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The pilots at United are so much better, than AA, but if you happen to be on American, and see a very pretty brunette as your FO, that would be my fiancee, and shes a decent pilot, for a girl! :)
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Originally Posted by mikebrooklyn
(Post 29912612)
I would like to stick with AA but now living near DEN, I feel compelled to switch to UA for more direct flights. Any one have success with US matching their million miler amounts?
As AA EXP, I get upgraded 90+% of the time. It sounds like 1K doesn't. True? I fly a decent amount with UA and am consistently pleased with the onetime performance of the airline (have had a couple of hiccups out of SFO and ORD but that's part for the course). I find that when IRROPs do happen they treat their VIPs well - as a lowly UA Gold when a flight I was on went MX, UA put me up in a hotel gave me around $80 USD in meal vouchers, rebooked me on the J flight I want (I was upgraded to from Y using the CPU lottery) and covered all ground transportation costs. I doubt AA would treat their Gold or mid-tier Platinum members as good as that. Do I have gripes with UA? You bet! For one thing their domestic lounges don't have showers, something that AA and DL seem to be adding to their lounges. Their food spread in the lounges also ins't that great albeit at least you don't have to pay for food as in AA. As others have pointed upgrades on UA are going the way of the dodo bird. As a lowly Gold I've only received 2 CPUs so far (ORD -> YYZ and BQN -> EWR) out of around 15 UA flights that qualified for upgrades. Also we've heard reports of people who hit Platinum/1K not being able to have their upgrades clear using certificates (i.e. SWUs, called GPUs in UA speak) due to full J cabins and/or the countless ToD offers non-elites get. One other benefit to UA is sometimes you get decent buy up offers (i.e. I recently received a $1024 USD offer to upgrade EWR to NRT from Y to J which would also include bonus mileage - I declined cause I'm a cheapskate). To summarize : AA is likely the better option if you prefer upgrades over direct flights and on-time performance. UA is better if you want to attain status on another alliance and find the perks tied to Premier Plat/1K compelling enough to forgo certainty in upgrades. Safe Travels, James |
Originally Posted by j2simpso
(Post 29912822)
There's an argument to be made that now is the perfect time to gain status and earn lifetime miles with UA since you have nothing to lose with AA (i.e. you'll still have VIP status with the airline). I'd try getting UA to status match you which based on the AA level you have you'll at least get Premier Platinum off the bat which entitles you to play the upgrade lottery, lounge access (when travelling outside the 50 states), Economy+ seating and complimentary Marriott/SPG Gold (if you don't have that already) via the RewardsPlus program. You'll also get many of these priority benefits when travelling on *A partner airlines like Air Canada, Lufthansa and ANA. Once you hit 1K, you get a free snack & beverage for every UA flight you take which when combined with exit row seating in Economy+ can very closely mimic a domestic F experience. To keep Platinum you then need to rack up 18,000 PQM which I suspect you'll pull off in a month ;)
I fly a decent amount with UA and am consistently pleased with the onetime performance of the airline (have had a couple of hiccups out of SFO and ORD but that's part for the course). I find that when IRROPs do happen they treat their VIPs well - as a lowly UA Gold when a flight I was on went MX, UA put me up in a hotel gave me around $80 USD in meal vouchers, rebooked me on the J flight I want (I was upgraded to from Y using the CPU lottery) and covered all ground transportation costs. I doubt AA would treat their Gold or mid-tier Platinum members as good as that. Do I have gripes with UA? You bet! For one thing their domestic lounges don't have showers, something that AA and DL seem to be adding to their lounges. Their food spread in the lounges also ins't that great albeit at least you don't have to pay for food as in AA. As others have pointed upgrades on UA are going the way of the dodo bird. As a lowly Gold I've only received 2 CPUs so far (ORD -> YYZ and BQN -> EWR) out of around 15 UA flights that qualified for upgrades. Also we've heard reports of people who hit Platinum/1K not being able to have their upgrades clear using certificates (i.e. SWUs, called GPUs in UA speak) due to full J cabins and/or the countless ToD offers non-elites get. One other benefit to UA is sometimes you get decent buy up offers (i.e. I recently received a $1024 USD offer to upgrade EWR to NRT from Y to J which would also include bonus mileage - I declined cause I'm a cheapskate). To summarize : AA is likely the better option if you prefer upgrades over direct flights and on-time performance. UA is better if you want to attain status on another alliance and find the perks tied to Premier Plat/1K compelling enough to forgo certainty in upgrades. Safe Travels, James
Originally Posted by findark
(Post 29912675)
I have never heard of such a thing.
