It depends on your routes. United and American both have large networks, so compare prices, schedules, and loyalty perks.
Networks
- United is based at hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark, San Francisco, Washington and Los Angeles. Star Alliance.
- American is based in Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Miami, Chicago, Phoenix and others. Oneworld.
Compare
Prices, schedules, loyalty program and hub location.
Rankings
Customer satisfaction scores change each year (J.D. Power, ACSI).
Loyalty
MileagePlus (United) and AAdvantage (American).
Which
Choose by your home airport and route.
Network and rankings
United Airlines and American Airlines are two of the four largest US carriers. United has major hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington Dulles and belongs to Star Alliance. American’s hubs include Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington Reagan, and it belongs to Oneworld.
- Rankings change yearly. J.D. Power’s North America Airline Satisfaction Study, the Wall Street Journal’s annual ranking and the DOT’s on-time data are common references.
- Both fly to over 300 destinations across the world.
- United MileagePlus miles do not expire, and American AAdvantage miles stay active with account activity every 24 months.
Which to pick
Choose by hub location, routes, schedule and price. Compare lounge access, upgrades, change fees and baggage policy. Basic economy fares on both restrict seat selection and carry-on or changes in certain cases. Credit cards from each give bonus miles and perks. Check the DOT’s Air Travel Consumer Report for on-time and complaint statistics.
Network and rankings
United and American are the two largest US airlines by passengers. United’s hubs include Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark and San Francisco, and American’s include Dallas Fort Worth, Charlotte, Chicago and Miami. J.D. Power and other surveys rate satisfaction similar for both. American is part of Oneworld, United of Star Alliance.
Which to pick
Choose based on your home airport, routes and loyalty program. Compare fares and baggage fees.
Network and scale
United Airlines operates hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark, San Francisco and Washington, and American Airlines has hubs in Dallas Fort Worth, Charlotte, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Both are in the top four US carriers by passenger traffic. American is the largest airline in the world by fleet size, with over 900 mainline aircraft.
Passenger experience
United has the Polaris business class and a MileagePlus program, and American has Flagship business class and AAdvantage. Rankings vary by year, and J.D. Power, the Department of Transportation and Skytrax give mixed results, with on time performance varying by month. Check baggage fees, seat pitch and Wi-Fi. Both belong to different alliances, United in Star Alliance and American in Oneworld. Compare your home airport, route and loyalty goals.
Based on data from the US Department of Transportation and J.D. Power
