milesunited

Am flying with significant other from DC area on award ticket to Africa. We begin in DC and the long haul flight is from EWR to EZE on UA 767 business, eventually on to Africa. I believe an available alternative for same number of miles is via YYZ then to EZE on an AC 767 in executive first with a stop in SCL, eventually on to Africa.

Threads seem to indicate that AC's hard product is better. However, AC does not seem great for traveling with somebody and there would be an extra stop in SCL.

Anybody care to share their opinion?

SeattleDavid

AC's hard product is definitely better if you are traveling alone, since there is never anyone to climb over. There is also a little more storage in the AC seat than in UA's. For a couple, however, it depends how together you want to be! For a honeymoon I think I would prefer UA's pairs of seats, but a business colleague, I would definitely want AC.

AC's soft product is much much better - food, service, lounges are all a significant improvement on UA.

PVDProf

AC's biggest hard product advantage is privacy, which isn't an advantage if you want to be with your SO; you'd have to be across the aisle on AC. I find the seats themselves and IFE to be comparable.

Where I give AC a clear edge is soft product: their food will be better, and wine more interesting. But not enough so to make it worth the extra stop, extra plane time on a looong trip, time in small plane to get to YYZ, and sitting across the aisle, at least in Mrs. PVDProf's eyes.

rankourabu

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...-new-bizo.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...anada-ana.html

Air Houston

Thought:
You might consider connecting in Houston and taking the BusinessFirst flight IAH-EZE.

If you are flying soon, then you will have low probability of getting a lay-flat seat on a BF flight, since only once converted 767-400 had entered service the last time I checked. If you are flying later this year then you'll have a better chance of getting a converted aircraft with the layflat seat instead of the older angled-flat seat. (I am able to sleep fine on the angled flat seat, but not everyone is.) Either way, you'll get a wider seat on a BF flight than regular Business flight because the PMCO aircraft are 2-1-2 in BF on 767s and the PMUA aircraft are 2-2-2 in business class on the 767s.

Either way, though, for me if the flight is a BusinessFirst flight I would definitely prefer that over a connection in Toronto or Newark.

milesunited

Thanks all for the feedback. Will stay with existing routing given points above.

IAH-EZE routing does not have saver award availability so it makes that decision easy.

N1120A

If flying with your SO, I would go with UA. AC's J is nice, but not good if you are traveling with someone else.

AC's wine is known as not being the best. UA has become decent in this respect.

exerda

I'd actually argue UA's wine offerings in C have gone downhill somewhat the past couple of years, though they've never been that great. I don't have a point of comparison for AC, though.