United or American

[sam_gordon]

Later this year, I'm scheduled to work in Amarillo, TX. Unfortunately, my airline of choice, Delta, doesn't fly in there. I'm not against flying to a nearby airport and driving, but from what I can tell, all of the Delta airports surrounding Amarillo are 4 hours away. That's a little much for me.

So, it looks like either American or United. Which one would you choose and why? If it makes a difference, I know I'll be doing a connection, with American I'm guessing Dallas, with United Chicago.

 

[gmi3804]

The one with the better timetable and/or price. They’re equally mediocre.

 

[Donald Duck Family]

I fly a lot for work. United is just okay, but I avoid American like the plague. I will only fly American if they are the only contract carrier to my destination and then it is only reluctantly.

 

[john7994]

The one with the better timetable and/or price. They’re equally mediocre.

100% agree ... they are equally mediocre ...
I would default to American for the miles (for me personally)

 

[Smugpugmug]

I fly United a lot and they're extremely mediocre. You can certainly do a lot worse. I would choose whichever one has the better arrival time. I never fly American because at least at airports near me they're WAY more expensive and have worse routes (more connections, arrive later, etc.)

 

[Jimsig]

I'd say a toss up and go with lowest fare unless you are chasing miles on one airline and the fares are close.

Could Southwest work for you?

 

[sam_gordon]

I'd say a toss up and go with lowest fare unless you are chasing miles on one airline and the fares are close.

Getting miles from Delta, flew American last year from a job interview and the first plane was over an hour late, forcing me to miss my connection and overnight in Charlotte. BUT, I'm willing to admit that could be a one off, so wanted to ask others their opinion.

Could Southwest work for you?

I hadn't considered that honestly. American/United fly out of my "local" (still 35 minute drive) airport, but SW does fly out of two airports that are both ~90 minutes from me. Going to need to compare times on that (I often get home late on Friday nights and don't relish a 90 minute commute home, but might consider it). Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Leigh L]

I fly a lot for work. United is just okay, but I avoid American like the plague. I will only fly American if they are the only contract carrier to my destination and then it is only reluctantly.

I would 110% agree with this based on my own and a good friend of mine's (repeated problems) with them. This happened more than once to her, but the one that comes to mind is the time she was stranded in Philly on a connection and they provided absolutely no solution. She had to rent a car and drive to Niagara Falls after already spending a day flying.

In my case, American canceled with no reason given after boarding passes were issued. They split the 5 of us flying on different days and from differing departure and arrival airports. We were all over the map. Then had to argue for the refund. Granted, we had 3 reservations for 5 people, but dang that was a mess. We ended up renting a one-way drive to MCO last minute.

United, while not perfect, for us has been far more reliable in the last two years. Mostly small delays, minus the outright cancellation to NOLA in December (but I think all airlines were affected by that one).

 

[Jimsig]

I hadn't considered that honestly. American/United fly out of my "local" (still 35 minute drive) airport, but SW does fly out of two airports that are both ~90 minutes from me. Going to need to compare times on that (I often get home late on Friday nights and don't relish a 90 minute commute home, but might consider it). Thanks for the suggestion!

With SW not allowing their flights to be sold through travel sites they tend to get forgotten about as they don't appear on those searches.

 

[Cheburashka]

I fly American multiple times per year and have never had a serious problem with them. Flights and service are as reliable as with United and Delta. I've never had a problem with United, either, but I don't fly them as often.

For the OP in particular, I would recommended American because if there is cold weather, imo it's better to connect in Dallas than Chicago, which might have snow.

I do not recommend Southwest.

 

[gmi3804]

Trying to predict which airline will be "better" on the day you fly is a fool's errand. I don't know what kind of assurance you're looking for.

 

[georgina]

I had similar thoughts. We have had issues with all the airlines through the years. I voted American because I don't really like ORD (but not sure I have ever changed planes in Dallas). I have a general feeling that American has more of a presence in Texas. DD who is in SF flies United most, DS in Seattle flies Alaska, us near Reagan fly mostly SW

 

[EACarlson]

Depends on schedule, time of year and where you're flying from. All things being equal if "later this year" means August, I'm going to go with United through ORD, if it means November, I'm going American through DFW. I'm guessing AA will have more flights DFW-AMA than UA will have ORD-AMA, actually looking at current schedules UA isn't currently flying ORD-AMA only IAH-AMA. That being the case I'd go with whichever schedule works better. I've flown all of the big four already this year, not much difference between any of them.

 

[TexasJedi]

DFW is a key hub for American, so if something does go sideways on your trip with a delay or cancellation of a leg, you're likely to have far more options for getting to Amarillo from DFW via American rather than United.

 

[gmi3804]

DFW is a key hub for American, so if something does go sideways on your trip with a delay or cancellation of a leg, you're likely to have far more options for getting to Amarillo from DFW via American rather than United.

DFW, with that horrible tram system, is a PITA if you have a connection.

 

[DisDad1321]

Have flown both several times. I personally have never noticed a big difference between the two. They are about the same in terms of flight experience and check in. Take whichever is cheaper/offers better rewards, whichever is more important.

I would also agree on checking into SW. Big in Texas as it is based there.

 

[brockash]

Later this year, I'm scheduled to work in Amarillo, TX. Unfortunately, my airline of choice, Delta, doesn't fly in there. I'm not against flying to a nearby airport and driving, but from what I can tell, all of the Delta airports surrounding Amarillo are 4 hours away. That's a little much for me.

So, it looks like either American or United. Which one would you choose and why? If it makes a difference, I know I'll be doing a connection, with American I'm guessing Dallas, with United Chicago.

American for sure. We had a terrible experience with United last year and they were HORRIBLE about it. We also had a delayed trip with American about 2 months prior to this and while the circumstances were a bit frustrating; American was great and took care of us well. We have no plans to return with United even if it's cheaper.

On top of that I'd choose to connect through Dallas every day over Chicago. We almost always get delayed in Chicago layovers but Dallas has been smooth sailing for us typically. I also much prefer the airport too.

 

[Allison]

Six of one, half dozen of another. It doesn't really matter.

 

[Jimsig]

I do not recommend Southwest.

Any particular reason?

 

[artesian]

I think the ultra sad part of this there just isn't any airline they you'd say yes please I want to fly them every time. All the major carriers are in a state of nickel and diming for everything and not seem like they care much about the average customer. I want to say the only true loyalty I've had was back in the Continental and more recent JetBlue days.