how much is it worth to switch from your favorite airline?

[compozer]

The past ten years, we always try to fly Delta.   I have their AMEX card so get some perks from it.  We have been flying first/business - getting old and my husband hates flying so I do whatever I can to make him more comfortable.   I need him to be happy if we are going to continue to cruise.    For many trips, I only look at their flights and many times they have put us on their partner airlines here we also get miles.   Loved British Airways.   We are flying from the US to Rome and our return will be from Singapore.   I did book Delta the first day the flights became available for this trip.  I normally do this and do find prices normally go higher.    This is the case with our flight - it has gone up $1500 per person.   Delta has been the highest and there are cheaper flights on other lines.           

So my question:   How much do I need to save to make it worth switching to a different airline?   Is there a dollar amount that Delta miles are worth ?   

I also check the seat maps on the planes to find the best seats that are available.

 

I appreciate any help.

[LHT28]

I do not fly often  enough to collect miles  so but like you DH  does not like the airport thing  so also try BUS/1st  especially on long haul flights

I guess  it depends on the price & comfort & what you get

We usually fly air Canada Bus to Florida  one year tried  AA  the price  was a bit less & the flight times were better

Well ended up  AA cancelled  the midday flight  so we got in later than the AC I would have taken...no lounge access with AA  as with AC

the gate in MIA on the return was miles from check in unlike AC gates

will not make that mistake again

If you like Delta & then stick with them

We will be flying to the US  next fall on Delta  so will see how they compare to AC

 

[Grandma Dazzles]

In Wisconsin also and fly Delta. My late husband was a million mile flyer on Delta and other airlines.  I don’t think that there is an answer to your question - too many variables - including who are the other airlines. You are getting free bags on Delta, which is “cash.”  I also carefully check seating. 

 

I book other airlines, such as American for example, but I am very wary of smaller no frills airlines for big trips.  If something goes wrong, such as a flight, weather delay, equipment delays, you have more options with a major airline. 

 

I was was delayed at LAX coming back from Hawaii after Thanksgiving this year. A real mess, I was booked on American, but was able to get home on Delta.  A lot of people on smaller, regional flights were not as fortunate. Million mile status I am sure didn’t hurt either. 

[FlyerTalker]

Some quick thoughts:

 

If you flew British Airways, there was no way you were earning Delta SkyPesos.  BA is not a partner, and is in OneWorld, not SkyTeam.

 

What do you need to save?  Only you can evaluate what the perk benefits are for flying on DL vs another carrier.  Look at the differences and determine what makes sense to YOU.

 

As for the value of SkyPesos - here is a link to a blog post on estimated values of points.

 

https://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2019/01/31/how-much-are-miles-really-worth-assigning-a-value-to-points-from-each-program/

 

However, as the article discusses, much of the process of evaluation revolves around how YOU are going to utilize the points.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We stick with United business class on long flights and finally have enough miles for two tickets to Alaska next year.  Going to Ft. Lauderdale we check Southwest for non stop flights, they often don't have a good flight home though so we go back to United.  Jet Blue had a non stop from Pittsburgh to Ft. Lauderdale but they just discontinued it.

[Zach1213]

I travel for a living and practically live on American Airlines planes (and partners, of which British Airways is one...they don't partner with Delta and never had to my knowledge). It takes a lot for me to be disloyal to AA because I usually get upgraded, lounge perks, etc. etc. and then have seemingly endless miles to use on vacations when I actually do get to take one of those.

 

That being said...I love my money. I have turned my back on AA/partners before to save some money, get a better product, or both. Especially on a long trip like that, it may be entirely worth it. The question is - will the miles you earn (or don't earn) on that trip have a big impact on future travel opportunities? It may be worth spending a bit more now to get more down the road...but only you can make that decision.

[George C]

Not that loyal fly AA because they are based here , mostly fly first so we would book cheapest first to wherever we are going. 