It really, really depends on your travel patterns. I happen to be a "mythical" 1K with a 100% CPU percentage*, but that's because I have an excellent knowledge of upgrade odds and I don't tend to cut it close. So yes, I get upgraded "always", but I also buy F much more than half the time. If you're going to be flying DEN to another UA hub during peak times, you can count on missing the upgrade as a 1K. I don't really know how that compares to AA EXP. *I've done 3 segments in 3 years in UA Y: missed an RPU, flew an E45, and declined a GUM-TKK upgrade to keep the window. Also, if I expect to be in Y (for shorter trips on the West Coast), I'll fly WN instead. |
Originally Posted by j2simpso
(Post 29912822)
.... To summarize : AA is likely the better option if you prefer upgrades over direct flights and on-time performance. ....
Based on the most recent BTS report (April 2018 -- issued June 2018), Mainline AA's 12 month trailing on-time arrival is 80.9% and UA's is 83.2%. AA has consistent been behind UA and sometimes behind WN (78.7%). HA (88.5%), DL (86.4%) and AS (84.7%) have been the leaders. Individual airports and routes may vary. |
Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
(Post 29913622)
While not disagreeing with the first part, I think the on-time data disagrees with the second part.
Based on the most recent BTS report (April 2018 -- issued June 2018), Mainline AA's 12 month trailing on-time arrival is 80.9% and UA's is 83.2%. AA has consistent been behind UA and sometimes behind WN (78.7%). HA (88.5%), DL (86.4%) and AS (84.7%) have been the leaders. Individual airports and routes may vary. |
Leaving AA for United, crazy?
Will be EXP with AA but I’ve really soured to AA lately. Too many mechanical issues, poor customer service, and they’ve messed with the times of the ideal routes I take too much. Maybe United will be no different but I feel I may need to try. I fly SBA to SLC about 40 times per year. I have liked AAs schedule until now and had found far fewer delays due to weather using that routing. Unfortunately mechanical delays have got in the way lately. When I compare pricing, United seems it would save me some bucks. My problem is having top tier status on any airline is hard to just throw away. Ive got a few questions for now: 1. I did some kind of promo status challenge few years ago before deciding to go with AA. Would United do a status match for me? Or a challenge at least? I was thinking summer or early fall, would this timing potentially get me status through 2020? Could I match to 1K? 2. For maintaining status I’ve got a PQD question. I do have the United Club Card. I understand there is a PQD waiver with $25k spend. What status level does that work for? If not the higher levels, does it credit a certain PQD amount towards the higher levels(like AAs Silver Aviator Card does)? thanks in advance |
I don't think it's crazy at all to leave AA for UA. AA is clearly leading the charge to the bottom right now, in pretty much every respect.
Originally Posted by Jonesdds
(Post 30419517)
Would United do a status match for me? Or a challenge at least? I was thinking summer or early fall, would this timing potentially get me status through 2020? Could I match to 1K? Yes, there's a status match/challenge. You get status for 90 days during which you have to meet the challenge requirements. The challenge to 1K exists, but it is not published, so discretionary whether UA offers it or not. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ssion-etc.html
Originally Posted by Jonesdds
(Post 30419517)
I understand there is a PQD waiver with $25k spend. What status level does that work for?
