UA Domestic F vs AA Domestic F, excluding PS or FF Service
Feb 23, 2020, 1:06 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
UA Domestic F vs AA Domestic F, excluding PS or FF Service
Since my domestic UG rate went in the hole last year on UA, I have been willing to pay for F on any carrier. Up to this point, it was just a question of the best combination of cheapest price and most convenient (i.e. shortest total transit time) routing. However, I am now saving significant money over UA (or DL) by flying a lot of AA F transcon routes (mainly EWR/IAD/PHL to/from the West Coast-I don't like JFK). I certainly don't find the AA F seats comfortable but I don't find UA's slimline F seats comfortable either. So far, I've noticed no significant differences in service between UA and AA and my on-time rate has actually been better on AA this year compared to UA.
I am thinking about shifting the majority of my domestic business to AA and keeping UA for the international flights and was wondering if anyone that flies AA a lot might have any reasons why I shouldn't do that. I don't really care about earning status on AA, and those benefits mean nothing to me as long as I am paying for F anyway. In addition, I no longer care if I make 1K because there is no domestic value in it and I can easily UG with miles and cash on the international routes that I am using PlusPoints on now. I am currently Lifetime Plat and a little over a 100K miles from 3 MM on UA.
Thanks for your input.
I am thinking about shifting the majority of my domestic business to AA and keeping UA for the international flights and was wondering if anyone that flies AA a lot might have any reasons why I shouldn't do that. I don't really care about earning status on AA, and those benefits mean nothing to me as long as I am paying for F anyway. In addition, I no longer care if I make 1K because there is no domestic value in it and I can easily UG with miles and cash on the international routes that I am using PlusPoints on now. I am currently Lifetime Plat and a little over a 100K miles from 3 MM on UA.
Thanks for your input.
Feb 23, 2020, 2:59 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORF, RIC
Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum
Posts: 6,958
I do not fly AA at all. So, I cannot help answer your questions. However, you are very close to lifetime 1K status. So, if you knock off this goal, you will have steady supply of PlusPoints for your future travel. I am in the same boat right now.
Last edited by Kmxu; Feb 23, 2020 at 3:59 pm
Feb 24, 2020, 8:38 am
#4
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 45
Last year I switched to being a free agent and looking for cheap F. I fly out of ORD, so I'm also between UA and AA. For me, the product is pretty similar, but AA is typically much cheaper. More importantly, I had a number of cases where I was able to get a 787 on domestic routes on AA at reasonable prices for F. AA is also more likely to have IFE in my experience, and it's far better than UA's direcTV. Another thing to note is that AA allows free same day changes on all F tickets, so you won't be giving that benefit up relative to what you get with plat on UA.
I went from 1k on united all the way to silver plus whatever the AA equivalent of silver is. I'm totally happy with my choice. I save money, the customer service is no different, and I now have far more options for timing and equipment.
I went from 1k on united all the way to silver plus whatever the AA equivalent of silver is. I'm totally happy with my choice. I save money, the customer service is no different, and I now have far more options for timing and equipment.
Feb 24, 2020, 1:20 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
Last year I switched to being a free agent and looking for cheap F. I fly out of ORD, so I'm also between UA and AA. For me, the product is pretty similar, but AA is typically much cheaper. More importantly, I had a number of cases where I was able to get a 787 on domestic routes on AA at reasonable prices for F. AA is also more likely to have IFE in my experience, and it's far better than UA's direcTV. Another thing to note is that AA allows free same day changes on all F tickets, so you won't be giving that benefit up relative to what you get with plat on UA.
I went from 1k on united all the way to silver plus whatever the AA equivalent of silver is. I'm totally happy with my choice. I save money, the customer service is no different, and I now have far more options for timing and equipment.
I went from 1k on united all the way to silver plus whatever the AA equivalent of silver is. I'm totally happy with my choice. I save money, the customer service is no different, and I now have far more options for timing and equipment.
You are so right about AA being much cheaper than UA (or DL). I'll save an average of $500- per trip for my transcons from EWR/PHL/IAD by flying on AA instead of UA (F cabin). Since I average about 30 transcons per year, that means that I'll save approx. 15K per just by flying on AA, not including the shorter routes that I also fly. This seems like a no-brainer to me.
There is no way that I could get to EXP this year because I still have lots of PlusPoints and over a million miles on UA that need to be used before they go the way of Zimbabwean dollars.
Last edited by zombietooth; Feb 25, 2020 at 1:36 pm
Feb 24, 2020, 3:09 pm
#6
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2019
Programs: AA: CK
Posts: 2,230
AA's being cheaper is market dependent. In many cases, I've seen AA a lot more expensive that DL. Look at LGA-ORD for instance. DL often in the $400's for r/t F, AA typically above $750 r/t. Look at MIA too. It depends on the market, hubs, etc. No one carrier is overall cheaper or more expensive, but one may be in a specific market.
In terms of food, I'd day AA>DL>>>>>>>>>>UA.
In terms of food, I'd day AA>DL>>>>>>>>>>UA.