[compozer]

My mistake - it was Virgin Airlines business.  Thanks for correcting me.

[compozer]

FlyerTalker,

thanks for the link.

 

[navybankerteacher]

While it makes sense to stick to a few lines to accrue enough miles for an occasional free flight, it is important to check alternatives every time you book a flight.  Whenever you can save $100 or more on a given flight by using another line, go for it.  Real cash in hand now is always better than a little contribution towards some future flight - which you may have to book very far in advance.  Do the math, so you will have a good idea of the value of the miles your loyal flight might give you.

[SRF]

If you are flying business, and paying for it, there is little gained by being loyal.

 

If flying economy, and you have status (typically middle level, Gold on most) you get free bags and lounge access for international trips.  And priority boarding.

 

But with business class, you get all those anyway.

 

I fly all 3 alliances, and maintain status on all of them.  So don't really care which one I fly on.

 

I do avoid the "low cost" carriers.  Lack of any perks, and in the case of SW, many times, their fares are higher.

[Joebucks]

25 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

While it makes sense to stick to a few lines to accrue enough miles for an occasional free flight, it is important to check alternatives every time you book a flight.  Whenever you can save $100 or more on a given flight by using another line, go for it.  Real cash in hand now is always better than a little contribution towards some future flight - which you may have to book very far in advance.  Do the math, so you will have a good idea of the value of the miles your loyal flight might give you.

 

Agreed. As with any travel topic, it's different for everyone. I believe if you travel business a lot, you're going to want to stick to one that gives you the best perks. The cost won't be as much of a concern. Flying isn't always the most fun. Having nice lounge access, priority seating/boarding, etc removes a lot of that stress.

 

I personally find it harder to stay loyal to an airline than a hotel or even a cruise line. Especially flights for cruising where specific flight times may matter more to your convenience and spend. Airline points require quite some spend to rack up. To spend hundreds more to earn pennies on the dollar can be counter-productive.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Joebucks

[compozer]

Great discussion.  Thanks so much for all the replies.   Yes, I did forget that in business we get free bags so the Delta perks don't matter.    We have a AMEX platinum card so we can get into a lounge in just about all airports.   Much nicer ones flying international.  

 

So, thanks to you all, I will look closer at the other airlines.   I think I will check them out and make a note of the airplanes used.   There was one that did not get any good reviews, even in business class.   Forgot which one but everyone said the seats were the worst and most uncomfortable they have ever been on.   I do want to avoid that one.    I don't take all negative review at face value but when everyone says the same thing - there is a problem.     So I will make a list of planes and mark seats to avoid, etc.

 

My flight is only 15 hours going over but now, the cheaper flights are closer to 33 hours.   I hate 6 hour or longer  layovers.

 

Thanks again. 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, compozer said:

 I hate 6 hour or longer  layovers.

 

Depending where you are, I'd be wanting a more than 6 hour connection. 

 

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow, Cathay lounges in HKG, and others make you want to STAY there and take advantage of the cabanas, or spas, or restaurants or more.  And, of course, the chance to get a nice shower and change of clothes.  Plus in some lounges, sleeping rooms to stretch out.

[Ashland]

I usually fly comfort+ or business/first on DL...I've recently found better pricing on AA...loyalty means very little to me now...it's price/flights/seats available.

[GeezerCouple]

24 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Depending where you are, I'd be wanting a more than 6 hour connection. 

 

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow, Cathay lounges in HKG, and others make you want to STAY there and take advantage of the cabanas, or spas, or restaurants or more.  And, of course, the chance to get a nice shower and change of clothes.  Plus in some lounges, sleeping rooms to stretch out.

 

Had to laugh at this, but it's true, if one has a grueling travel day(s).

 

We purposefully planned a l-o-n-g layover in Hong Kong, because we were Cathay Pacific F, and those are NICE lounges.