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AA's mediocrity is surpassed only by United's mediocrity.
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I’d rather go Delta but they haven’t flown out of SBA for many years.....come back! |
I switched AA to UA (from AA Plat) 15 years ago for exactly the reasons you’ve indicated. At the time UA has the best route coverage for me ex-PDX so that’s who I went to. I didn’t bother with a status match, but my flying increased significantly and I had PremExec quickly and 1K by end October. And UA has improved significantly in the last 2 years. Their operational performance is close to DL and on some metrics neck and neck. While I don’t think they’ll overtake DL (DL is also improving) I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with UA. |
Originally Posted by Jonesdds
(Post 30419517)
I fly SBA to SLC about 40 times per year. I have liked AAs schedule until now and had found far fewer delays due to weather using that routing.
Originally Posted by Jonesdds
(Post 30419517)
2. For maintaining status I’ve got a PQD question. I do have the United Club Card. I understand there is a PQD waiver with $25k spend. What status level does that work for? If not the higher levels, does it credit a certain PQD amount towards the higher levels(like AAs Silver Aviator Card does)?
$25K spend on the Explorer card gets you UA Platinum (equivalent of AA Plat Pro) and NO HIGHER. You can only attain 1K through UA (016) ticket spend + BIS miles/segments. You'll need to fly more than 40 SBA-SLC roundtrips to qualify for 1K, or otherwise add a transcon trip or two to reach 100,000 BIS miles. For you, I personally would be inclined to stay with AA. However, it doesn't hurt to try out UA's schedule during the rainy season (although this winter is shaping out to be a real dud, which would mean good reliability for SFO) and see how it works out. Good luck. |
Originally Posted by sinoflyer
(Post 30419937)
For SBA-SLC, UA has 2½ routing options (connections via SFO and LAX being the practical options and via DEN the not so much). SFO's dependability is highly variable. LAX only has two nonstops to SLC, and I presume the only realistic outbound option from SBA via LAX for your is the 5:50 am departure. Not ideal. Even still, despite some travel times reaching 6 hours, UA offers more scheduling flexibility.
$25K spend on the Explorer card gets you UA Platinum (equivalent of AA Plat Pro) and NO HIGHER. You can only attain 1K through UA (016) ticket spend + BIS miles/segments. You'll need to fly more than 40 SBA-SLC roundtrips to qualify for 1K, or otherwise add a transcon trip or two to reach 100,000 BIS miles. For you, I personally would be inclined to stay with AA. However, it doesn't hurt to try out UA's schedule during the rainy season (although this winter is shaping out to be a real dud, which would mean good reliability for SFO) and see how it works out. Good luck. Probably stupid to change but after having three cancelled flights in a row in Oahu, missing three days work, and getting 15k miles compensation from them as plat pro(cusp of EXP) just doesn’t sit right with me. |
Originally Posted by Jonesdds
(Post 30419987)
... after having three cancelled flights in a row in Oahu, missing three days work, and getting 15k miles compensation from them as plat pro(cusp of EXP) just doesn’t sit right with me.
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Originally Posted by sinoflyer
(Post 30419937)
For SBA-SLC, UA has 2½ routing options (connections via SFO and LAX being the practical options and via DEN the not so much). SFO's dependability is highly variable. LAX only has two nonstops to SLC, and I presume the only realistic outbound option from SBA via LAX for your is the 5:50 am departure. Not ideal. Even still, despite some travel times reaching 6 hours, UA offers more scheduling flexibility.
$25K spend on the Explorer card gets you UA Platinum (equivalent of AA Plat Pro) and NO HIGHER. You can only attain 1K through UA (016) ticket spend + BIS miles/segments. You'll need to fly more than 40 SBA-SLC roundtrips to qualify for 1K, or otherwise add a transcon trip or two to reach 100,000 BIS miles I’m making 1K comfortably this year, but I’m not so sure about next year. I’ll probably be okay. But factor in those new requirements. |
The grass is always greener on the other side. Both AA and UA are bottom of the barrel.
