American vs United

[Maggie The Cat]

Do you find much a difference?

Both non-stop flights, similar times and not big price differences.

Any other reason I'm not thinking of for choosing one over the other?

 

[Best Aunt]

1) Which one has more flights to your destination on your travel day?
In other words, if your flight gets cancelled, which airline has more alternate options to get you where you need to go on the same day?

2) Who is operating the flights?
Sometimes if you look at the details of a flight, you will see things like this:
"Includes Travel Operated By Air Wisconsin Dba United Express" (United)
or this:
"Operated by PSA Airlines As American Eagle" (American)
"Operated by Piedmont Airlines As American Eagle" (American)
which means you are on a regional flight and probably a small plane.
That can make a difference to people who get motion sick.

I even saw this included in the flight options for American:
"Operated by JetBlue"
I checked the JetBlue website, and sure enough, it was a JetBlue flight.
Not sure why I would want to book a domestic JetBlue flight through American.

I haven't been paying attention to whether either of those airlines has been having a bad spring. Delta and Southwest keep cancelling flights on short notice.

 

[Maggie The Cat]

1) Which one has more flights to your destination on your travel day?
In other words, if your flight gets cancelled, which airline has more alternate options to get you where you need to go on the same day?

2) Who is operating the flights?
Sometimes if you look at the details of a flight, you will see things like this:
"Includes Travel Operated By Air Wisconsin Dba United Express" (United)
or this:
"Operated by PSA Airlines As American Eagle" (American)
"Operated by Piedmont Airlines As American Eagle" (American)
which means you are on a regional flight and probably a small plane.
That can make a difference to people who get motion sick.

I even saw this included in the flight options for American:
"Operated by JetBlue"
I checked the JetBlue website, and sure enough, it was a JetBlue flight.
Not sure why I would want to book a domestic JetBlue flight through American.

I haven't been paying attention to whether either of those airlines has been having a bad spring. Delta and Southwest keep cancelling flights on short notice.

It's a big hub so a lot of flights for both. I'll look at the other things you suggested.

 

[gharter]

Haven't seen much difference.
I would pick based on which flight time works better for you.
Which one do you have a free luggage card for.
Which one is cancelling less fights and has more options.

 

[seashoreCM]

Not sure about United but I did see in American's contract of carriage that, in the event of a schedule change or cancellation, they reserve the right to limit what replacement flights you can choose.

(I still suggest that, if your flight is changed or cancelled and you get any flak about what you Coach or Economy you can choose from (not totally sold out) that you quietly ask for a supervisor and keep going up the change of command.)

 

[Maggie The Cat]

Thanks all.

We went with United because home flight times were more to our liking.

I just went ahead and purchased already because the cost mirrored what we normally pay for fall trips and this time we are going in Spring. So no price increase for us for next year's flights, which is nice.

( we buy refundable tickets now for peace of mind with elderly parents on our minds and everything else!)

 

[WDWEPCOT]

I prefer United over American - I have had good flights with them - friendly staff and when we came back from Alaska and I knew our bags were over weight they didn’t even bother to weigh them !! The staff I’ve found is always helpful

 

[xipotec]

American every-time for me.

 

[_19disnA]

I think either would be fine. If you happen to live in hub city, you have a better chance of flying non-stop to your destination. Non-stop is always my first choice, less to go wrong, takes less time to get to where you are going and less opportunity for lost luggage if not switching airplanes. Depending upon where you fly, it is also better to stick with one airline if you can so you can accumulate enough frequent flyer points to be worth something. Having points spread around with different airlines usually means you never accumulate enough for any upgrades.

I believe all of those commuter flights are now jet aircraft. In the past some of the shorter flights used propeller aircraft which were typically noisy and flown by the least experienced pilots. Something to avoid if possible. Good to check the flight 'details' about the type of aircraft when booking your reservation. If you happen to live near a small airport, you will typically take a commuter plane to connect through one of their other larger airports. At large airports, commuter planes generally have their own terminal and you have to walk a long way to get your connecting flight.

 

[Maggie The Cat]

I think either would be fine. If you happen to live in hub city, you have a better chance of flying non-stop to your destination. Non-stop is always my first choice, less to go wrong, takes less time to get to where you are going and less opportunity for lost luggage if not switching airplanes. Depending upon where you fly, it is also better to stick with one airline if you can so you can accumulate enough frequent flyer points to be worth something. Having points spread around with different airlines usually means you never accumulate enough for any upgrades.

I believe all of those commuter flights are now jet aircraft. In the past some of the shorter flights used propeller aircraft which were typically noisy and flown by the least experienced pilots. Something to avoid if possible. Good to check the flight 'details' about the type of aircraft when booking your reservation. If you happen to live near a small airport, you will typically take a commuter plane to connect through one of their other larger airports. At large airports, commuter planes generally have their own terminal and you have to walk a long way to get your connecting flight.

Yes we chose United non-stop. First flight out on the way there and back. (we like to go as early as possible on travel days)