We changed our plans so we actually stopped over in Hong Kong.  And although we planned a nice early arrival at the airport for our return home, it wasn't so necessary for the start of the flight.  Alas (for several reasons), a typhoon was headed for a direct hit, and after reading the "Typhoon precautions" note under our hotel door, and watching the weather reports, we head out one day earlier, and had little time to do so.  What little we saw of the F lounges... we want to have some more time (ditto on CX F - amazing flight experience; we truly did not want to get off the plane, after more than 15 hours!).

 

But we are not "loyal" to any one airline.

Depending upon the to/from cities, there might be a better choice than "usual", and that takes into account the expected plane equipment.  (Note the "expected":  metal can be changed on short notice, but that's not common).

And different metal can be used by the same airline such that F for one flight isn't the same as F for another flight, depending upon specific airplanes used.

 

At the Lufthansa F lounge in FRA (there is apparently even a nicer separate F terminal), DH got some nice nap time, in a private room with a regular bed, all nicely made up like a small hotel room.  Totally private.  Nice indeed!

Other than that, we were a bit disappointed with their F lounge, and next time will try to get to the F terminal.

BA's CCR lounge at LHR... that was more "our" style.  Plush, clubby easy chairs with ottomans, comfy sofas, etc.  But others may feel it's old fashioned (but so are we, I guess).  Very pleasant.

 

We only fly international premium (F or J) using awards thus far.  We'd pay for J if necessary; we cannot go ultra long haul in cattle class anymore.  Our bodies squawk for days, not to mention the physical agony by the end of the flight!

 

We have accumulated points with Amex MR and with AAdvantage, for the most part.  With the partner airlines for those programs, we've had a nice choice of carriers to different destinations.

We can purchase AAdvantage points for a price that makes F especially, but sometimes even J, more affordable, if/when that is needed.  Amex MR points can't be purchased, so we've tried to shift our spending a bit more in that direction.

 

We still have lots to learn, and will probably open another charge card for another program that offers something we don't yet have good access for.  (We are working with an awards service aka luxury travel agent, who is now helping us to redirect some spending, given future travel plans/desires.)

 

There is SO much still to learn, but we have been delighted with the excellent F experiences we've had thus far.

 

This was my long way to say that we are NOT "loyal" to any particular airline.  Our favorite thus far (CX, but we haven't yet tried Singapore Suites, or a couple of the Middle East airlines) just doesn't go everywhere we want to go, or we'd definitely try to stay with them.

And routing/scheduling is important.  Would we take a 12 hour layover at a mediocre stop, when we could fly on "almost as nice" equipment non-stop?  Nope.  And probably not with a 3 hour connection, either.  (But that also depends upon "what is Plan B" if a flight is delayed, something we try to keep in mind as well.)

 

It seems you are paying cash for your travels?  Are you signed up and getting points for that spending (and ALL spending)?

Amex Plat is good for points, too, not just lounge access.  You probably know this, but just in case...

 

Also read the AIR section of CC:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/77-cruise-air/

 

And then there is 

 

www.FlyerTalk.com

 

That is a bit difficult to navigate, but really has a lot of deep knowledge about flying: airlines, routes, seating, lounges, and awards.

 

Good luck!

 

GC

 

 

[crzndeb]

Being on the Westcoast, my airline of choice is Alaska Air. Purchases go on that card, and although I may not always have enough miles to fly Business on International flights, I will purchase them when they have their “buy miles, get miles sales, and they do partner with several airlines.

 

I just bought miles in Business class to San Diego on Japan Airlines, after a TP cruise, and it did cost me about $800 to buy the needed miles, but it was well worth it to me. Plus, Japan Airlines had least amount of miles needed and shortest duration.

I also do a lot of research on YouTube and Seatguru.

 

On cruises I take, that have an Air program, I will usually buy up to Business. Last year to Copenhagen (with Air2Sea), I bought Business class for $1000 from Seattle. Considering I have seen Business tickets run upwards of $3k+, I still consider it a bargain to fly in comfort for 9+ hours. 

