It amazes me that United makes it so much harder to get a confirmed seat on an earlier flight for $25. I would think they would want that money, but maybe they are too busy making sure all the prezels are off their short haul flights.

Don’t forget that you can take an open seat on any flight of the day that you’re ticketed for $25.

Never give up hope until the gate door has closed — most of those people with status become overwhelmed in insipid cell chatter and don’t hear their name called for a boarding pass.

Status is a huge factor on the list, but as any frequent AA traveler will tell you, this is well deserved. AA is the Wal-Mart of airlines — my flights average 20% on-time ratings and are canceled at least once a month. They have never apologized for anything; for example about 8 months ago I boarded an American Eagle flight where the toilet was spewing out waste, and even with all of the passengers complaining, the flight attendant sprayed perfume throughout the plane while informing us that “we can’t delay our departure because of sewage on the carpet.” This wasn’t the only problem of the day — the earlier departing flight had been canceled after sitting at the gate for two hours while mechnics troubleshooted a faulty indicator light. If I were an occasional traveler, and had paid the $400 to fly on a plane only to leave smelling like I bathed in feces, AA would never have my business again.

Occasionally I am amazed by exceptional employees, but overall it is a horrid experience. The former TWA employees continue to have attitude issues — there are absolutely abysmal NYC and St Louis gate agents that I watch in horror as they yell at customers, completely unprovoked. If I lost the AA status perks, I would jump to another airline immediately. Non-frequent travelers are quick to complain about the perks of status, but fly AA regularly and you will understand.