Meanderings of a Traveler
This week I managed to catch a glimpse of BRCF Delta’s 767-400ER (tail N845MH, ship 1821) before it departed to Frankfurt. Known affectionately as “Pink Force One“, it was repainted in 2015, though it has been pink since 2010.
I managed to catch a glimpse of The Spirit of Atlanta while relaxing at the SkyClub on Concourse F, today! According to FlightAware, it was departing to Tokyo-Narita.
The Spirit of Atlanta is a Boeing 777-200LR that was christened in commemoration of Delta’s 70th anniversary. Watch the video below!
Last week I was able to fly on one of Delta’s Airbus A319’s with the new interiors and it was quite nice! Though a new overhead console was in place, the vent for the Boeing 737-900 was not used!
While I was traveling this week, I got a fun little surprise in the mail! My Diamond Medallion package arrived from Delta – complete with #BragTags. Instead of the traditional plastic luggage tag you receive with Platinum Medallion status, you get nicely machined aluminum tags at Diamond.
You also receive a handful of thank-you coupons to give particularly helpful or entertaining representatives. I wish we got more than just four, though – I frequently have excellent experiences with Delta flight attendants and phone representatives, and I wish I could acknowledge them all!
When flying this week, I managed to get upgraded for both flights on the way up to the customer site, including bulkhead on an A319. I am usually not a fan of bulkhead seats, but the A319 has a nice indentation which offers a hefty chunk of legroom!
Delta also introduced some new snacks, one of which is a fruit and nut pack by FlyFit – quite tasty!
What about you guys – come across any new snacks on your domestic flights?
The “big three” airlines in the US (United, American, and Delta) are similar in many ways, but that is not to say they are all the same. There have been many changes to United over the past year, as well as some that I never knew about, that have given me hope for these airlines to break out of the rut they are in.
Let’s face it – the real reason we want frequent flier status, other than faster accrual rates, is to fly first class for free. Similar to Delta and American, you are given global and regional upgrade certificates upon reaching various tiers. You are also given the same option to upgrade to a higher class of service using miles – again akin to Delta and American.
The real way that United stands out from the pack is that upgrades clear based on the highest status on the reservation, not the lowest. This is huge when you travel with friends and family. Though Delta does not offer Diamond Medallion flyers premium drinks and snacks in coach, both American and United offer this to their top-tier fliers. Better yet, United now has an actual food menu.
United has recently brought back family boarding, as noted by MommyPoints, which is a wonderful change from a customer experience front. Forbes pointed out five other ways that they have improved over the past year as an airline, as well, and combined with the upgrade benefits versus other airlines, it is going to get very interesting going forward when comparing airlines.
Unlike Delta, United does not give complimentary lounge access to top-tier members. American Airlines does not offer this, either, but both United and American offer discounts based on your frequent flier status. It is far more economical to acquire a credit card to attain lounge access, however, as it is considerably cheaper.
United Club Card (not an affiliate link): $450 annual fee versus $550 if you buy the subscription outright
AAdvantage Executive Card (not an affiliate link): $450 annual fee versus $500+ if you buy the subscription outright, more for a family
As you can see, there are ways around this limitation, but it largely depends on how much time in an airport. The wireless and free alcohol are wonderful when it comes to spending hours in airports, as is a dedicated service line, but you can just as easily get access to a Priority Pass lounge using the Citi Prestige card (not an affiliate link), which also gives AAdvantage lounge access when flying on American.
All the changes to United are giving me hopes, to be honest. Their mileage earning rates are on-par with American and Delta, and their upgrade policy is far more generous. If nothing else, competition is always good for the consumer! What do you think?
First of all, apologies for not having posted in a few days now – thanks to the hectic schedule of work, there hasn’t been time for much else. I had some time to think the other day and it occurred to me that I had not mentioned the options available when selecting an airline alliance.
There are many things to keep in mind when making a decision like this, such as how much you expect to travel, your home airport, the options available for upgrades and award tickets, and so on. Another big factor is if you will be flying for work or pleasure, or both. It is a lot easier to attain status when you are having to travel anyway!
The three main alliances available to flyers in the US are the Star Alliance (United), OneWorld (American), and SkyTeam (Delta). Keep in mind that there are other options, such as Alaska Airlines and Southwest. You can earn some very nice perks with these two such as a very nice partner chart as is the case with Alaska, or the Companion Pass with Southwest.
Another important factor is that when you are flying on an alliance member flight, you can credit your miles earnings to another airline belonging to that alliance. For example, you can use your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer number to earn miles when flying on United or Lufthansa flights. Though you would have StarAlliance Gold, you would not have access to the upgrade perks and similar options available to a 1K with United.
Many travel bloggers have detailed the differences between the upgrade policies of the three representative airlines, miles values, and similar factors, so I will spare you the spiel.
From a practical standpoint, your home airport (and those in the surrounding area) has the biggest impact on what airline alliance you join. It directly impacts what destinations are available and on which carriers. Near Raleigh-Durham we have Greensboro, Fayetteville, and Charlotte. Each of these airports have pros and cons, and some fun little quirks.
Don’t be afraid to fly out of an airport further away, as it can save you a substantial amount of money! It is not uncommon for an airline to poach business on another airline’s home turf — Delta is particularly fond of offering lower cost flights from Charlotte, though it is primarily a focus city for both American and United. You will have to sacrifice some time on the initial transit and most likely connect through a hub like Atlanta or Detroit, but savings tend to be in the hundreds of dollars when comparing business class tickets.
Google Flights is particularly helpful in this regard as it offers an analysis for flights with different originating airports. It even offers suggestions for nearby airports that would offer cheaper tickets.
Happy flying!