 

For domestic, now that Alaska Air is starting flights from Paine Field, which is 10 mins away, I will be booking them.

Edited February 21, 2019 by crzndeb

[Zach1213]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Depending where you are, I'd be wanting a more than 6 hour connection. 

 

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow, Cathay lounges in HKG, and others make you want to STAY there and take advantage of the cabanas, or spas, or restaurants or more.  And, of course, the chance to get a nice shower and change of clothes.  Plus in some lounges, sleeping rooms to stretch out.

 

I'll routinely do an 8-10 hour layover at HKG...between getting in to my favorite city for a few hours (always something new to see, even having been there countless times) and enjoying the lounges, it's often worth it. Usually on the outbound...on the return I just want to get home.

[compozer]

I did find a different flight home that had a 12 hour layover in Seoul  arriving 9am.   I thought it might be kind of fun to do a city tour during our layover.  Yes, I remember Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse - very nice.   We have only flown them once - a return trip home.  I keep looking and would pay more to fly them again but nothing available.  The chef on board and the fun we had sitting at the bar.  We were treated like royalty.   I did look up that flight on their website and it was going for $15,000 pp.   Wonder if anyone paid that much.   Seemed to be all businessman. 

 

Thanks again for all the hints

  

[compozer]

I have been reading the posts under cruise air but only a half dozen or so posts a day and figured I would reach more people here.   And I certainly have.

 

This post is so refreshing.  I been getting so tired of all the hasty comments on some of the cc posts but you all have been so helpful.   Take care

 

[sumiandkage]

We live in the small metro Southeast, and the really local options are the Legacy 3 + Allegiant (doesn't really go where we want to go) and add in Southwest if we're willing to drive to another airport an extra hour away. I've done a bit of travel hacking in recent years and ended up with assorted flights on the big four as a result. 

 

We're coach or C+/MCE ticket buyers and after sampling the different wares, we've defaulted to Delta for 

 

1) General better reliability (just give yourself a nice buffer when connecting through ATL during summer thunderstorm season) and good handling of IRROPS and when other things go wrong. I like that you can rebook yourself on your phone when you're going to miss a connection in many cases.  I also had an aborted landing last year-crosswinds at Salt Lake City- that actually left me with a good feeling because of how professionally it was handled. 

 

2) Slightly more humane treatment of coach passengers. They have not densified coach to the extent that their peers have. (No, not a fan of American's Oasis retrofit)

 

3) Higher odds of interacting with employees who go beyond the contract of carriage minimum, even if you're no status and flying on a cheap or award ticket. 

 

4) More mainline and less Embraer 135/45 or CRJ 200 Devil's Chariot service to podunk field. Not only do I appreciate being able to fully stand up in a bigger plane, the bigger planes have better award ticket space than Barbie's Dream Jet. I'm currently sitting on six figures of United miles (isn't everyone?)  that are impressively hard to use because that first hop between here and Houston makes the entire ticket price out to non-saver redemption rates. 

 

Our household price sensitivity is probably being willing to pay 15-20% more for Delta than the competition.  If I'm reading the rules of how Delta credits MQMs for bulk fares correctly, I'll make silver for the first time this year. 

 

 

[fbgd]

13 hours ago, SRF said:

If you are flying business, and paying for it, there is little gained by being loyal.

 

In Star Alliance and Skyteam, yes. In oneworld the Sapphire tier provides business class benefits whereas Emerald tier offers first class benefits (broadly speaking). A lot of the OW carriers still offer international first class whereas Skyteam and Star Alliance don’t nearly as much.