Feb 24, 2020, 3:13 pm
#7
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,450
Feb 24, 2020, 3:34 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
AA's being cheaper is market dependent. In many cases, I've seen AA a lot more expensive that DL. Look at LGA-ORD for instance. DL often in the $400's for r/t F, AA typically above $750 r/t. Look at MIA too. It depends on the market, hubs, etc. No one carrier is overall cheaper or more expensive, but one may be in a specific market.
In terms of food, I'd day AA>DL>>>>>>>>>>UA.
In terms of food, I'd day AA>DL>>>>>>>>>>UA.
Feb 24, 2020, 4:13 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 45
As to the cheapness of AA, I've had the sense over the past few years that UA has started to come way up off of their standard fare differentials for first that findark et al. often talk about. That obviously makes some sense when the economy is doing well (demand for F should be more cyclical). At the baseline fare differentials of around $50 per hour, I find UA first attractive. But at least for me out of ORD, it has been getting harder to find those. Perhaps AA is just being less aggressive with their pricing of F in some locations.
Feb 25, 2020, 10:47 am
#10
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Clinging to the edifices of a decadent past from the biggest city in America nobody really cares about.
Programs: (ಠ_ಠ)
Posts: 9,077
AA comp upgrades will clear more often than UA IMHO. In 2019, as a GS, my comp upgrade rate was ~50% vs 100% on AS and AA. Most of the time I had the schedule flexibility to opt for low F demand flights but could easily see a scenario where my AA/AS comp upgrade rates would change if I opted for peak business flights.
Suggest the tier for AA would be their 75k (PlatPro) or 100k (EXP) - equating to UA Plat and 1K respectively - make the most sense for one seeking comp upgrades AAdvantage does not charge 500's to upgrade for those two levels but does require 500's for their Gold and Plats.
Pleasantly surprised with AA's dynamic award pricing. I have scored multiple 5k and 8k awards and am finding this to be a real value. Not saying I like dynamic awards better than the old-fashion chart, but AA seems to be actually giving something back vs UA which is just taking. Again one's ability to capitalize on this will depend on their schedule flexibility so YMMV.
Wildcards and oddities:
.
• • (1) • • ...100k left for 3MM? Knock it out son, before they change the rules. I'm at 2.5mm and seriously considering pushing 500k to get to 3mm once the virus issues dies down and planes are empty.
• • (2) • • ...I note "Hyatt" under your programs. AA partners with Hyatt. It's not much, but it's better than the Marriott / UA tie-up.
• • (3) • • ...Select OneWorld F lounges are a step above UA's PL lounge (which, to be fair to UA, are good IMHO) but not as good as dedicated F lounges (LH FCL, SQ PR, QR's AS, AF FCL, etc.); in practice QF's dedicated F lounges (LAX, SIN, SYD, MEL, etc.) and CX's at HKG are the real gems I use as an Emerald.
• • (4) • • ...AS going to OneWorld is going to be a wildcard depending upon how the elite reciprocation of MileagePlan and AAdvantage pan out
• • (5) • • ...Last year, and I assume this year as well, the majority of my requalification on AA comes from flying discounted QR business fares. Do not know how this plays out for you, but much like UA, there's a play to make by flying partners on cheap business fares and crediting back to AAdvantage. Do not know how this will change for me in 2021 when AS joins OW...if AS is even more generous than AA in rewarding partner business fares, offers OW Emerald, offers meaningful elite benefits on AA (chance of an upgrade, access to E+ at the time of booking, etc.) I may drop EXP and consolidate solely to AS...but I'm getting ahead on my worrying.
• • (2) • • ...I note "Hyatt" under your programs. AA partners with Hyatt. It's not much, but it's better than the Marriott / UA tie-up.
• • (3) • • ...Select OneWorld F lounges are a step above UA's PL lounge (which, to be fair to UA, are good IMHO) but not as good as dedicated F lounges (LH FCL, SQ PR, QR's AS, AF FCL, etc.); in practice QF's dedicated F lounges (LAX, SIN, SYD, MEL, etc.) and CX's at HKG are the real gems I use as an Emerald.
• • (4) • • ...AS going to OneWorld is going to be a wildcard depending upon how the elite reciprocation of MileagePlan and AAdvantage pan out
• • (5) • • ...Last year, and I assume this year as well, the majority of my requalification on AA comes from flying discounted QR business fares. Do not know how this plays out for you, but much like UA, there's a play to make by flying partners on cheap business fares and crediting back to AAdvantage. Do not know how this will change for me in 2021 when AS joins OW...if AS is even more generous than AA in rewarding partner business fares, offers OW Emerald, offers meaningful elite benefits on AA (chance of an upgrade, access to E+ at the time of booking, etc.) I may drop EXP and consolidate solely to AS...but I'm getting ahead on my worrying.
Feb 25, 2020, 8:48 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
AA EXP and AS 75K here.
AA comp upgrades will clear more often than UA IMHO. In 2019, as a GS, my comp upgrade rate was ~50% vs 100% on AS and AA. Most of the time I had the schedule flexibility to opt for low F demand flights but could easily see a scenario where my AA/AS comp upgrade rates would change if I opted for peak business flights.
