Now that I've moved, it's no longer feasible to take my beloved JetBlue flights. For my next domestic (US) trip, the only option from my local airport is American. This means saying goodbye to the Terra chips, being able to secure early boarding so that I'm sure of overhead space, and the promise of a window or aisle seat. (The JetBlue flights I took were all the 2-2 configuration.)
It is the early boarding I'm most concerned about, as my primary goal is to NOT have to gate-check my bag. Yet, I balk at paying extra for the seats that grant you priority boarding. To me, that's just a sneaky way of raising the ticket price. I did sign up for one of their credit cards, which is supposed to put me in "group 5". Is this enough to ensure my bag (an A30 or WF) can get a space in the overhead? And if not, will it fit underneath the seats in front of me? On JetBlue, this was never a problem, but my recollection of the few American flights I've taken is that the seats are a lot smaller.