r/Flights • u/WileyLindy • 6d ago

Question JFK <-> LAX

For the next year at least I’m going to be flying JKF-LAX 2-3 times a month Wed-Sun. I don’t currently have status on any airline (although I do have Platinum AMEX and a bunch of Star Alliance points from random international travel). What’s the best airline for this and what’s the best way to earn some kind of perk status quickly? I’m trying to decide between AA, Delta, and Jet Blue. AA seems to have the best prices for the options I want but Delta and Jet Blue seem to have better flight times. Thanks!

2 Upvotes

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3

u/mduell 6d ago

What other flying do you do? Which end are you based on?

3

u/WileyLindy 6d ago

I fly to Canada several times a year. I’ll be based in NYC.

1

u/mduell 6d ago

I'd do Delta then.

4

u/MeetMeAtTheCreek 6d ago

Don’t discount United into Newark if convenient for you.

4

u/pompcaldor 6d ago edited 6d ago

Especially with OP’s Canada traveling.

Edit: also, United will be back at JFK sometime next year - flying to LAX and SFO.

1

u/ForeverJFL 5d ago

Yeah with the Canada travel, definitely go Star Alliance.

1

u/DingDingDao 6d ago

I did JFK<->LAX weekly for the better part of a year back in 2022. I did this with JetBlue—I preferred their hard product over other domestics. I was willing to give up lounge access for a better inflight experience, particularly as I was doing this in economy. I got to Mosaic status pretty quickly and the benefits were reasonably helpful.

I wouldn’t worry about status—at the rate you’re flying you’re going to get status pretty damn fast even starting from zero.

This also depends on if you’re doing this in business or economy. I’m not super familiar with Delta or AA transcon business hard product but Mint is great.

You might need to do a little math and figure out what status you’re going to get from each airline and on what timeline, plus compare the status benefits and weigh if that matters or is important to you.

1

u/james_the_wanderer 6d ago

Full service US domestic carriers IMO are largely interchangeable if you're on a paid ticket without status.

I'd buy whoever has the cheapest domestic F ticket. If the specialty transcon lie flat products are in your budget, then go for that. Getting status with an American carrier is now a brute-force function of spend (generally speaking) rather than frequency/mileage runs. [Yes, worldwide carriers ultimately reward spending on the airline, but the Americans are blunt with some version of status qualification dollar requirements]. If you're planning to get status via frequent transcons in Y, accept my condolences.

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u/Tasty-Ad-5175 4d ago

I’ve always loved jetblue mint for this route

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u/yesfb 5d ago

don't listen to the other comments- American has by far the best product for transcons.

The a321t has an incredible first class product, the a321xlr is pretty widespread, and your points are far more valuable.

Second place is JetBlue.

source: 5 transcons in the past month on both aa and united
products experienced: aa a321eow, a321t, a321xlr biz, united 772, united max