AA vs US from Manchester Airport

We have just returned from our annual vacation to the USA flying, for the first time on US Airways, instead of our usual American Airlines. This is my impression and view on this trip.

Firstly we have flown AA from Heathrow to DFW direct in the past, and also done MAN-ORD-DFW as well, but we loathe changing from T5 to T3 at LHR as you have to clear security on entry to T3 despite just getting off an internal transfer flight. We fly based on price, and as DFW is AA's hub - they tend to have the best connections, certainly from Chicago where at peak hours the flights are 20 minutes apart.

So lets start with a review of this years flights. We booked US to fly MAN-PHL-DFW and return the same route. Firstly the price difference between US and AA was some £300 per person, so AA had to really pull out the stops - but they didn't. 

Flying out via LHR

Firstly AA had downgraded the lunchtime DFW flight to a 767-300 which is not a good plane, in AA's fleet. Other airlines have invested in the onboard product aboard the 767 but not AA, despite going through a fleet refresh at the moment (http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/media-kit/fleet/fleet-renewal). Even when the refresh is complete there is no AVOD on board in economy!! The pride of the fleet - the 77W, is only available on the early morning flight, which is tricky to get on to when flying from the provinces, so you either take the lunchtime or afternoon flight. We usually chose the lunchtime flight, which is either the 763 or sometimes the 772, which means you suffer from no IFE or very poor IFE.

Another problem with this is the horrendous queues at immigration - the wait times here can be 2+ hours which again is a pain after a 9-10 hour flight.

Flying out via ORD

Another alternative is flying Manchester to Chicago and then onwards, but again the 763 is the main aircraft used, and so the same problem as above - rubbish IFE! But at least the immigration queues at Chicago are better.

Lets try US Airways!

So, as they merged with AA we can now earn frequent flyer miles.They were considerably cheaper than AA and the times weren't that much worse than what we usually have, so we booked with them. The plane was roomy and IFE consisted of 9in screens with full AVOD and USB sockets in the armrests. This was very comfortable and the staff were friendly and helpful, particularly one of the stewards who gave us advice on transferring flights and some places in Dallas to visit. 

We then progressed to immigration and this was a breeze - passing though in about 20 minutes and then moved onto our next flight. We managed to buy some lunch to sort us out and took it on board. The biggest downer on the PHL-DFW flight was the lack of overhead bin storage, which meant we had to put our hand luggage into the hold. This meant a mad panic to remove items needed during the flight before sending the bags off into the hold. We have never had to do this on AA's ORD-DFW flight so not sure why this is the case on PHL-DFW.

Overall it was a pleasant experience and one I think we will try again.

My only hope is that US don't raise their prices to the level AA are at.

Summary

AA need to upgrade their fleet and make them more competitive in the market. The 763, whilst a good plane needs a proper onboard experience, and sadly doesn't live up to it. Also AA is putting the 757 on some flights to Manchester (As US are doing CLT-MAN) which is also not good. US have a good price and a good on board experience and so should get our business in the future.

Avoiding US Immigration at DFW is also a prime concern as it is unbelievable.

The Future?

The question is - will AA upgrade the MAN-ORD route by using a 787 when they arrive? Or introduce a 763 or 787 on MAN-DFW??? Both of these would be good moves IMHO...

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