American is trying to make the boarding process less confusing and more depressing. There will be a total of 10 boarding groups. Credit card holders are moved down to Group 5, so that benefit doesn't sound too cool anymore. It does solve the United problem of half the plane being in Group 1 & 2. I was Group 9 on Delta once and it made me sad.
United Airlines announced a new lifetime status level: 1 Parsec Status. Simply fly a parsec to qualify, 19,174,000,000,000 miles is all you need (I'm unsure if United has flown this far in their cumulative history). Credit due to Launch Pad Brewery for inspiring this idea while my flight was delayed.
It's dated and the same product when I flew in 2015. It feels more tired and the TV went from obsolete to antiquated. Unlike American air carriers, British Airways keeps pushing back their 747-400 retirement date. They are like domestic carriers in that they don't update their 747 fleet.