 

I’m BA Gold (oneworld Emerald) and on a AA business class ticket leaving LAX this week the wife and I had a personal escort from Flagship check-in to the front of the TSA Pre line, and even to the front of those waiting to go through the WTMDs! The porter just moved other passengers bags to the side. Was as funny, embarrassing and cool in equal measure! However, a business class ticket alone wouldn’t offer access to the special check-in area or provide the escort. As my home base is JFK where AA have a similar setup for oneworld Emeralds and “3 cabin” First Class it’s a very useful Emerald benefit. 

[waterbug123]

20 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Whenever you can save $100 or more on a given flight by using another line, go for it. 

 

It may be a good rule of thumb in general, but there are times when it is well worth it to spend and extra $100 to fly a different airline.  Better flight times, better connection times, etc. but also if it's a long flight where there are a lot of miles to be earned it can be well worth it for those who fly often enough to earn/keep airline status....keeping your status-earning miles mainly with one airline can more than make up for a little extra paid, in terms of upgrades and other perks.  Everyone should analyze their own situation and look at the big picture as it relates to their particular travel patterns.

 

19 hours ago, compozer said:

 I will look closer at the other airlines.   I think I will check them out and make a note of the airplanes used.   There was one that did not get any good reviews, even in business class.   Forgot which one but everyone said the seats were the worst and most uncomfortable they have ever been on.  

 

Good idea, but make sure you are not just looking at any review of a particular aircraft...look at one for the particular airline you are considering.  Any aircraft model, be it a 737, A330, or whatever, can vary a lot from airline to airline, because each airline tells the manufacturer what kind of seats they want, how they want the seats configured, how they want them spaced apart, etc.  Airlines also can and do change the interiors after a period of time, so be sure to look at a current review of a particular airline's version of a particular aircraft model.

[sumiandkage]

23 hours ago, SRF said:

If you are flying business, and paying for it, there is little gained by being loyal.

 

 

There are times when being able to access the really special elite customer service line can be useful. Not just during IRROPS, but there were a few years when my sister was Diamond with Delta and I can remember her calling them up and getting to make changes with no charge for a totally unrelated ticket my mother had- just had to put Mom on the phone to confirm things. (We'd come from different places across the country for a ladies city weekend) 

[Gardyloo]

19 hours ago, compozer said:

I have been reading the posts under cruise air but only a half dozen or so posts a day and figured I would reach more people here.   And I certainly have.

 

This post is so refreshing.  I been getting so tired of all the hasty comments on some of the cc posts but you all have been so helpful.   Take care

 

I agree, this is an exceptional thread for this board.

 

I think a deeper understanding of how the miles game relates to one's choice of airlines and products is a very valuable thing to obtain.  Every time I see someone use the term "free flight" or "award" flight I cringe a little, because they're neither.  Miles are a form of currency like any other - they're subject to fluctuations in value, and you can work harder or easier to obtain them, depending on how you manage your miles "wallet."

 

Years ago, Air Canada was facing bankruptcy and decided to sell off their mileage scheme, Aeroplan, to outside investors.  At the time, Aeroplan's value was greater than the the rest of AC's assets.  These schemes are massive cash cows to the airlines, just as gift cards or certificates are to merchants and credit card companies.  How many times have you had a Starbucks gift card with 50c left on it?  Or, in my case, find a gift certificate in my piles of papers for a restaurant that went out of business three years ago?  Multiply that by a few million, and you've got serious profit accruing to the people who sold the cards or certificates - they've got the money and never had to supply the product or service.  Nobody knows how many billions of frequent flyer miles expire every year after languishing in people's accounts until they timed out, but it's a big number.  The credit card people paid real money to the airlines for those miles, which they recouped through annual fees or through merchant fees, but the airlines never had to "sell" a seat for them.  Winner, winner.  

 

I have my own (admittedly flexible) threshold for when to earn v. burn FF miles, but I always use a benefit-cost calculus when I'm considering using them.  It's not that hard to do the math, and for a bunch of semi- or very frequent flyers, it's a worthwhile exercise.  Like the lady says, "What's in your wallet?"