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I’d fly whoever has the best schedule for you. I tried to make DL work for me last year from SFO and had a couple disastrous experiences. |
There's no where to "go to" anymore. It's late 2018 and the remaining consolidated airlines have you grabbing your ankles as cash is king and all airline's FFP's are a mere shell of their past. The old days are gone, moving to another will yield nothing positive.
The grass is now browner at every airline. |
Better yet: become a free agent where you fly whichever airlines gives you the best schedule for the best price. I find myself enjoying free agency after years of being loyal to AA.
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[MENTION=788438]Jonesdds[/MENTION] I think you're going to have similar issues with UA, so maybe fly with them a couple times and form your own conclusions. I tend to fly a couple UA flights throughout the year and they're generally the same as AA. I do find that UA tends to be more consistent in soft product where AA is more of a mixed bag (I still can't figure out why it's 50-50 chance whether if I'll get a pre-departure beverage in the first class cabin on AA).
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Originally Posted by SFOdelayed
(Post 30421453)
I’d fly whoever has the best schedule for you. I tried to make DL work for me last year from SFO and had a couple disastrous experiences. |
Originally Posted by AtomicLush
(Post 30421536)
[MENTION=788438]Jonesdds[/MENTION](I still can't figure out why it's 50-50 chance whether if I'll get a pre-departure beverage in the first class cabin on AA).
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Originally Posted by Jonesdds
(Post 30419517)
Will be EXP with AA but I’ve really soured to AA lately. Too many mechanical issues, poor customer service, and they’ve messed with the times of the ideal routes I take too much. Maybe United will be no different but I feel I may need to try. I fly SBA to SLC about 40 times per year. I have liked AAs schedule until now and had found far fewer delays due to weather using that routing. Unfortunately mechanical delays have got in the way lately. When I compare pricing, United seems it would save me some bucks. My problem is having top tier status on any airline is hard to just throw away. Ive got a few questions for now: 1. I did some kind of promo status challenge few years ago before deciding to go with AA. Would United do a status match for me? Or a challenge at least? I was thinking summer or early fall, would this timing potentially get me status through 2020? Could I match to 1K? 2. For maintaining status I’ve got a PQD question. I do have the United Club Card. I understand there is a PQD waiver with $25k spend. What status level does that work for? If not the higher levels, does it credit a certain PQD amount towards the higher levels(like AAs Silver Aviator Card does)? thanks in advance I just got my 'Thank You' for being a Mileage Plus member for 27 years message! I've flown UA from when they served caviar and Dom through Summer from Hell, 9/11, bankruptcy and botched CO merger. I don't fly American much but I can agree with others that United is finally on an upswing. In the end, if the carrier flies the routes you need, and UA is a contender, I wouldn't have many qualms making the switch. Happy travels! Adam |
Originally Posted by sinoflyer
(Post 30420069)
Ouch. That'll make me switch, too. And too bad that DL isn't an option. It would have been a no-brainer.
DL is not always a great choice either. 1. Their fares are consistently higher in many markets. While a fairly good airline, they charge a premium for their product. 2. They have less seats for premium customers. Less economy Comfort and less first class seats. they also monetize them more heavily. 3. They do not treat traveling companions well. The upgrades and what not are limited to one person. So if you travel with a family or multiple friends you sit in economy dis-comfort. I switched from DL to UA because of point 3 and schedule alone. Other than that they were a fine airline, and I still fly them enough to keep status in case they work again. In this case i would stay with the devil I know. Switching was a pain and really the differences between airlines are so minor that barring ULCC choices they are essentially the same. |
Originally Posted by leonidas
(Post 30421444)
The grass is always greener on the other side. Both AA and UA are bottom of the barrel.