Suggest the tier for AA would be their 75k (PlatPro) or 100k (EXP) - equating to UA Plat and 1K respectively - make the most sense for one seeking comp upgrades AAdvantage does not charge 500's to upgrade for those two levels but does require 500's for their Gold and Plats.
Pleasantly surprised with AA's dynamic award pricing. I have scored multiple 5k and 8k awards and am finding this to be a real value. Not saying I like dynamic awards better than the old-fashion chart, but AA seems to be actually giving something back vs UA which is just taking. Again one's ability to capitalize on this will depend on their schedule flexibility so YMMV.
Wildcards and oddities:
.
AA comp upgrades will clear more often than UA IMHO. In 2019, as a GS, my comp upgrade rate was ~50% vs 100% on AS and AA. Most of the time I had the schedule flexibility to opt for low F demand flights but could easily see a scenario where my AA/AS comp upgrade rates would change if I opted for peak business flights.
Suggest the tier for AA would be their 75k (PlatPro) or 100k (EXP) - equating to UA Plat and 1K respectively - make the most sense for one seeking comp upgrades AAdvantage does not charge 500's to upgrade for those two levels but does require 500's for their Gold and Plats.
Pleasantly surprised with AA's dynamic award pricing. I have scored multiple 5k and 8k awards and am finding this to be a real value. Not saying I like dynamic awards better than the old-fashion chart, but AA seems to be actually giving something back vs UA which is just taking. Again one's ability to capitalize on this will depend on their schedule flexibility so YMMV.
Wildcards and oddities:
.
• • (1) • • ...100k left for 3MM? Knock it out son, before they change the rules. I'm at 2.5mm and seriously considering pushing 500k to get to 3mm once the virus issues dies down and planes are empty.
• • (2) • • ...I note "Hyatt" under your programs. AA partners with Hyatt. It's not much, but it's better than the Marriott / UA tie-up.
• • (3) • • ...Select OneWorld F lounges are a step above UA's PL lounge (which, to be fair to UA, are good IMHO) but not as good as dedicated F lounges (LH FCL, SQ PR, QR's AS, AF FCL, etc.); in practice QF's dedicated F lounges (LAX, SIN, SYD, MEL, etc.) and CX's at HKG are the real gems I use as an Emerald.
• • (4) • • ...AS going to OneWorld is going to be a wildcard depending upon how the elite reciprocation of MileagePlan and AAdvantage pan out
• • (5) • • ...Last year, and I assume this year as well, the majority of my requalification on AA comes from flying discounted QR business fares. Do not know how this plays out for you, but much like UA, there's a play to make by flying partners on cheap business fares and crediting back to AAdvantage. Do not know how this will change for me in 2021 when AS joins OW...if AS is even more generous than AA in rewarding partner business fares, offers OW Emerald, offers meaningful elite benefits on AA (chance of an upgrade, access to E+ at the time of booking, etc.) I may drop EXP and consolidate solely to AS...but I'm getting ahead on my worrying.
• • (2) • • ...I note "Hyatt" under your programs. AA partners with Hyatt. It's not much, but it's better than the Marriott / UA tie-up.
• • (3) • • ...Select OneWorld F lounges are a step above UA's PL lounge (which, to be fair to UA, are good IMHO) but not as good as dedicated F lounges (LH FCL, SQ PR, QR's AS, AF FCL, etc.); in practice QF's dedicated F lounges (LAX, SIN, SYD, MEL, etc.) and CX's at HKG are the real gems I use as an Emerald.
• • (4) • • ...AS going to OneWorld is going to be a wildcard depending upon how the elite reciprocation of MileagePlan and AAdvantage pan out
• • (5) • • ...Last year, and I assume this year as well, the majority of my requalification on AA comes from flying discounted QR business fares. Do not know how this plays out for you, but much like UA, there's a play to make by flying partners on cheap business fares and crediting back to AAdvantage. Do not know how this will change for me in 2021 when AS joins OW...if AS is even more generous than AA in rewarding partner business fares, offers OW Emerald, offers meaningful elite benefits on AA (chance of an upgrade, access to E+ at the time of booking, etc.) I may drop EXP and consolidate solely to AS...but I'm getting ahead on my worrying.
Just looking at my firm travel plans this year, it looks like I could easily get PlatPro on AA by doing most of my domestic travel on them, while still doing most of my international travel on UA. Next year, I'll be totally free of UA (except for the allure of reaching 3 MM) and could get to EXP quite easily. It would be nice to start getting some domestic UGs again.
Last edited by zombietooth; Feb 26, 2020 at 10:15 pm
Feb 25, 2020, 9:42 pm
#12
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,450
Just looking at my firm travel plans this year, it looks like I could easily get PlatPro on AA by doing most of my domestic travel on them, while still doing most of my international travel on UA. Next year, I'll be totally free of UA (except for the allure of reaching 3 MM) and could get to PP quite easily. It would be nice to start getting some domestic UGs again.
That said, I would tend to agree with that it would be worth gutting out the 100k on UA to make lifetime 1K.
Feb 25, 2020, 9:49 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
Definitely do the 100K to 3MM. Fully agree. Giving up that short may stick it to man so to speak but it’s a lifetime status worth having and a fairly exclusive club