my connection with plenty of time to spare. ORD>CVG is a crap shoot if weather is even remotely bad. After 1.8 million miles on DL, I felt I had to make the switch to UA with all of my HKG flights each year. I think DL is a better airline experience, but I really value the one connection to HKG that UA offers. If most of your flying is domestic, I would probably suggest trying DL. The chances you can get a direct flight is much higher with DL. |
CVG-based UA Flyer here. Been living in CVG ~10 years. For the year prior, I was in NYC (Jersey City) and commuting to visit my now wife at least once a month, prior to that I was in ORD for a year and a half doing the CVG weekends 1-2x per month. Stuck with UA all so far. But my most common destinations tend to be where * is better anyway - SFO, YYZ and BLR/MAA (once a year) - Plus typically other different domestic destinations on occasion. Have not flown DL much since I’ve been here, and I’m happy to not have. Their service here has gone way downhill over the years, and while I’m sure some people have better experiences with them, the few times I’ve tried to fly them, and I’ve tried to be objective about it, they just plain have given me reason to disappoint. Many of the n/s destinations are down to once per day, anyway, so if that’s not at the right time, you’re connecting anyway. I can’t stand connecting through DL - connecting in ORD is honestly much better, even with weather issues, than ATL. Ive been relatively happy connecting through ORD most of the time or IAD, IAH it DEN on occasion. Staff, while contracted, are generally pretty good and have been able to proactively re-route on request when there’s delays threatening connnections. If you have PP, there’s a pretty decent lounge (club at CVG) right by the UA Gates - nothing too special or too big, but a nice relatively quiet space where you can grab a snack or get a bit of work done. Also a Graeter’s location right by gate A13 - so you can take a treat onboard for the OP, while BHM May be a bit more convenient on DL - CA is going to be a bigger issue where you’re going. If you can’t or aren’t willing to split between the carriers, I’d suggest continuing with UA to see how it works. Most of the ORD flights are 70/76 seats, though watch out as a couple of the mid-day options seem to somehow have reverted back to CR2s very recently - and I avoid those. |
Although Delta is the superior airline, do what allows you to spend as little time on an airplane and traveling as possible. If taking United through ORD was the quickest route, I would go with them. However DL usually has more frequency to BHM and if you were to get cancelled/delayed in ATL you could always make the 2 hour drive to Birmingham.
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Originally Posted by smxflyer
(Post 31306008)
Hey folks, thought I'd ask for advice from people here.
I'm currently SYR based and am Gold on UA. I will make Plat on UA by the end of August. I start a new job in Cincinnati in September and my SO will be in Birmingham. The bulk of my travel will be CVG-BHM and connecting through ATL on Delta makes the most sense. In addition, their focus city has quite a few destinations compared to UA. That being said, the rest of my travel largely will be to California (primarily SBP, SBA, BFL and SMF). My options are to try to stick with UA (only option to BHM is through ORD) or status match to DL (don't think I'd be able to maintain plat with that challenge, but perhaps silver or gold) and split my flying between UA or DL. Man, I wish UA had better options to the south. SBA recently added Delta, but having lived in SLO and flown in and out of SBP weekly for the past two years, it is so much better to have options in case you miss a connection, there's weather somewhere, etc. You can't get to SBP on Delta, but even SBA you better hope you make your SLC connection or you may be overnighting there. BFL doesn't have Delta either. Just some extra food for thought. |
Originally Posted by rdh0924
(Post 31307585)
With regard to SBP, SBA and BFL, you're looking at United being your best option by far on each of those trips.
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Delta has it strong points -- mainly its on time record -- but its an airline that has sucked the life out of CVG. Service has been drastically cut. Once a day non-stops to many destinations. The few remaining mainline flights are on old and dirty planes. On top of that, you have a city full of Delta elites (afflicted with stockholm syndrome), leaving long upgrade lists making upgrades near impossible for gold and platinum members. Elite zombies in search of Delta's elite benefit scraps (e.g., middle seat comfort+).
Depending on what part of town you end up moving to, the Dayton airport may also be an option for you. Generally its a bit easier to get to from the northern Cincy suberbs (getting across the I-75/71 bridge to Kentucky can be a MAJOR bottleneck and can easily take 1 hour from northern Cincy). Also, CVG was built as a hub so it can take awhile to get to the gate as compared to Dayton. No harm in trying Delta, but I think you might find yourself sticking with United. |
Originally Posted by dc10forlife
(Post 31307676)
Delta has it strong points -- mainly its on time record -- but its an airline that has sucked the life out of CVG. Service has been drastically cut. Once a day non-stops to many destinations. The few remaining mainline flights are on old and dirty planes. On top of that, you have a city full of Delta elites (afflicted with stockholm syndrome), leaving long upgrade lists making upgrades near impossible for gold and platinum members. Elite zombies in search of Delta's elite benefit scraps (e.g., middle seat comfort+).
Depending on what part of town you end up moving to, the Dayton airport may also be an option for you. Generally its a bit easier to get to from the northern Cincy suberbs (getting across the I-75/71 bridge to Kentucky can be a MAJOR bottleneck and can easily take 1 hour from northern Cincy). Also, CVG was built as a hub so it can take awhile to get to the gate as compared to Dayton. No harm in trying Delta, but I think you might find yourself sticking with United. |
Or here is a radical proposal:
Stop chasing status and just book whatever works best for each trip. If you can just manage that mental shift, all your problems disappear. |
The only thing that has been mentioned yet that I’d consider is the following: If you miss a connection and get stuck in ATL on a Friday night, it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility that your SO could come pick you up as it’s not an awful drive from BHM. That way, you could salvage a weekend. With UA, if you get stuck in ORD, it will be nearly impossible to salvage a weekend during IRROPS. |
I'd go Delta for your BHM trips, UA for everything else. The (marginally) faster acquisition of status on either airline isn't worth the headache of backconnecting in ORD (on UA for BHM) and certainly isn't worth sucking it up and driving from SFO or whatever (for the smaller UA-served California airports). Maybe use this as a chance to feel out Delta for future needs by getting a status challenge, but I think your quality of life will be much higher if you split your trips rather than sticking to either airline.
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Originally Posted by emcampbe
(Post 31307106)
... Most of the ORD flights are 70/76 seats, though watch out as a couple of the mid-day options seem to somehow have reverted back to CR2s very recently - and I avoid those. United at CVG has been shifting planes of late. EWR used to be all 2-cabin UAX. Now is almost all EMB145s.
Originally Posted by smxflyer
(Post 31307690)
I'll be living downtown. On Friday's, I'll be working in West Chester, but my return Sunday evening will mean coming back home.
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