I also think that MileagePlus is a much better FF program than AA's and DL's, but then again, being GS so many years definitely creates a strong bias! |
I enjoy UA overall and Star Alliance rocks. DL is over-rated unless you love TV screens, I cant stand DL. Skyteam is a joke and DL is the worst airline for premium anything for International Travel.
The big downside to UA is the upgrades. I travel only on near Full fare E tickets and have zero upgrades as a 1K on flights over 2 hours. I only travel mid week though. |
If mileage redemption opportunities are important to you, I have experienced drastically better availability on Star Alliance than I ever did when I flew AA. As far as upgrades are concerned, it all depends on when and where you're flying. I get upgraded about 25% of the time, and I'm only Silver.
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Originally Posted by geckoflyer
(Post 30422902)
I was 0/2 on UA/UX SEA-IAH-CHS today. Nothing at all for PDB either segment with the first mainline and second on Mesa. They are all consistently inconsistent. |
I am AA Platinum and been flying AA/OneWorld for decades. Due to a relocation from Dallas area to Micronesia I am likely to switch allegiance to United/Star Alliance. What are the big changes I should expect? Service? Hard product? Soft product? Lounges? Might * match my status? etc.
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Originally Posted by AAJetMan
(Post 31021121)
I am AA Platinum and been flying AA/OneWorld for decades. Due to a relocation from Dallas area to Micronesia I am likely to switch allegiance to United/Star Alliance. What are the big changes I should expect? Service? Hard product? Soft product? Lounges? ...
Where will you be traveling to? Micronesia a big area, are you referring to GUM or one of the small islands? How much travel will you be doing?
Originally Posted by AAJetMan
(Post 31021121)
Might * match my status? etc.
For more on the challenge, see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ssion-etc.html For more on UA Gold benefits, see https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...r/default.aspx |
Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
(Post 31021258)
Lots of potential ground to cover but it probably would be best to set some context.
Where will you be traveling to? Micronesia a big area, are you referring to GUM or one of the small islands? How much travel will you be doing? UA will likely offer a status challenge for AA Plat to UA Gold. That would provide free E+ access, *A lounge access (UCs on international itins), free SDC, improved bag allowance, Boarding Group 1 (after GS, 1K, and other pre-boarders), .... For more on the challenge, see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ssion-etc.html For more on UA Gold benefits, see https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...r/default.aspx |
Originally Posted by rdurlabhji
(Post 27770682)
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses.
The only places I really end up connecting are to get to the outstations in the LA area (ONT or BUR) or oddball places in Texas. Although for example on an upcoming trip to Birmingham UA has a nonstop but AA doesn't (on the other hand, AA has a nonstop to Charlottesville but UA doesn't). It does seem like UA is trending in the right direction while AA is sliding, which is kind of why it seems like a good time to jump ship. |
Originally Posted by Austin787
(Post 27770290)
FFP: ...App: AA has one advantage in you can track your checked luggage
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New to United - help!
I'm PP with citi card Admirals Club access on AA and was trending to EP when my contract was changed. New client in new cities will necessitate mostly United. What should I expect with the airline? Best way to attain status quickly? lounges?
I'm looking at 4-6 segments weekly for the foreseeable future... mostly up and down the east coast US. Not really wanting to start over after 115 segments in last 12 months on AA... ugh! I appreciate your thoughts/guidance. |
Originally Posted by Mem flyer
(Post 31416669)
I'm PP with citi card Admirals Club access on AA and was trending to EP when my contract was changed. New client in new cities will necessitate mostly United. What should I expect with the airline?...
Might help to narrow the question a bit.
Originally Posted by Mem flyer
(Post 31416669)
Best way to attain status quickly? ...
Originally Posted by Mem flyer
(Post 31416669)
lounges? ..
Talking about segments suggest domestic, so you need a United Club membership. The cheapest way is[h4]Consolidated Chase MP Club credit card- Benefits, Q&A, ....{Annual fee inc Aug 2017} -- first year free Everyone loves to hate their airline lounges but some general information can be found in https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...s-archive.html |
Originally Posted by Mem flyer
(Post 31416669)
I'm PP with citi card Admirals Club access on AA and was trending to EP when my contract was changed. New client in new cities will necessitate mostly United. What should I expect with the airline? Best way to attain status quickly? lounges?
