1kBill

And then schlep your bags at LAX from T1 to T5?

No, thank you. Besides, I believe OP is elite, so he gets free bags anyway.

An hour on either a CRJ200 or US won't kill you. But in a "must-make-connection" situation, I'd rate reliability over many other factors, and in this case, US wins out over UX.

jhayes_1780

Mainly the frequency (or chance you will be put on a CRJ). There are far more CRJ's then the other two you mention and astronomically more seats and frequencies/routes on the CRJ.

Now back to the OP....

IMhO: While I LOATHE the CRJ... I would actually stick with the UX CRJ, mainly because if there are IRR-OPS, I feel (at least IME) UA is better at protecting you (as a 1P) then anyone else would.

qukslvr619

Aircraft comfort aside, for me the one thing I would consider would be the ease of connectivity to your AA flight. UA operates out of Terminal 7/8 so theoretically it is a shorter walk to Terminal 4 than it would be to hike from Terminal 1 (where US is), although if you take the shuttle from 7 you are going to have to drive past Terminal 1 anyways because it will loop you around.

If you are carrying-on luggage you will have to gate check on the CRJ and I dont know how fast they pull bags on the RJs but in my experience it always adds an additional 10+ minutes vs just walking off with my bag in hand.

So bottom line is that to me it seems like a wash; I'd go with whatever is cheapest easiest.

OP is on an international itinerary but isnt it on AA even though OP is flying STAR? Or do they grant access for international segments regardless of carrier?

I ask that not because I am doubting you, just didn't know the answer.

jhayes_1780

No, the OP will not have access (at least via *A).

Jackstay

Would US consider this an international itinerary for club access purposes? Sounds like the international portion is on AA and perhaps on a separate flight record.

cblaisd

Sigh.

I've had more op ups on US as a UA 1P and 2P than I have had on UA, btw.

But if you want to insist that 6-9 hours of driving through the desert and two hours of that likely being in pretty crowded traffic and then dealing with the parking logistics at LAXis a good and restful way to start an international itinerary I suppose you're welcome to that point of view - but I stand by the assertion that for the op's real situation, it's not a helpful suggestion.

Back to the op's real situation, while the WN suggestion is a good one, for me the lack of interline bags (which should be absolutely no problem; any of the majors do it all the time) tips things to the US flight.

I'd still rather ride in either of those than a CRJ.

endrond

I'd go for US, because UX is highly prone to IRROPS.

cblaisd

Very true. The smaller plane, shorter routes are much more subject, as well, to any "flow" that can strike LAX (while it doesn't do so as often as at SFO, it does happen).

mahasamatman

My suggestion is to avoid US at all costs, whether that means taking a CRJ, taking the bus, or canceling the trip, all are better than flying US.

The WN suggestion isn't bad. I'm no fan of WN, but I'd take them over US any day.

doug_999

Like I said...this is an AMAZING site....

Thank you all (although I'm still not sure what to choose here - thinking US... )
I will add a couple of things I left off in my original post...
WN has a 2:20PM and a 4:30PM flight (arriving 2:45PM and 4:50PM) - so neither of those times is great for me (and yes, they were my first choice - probably cause I trust them more than US and UX).

As noted, the walk from UX is shorter than from WN/US - but I will have time to kill and stretching my legs in anticipation of a 10 hour flight probably isn't the worst idea.

I am in F on the AA flight - so lounge access for sure

I as shocked by the interline bags comments.... are you saying that US will route them to AA? (and why does that sound so scary to me?).

Also, I agree, I've never hated flying an airline worse than US and... from my first flight on a CRJ200 (ORD to AUS) I've hated that plane ever since (big bad move having a window seat and being 6' 1" - I think I still walk with my head tilted left because of it.

cfwolfs

Even if they are on different carriers, there are interline agreements that allow for this. Provide the US/UA (depending on which you choose) ticket agent your AA confirmation number. They can connect the bags to their final destination. It does sound risky, but it actually works.

cblaisd

OP, you'll be fine for a 50 minute flight on either UA or US. When you check in at either, simply say you need to "interline check" your bags, and, as noted by a previous poster, have your onward AA boarding pass or itinerary showing the ticket number. That's essential. As noted below, the PNR alone is useless for intl connections, even if sometimes on a domestic connection and with certain airlines a PNR only will work. E.g., it used to be the case that to interline baggage check between UA and HA the ticket number was necessary. Since the advent a couple of years ago of HA being able to see UA's e-tickets it's not usually necessary. But each airline is different, ime. Having the ticket number cuts through any potential for problems.

goalie

i agree completely on avoiding us. plus, if it was me, no ua lifetime miles (and other assorted ua status perks) if flying us and until i hit 1mm on ua, no partners for me (and even then, i still wouldn't fly us )

mahasamatman

Last time I interlined was a few years ago, but as I recall, the flight number was all they needed to check my bags through on BA. But more information is always better (and maybe I'm mis-remembering, too).

MSPGabe

Word of advice from a (former) agent, the confirmation number is junk. We can't do anything with it. We need the TICKET number of your international itinerary to interline the baggage.

This is because we need to see proof that you are actually booked on that international flight, and we can't look up another airline's confirmation number. We can search OA ETKTs however. So make sure you have that.