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So I know the grass is not always greener on the other side, and every airline has it's issues, but I am an AA loyalist based out of ORD thinking about jumping on the United bandwagon. For starters, the status free match makes it really easy to start off with United silver. I typically have enough personal travel to hit the bottom two rungs of any airline loyalty program, and higher if I have business travel - but that looks out of reach for a while. I only picked AA over United originally because I had the AA credit card since college and honestly the free drinks in Y MCE which are gone and probably will never come back. I have like four AMEX cards with Airline Incidental re-imbursement - so I could just buy the drinks in UA Y using those credits. The last straw was seeing article after article about how UA cares about their domestic hard product unlike AA who just keeps taking out IFE.
So my question is - are there any former AA loyalists, and if so what are the differences you notice - bonus points for anyone out of ORD. Seems like I need to request the match by 9/3. |
Originally Posted by AAdamE
(Post 33530862)
So I know the grass is not always greener on the other side, and every airline has it's issues, but I am an AA loyalist based out of ORD thinking about jumping on the United bandwagon. For starters, the status free match makes it really easy to start off with United silver. I typically have enough personal travel to hit the bottom two rungs of any airline loyalty program, and higher if I have business travel - but that looks out of reach for a while. I only picked AA over United originally because I had the AA credit card since college and honestly the free drinks in Y MCE which are gone and probably will never come back. I have like four AMEX cards with Airline Incidental re-imbursement - so I could just buy the drinks in UA Y using those credits. The last straw was seeing article after article about how UA cares about their domestic hard product unlike AA who just keeps taking out IFE.
So my question is - are there any former AA loyalists, and if so what are the differences you notice - bonus points for anyone out of ORD. Seems like I need to request the match by 9/3. I was originally driven away from UA by their ridiculous PQP qualification scheme, and you might want to take a look at that to see how it squares with your travel patterns. Though who knows if they'll ever return fully to the published standards. Value of the frequent flyer miles is also low and dropping, if that's important to you. |
I've had status of varying levels with both airlines, and in fact still do...Gold with UA and Executive Platinum with American. I find American to be way better for Executive Platinums than 1Ks with United. At the lower elite levels, I think it is somewhat of a wash, but you are indeed more likely to have an E+ seat on United than with AA given the relative size of each E+ section. I find UA to be a much better experience in Y than AA's miserable Oasis seats, too. Just realize as a Silver or Gold out of ORD with UA, upgrades are pretty much non-existent on most routes. I also find UA's MP program to be worse for redemptions that AA's as of late (words I never thought I would utter) as MP got Kirby'd in a big way during the pandemic. I also find UA's ORD terminals to be much more chaotic than AA's ORD terminals, but YMMV.
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Originally Posted by Kacee
(Post 33531013)
UA is a more functional airline right now - more reliable, much better app and IT overall. While it's not notable for outstanding service at the gate or inflight, IME you're more likely to experience truly unpleasant service on AA. UA also seems to attract a more professional, law-abiding customer base, at least here on the west coast. They also haven't torturized their domestic cabins to the same extent as AA, and as Gold or Silver, you'd likely be able to score an E+ seat on most if not all flights.
I was originally driven away from UA by their ridiculous PQP qualification scheme, and you might want to take a look at that to see how it squares with your travel patterns. Though who knows if they'll ever return fully to the published standards. Value of the frequent flyer miles is also low and dropping, if that's important to you.
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Originally Posted by UAPremierGuy
(Post 33531056)
I find American to be way better for Executive Platinums than 1Ks with United.
Overall, I put AA just barely ahead of WN on the "truly unpleasant to fly" scale. UA is much better (with AS the clear winner IMO). |
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