Which airline?

[seaboy4hire]

Well with all this airline talk it made me wonder which one has better service? Here is the situation. This fall I am going to be heading down to Memphis and I am at a loss of which airline to chose. All my miles are with Alaska Airlines which has code share type stuff with Northwest, Delta, Continental and American. I prefer not to fly on Continental because the miles and or segments do not count towards mvp/mvp gold on Alaska, they just count towards miles in my account. And Northwest well the labor issues really turn me off although I might be open to fly with them if some how they magically turn things around. I've flown Delta once and will be doing so again on my way from Chicago with a plane change in Atlanta. But that flight was over 10 years ago. American I've flown before and yeah it was ok, nothing special. So there ya have it. Any personal experiences would be cool either way to help me out.

 

Hugs,

Greg

[email protected]

http://seaboy4hire.tripod.com New page for reviews http://www.daddysreviews.com/newest.php?who=greg_seattle Los Angeles June 28, 2007 One day only!CHICAGO June 29-July 2, 2007

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[rvwnsd]

I am partial to United, mainly because they have more legroom (I am 6'4") and I used to work for their corporate bank and we always flew them. That and they usually have the best fares to where I travel (Chicago, NYC). I would suggest Southwest, but they don't seem to fly into Memphis. You are right about American...they should change their slogan to "nothing special in the air."

[Guest]

>Well with all this airline talk it made me wonder which one

>has better service? Here is the situation. This fall I am

>going to be heading down to Memphis and I am at a loss of

>which airline to chose. All my miles are with Alaska Airlines

>which has code share type stuff with Northwest, Delta,

>Continental and American. I prefer not to fly on Continental

>because the miles and or segments do not count towards mvp/mvp

>gold on Alaska, they just count towards miles in my account.

>And Northwest well the labor issues really turn me off

>although I might be open to fly with them if some how they

>magically turn things around. I've flown Delta once and will

>be doing so again on my way from Chicago with a plane change

>in Atlanta. But that flight was over 10 years ago. American

>I've flown before and yeah it was ok, nothing special. So

>there ya have it. Any personal experiences would be cool

>either way to help me out.

>

I recently saw a survey which showed United at the bottom of customer satisfaction on U.S. airlines. After being Premier or Executive Premier with them for four years, I've had it with their attitude and refusal to give upgrades, and I've started flying U.S. Airways this year after they sent me a surprise Gold Preferred card in the mail. So far, I like them much better. I really liked Delta when I flew with them (generally on a Silver Medallion or Gold Medallion basis), but I sadly parted with them when they decided that discounted fares would only count for half-miles towards Medallion status. I've also flown with American a number of times and have been pleased with them. I have little experience with Northwest and none with Continental. I actually wish Continental would send me a surprise Gold card one of these days, since I'd like to go diving in Micronesia.

[seaboy4hire]

Unicorn I'm not sure if you are aware but there have been situations where folk have gotten airline A to automatically set them up with whatever status the person had with airline B. Might take a bit of phone calling but from those who have been able to do so have been pleased.

 

Hugs,

Greg

[email protected]

http://seaboy4hire.tripod.com New page for reviews http://www.daddysreviews.com/newest.php?who=greg_seattle Los Angeles June 28, 2007 One day only!CHICAGO June 29-July 2, 2007

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[Skyyguy]

It's a no brainer. Memphis is a hub for Northwest. I fly them often. The labor issue is over blown. I don't find their staff any less interested in their job than others. Well, except United.

 

My favorite is Continental; but I understand your issue on FF credit.

[Lankypeters]

Sometimes I think it's a question of which airline is the "least bad.' Pardon the clumsy expression. It's early in the morning.

 

That said, this frequent flyer finds Continental somewhat better than the others. They still offer food, such as it is, on domestic flights. And their onboard attendants are good. They certainly look good next to United, which has to be the pits. American is only marginally better. Though on a day when Chicago was clogged with long delays, an American ticketing agent very kindly re-routed me through Dallas. I was on a comp ticket, so she didn't have to help out.

 

Continental, by the way, has a shopping program. You can earn mileage points with purchases at places such as Barnes and Noble, Circuit City, etc. Buy a digital camera and score 2000 miles.

 

Business class has become what coach was thirty years ago -- when United justly led the pack.

 

It's a sorry situation all around. Unless you can fly British Airways first class. Since I'm not a highly paid escort, or an escort of any sort, that happens about once a decade.

 

 

Lankypeters

[edjames]

I, too, no longer fly Continental. I flew them for years in and out of Houston and had some horrible experiences. I finally used up my mileage last year and they charge more for using miles than some other airlines.

 

I've been flying American and JetBlue in recent years. True, these days I only fly down to Florida and back, but I do it about 7 times a year, so that's 14 flight segments. American has been pretty good. They've got a good on-time record and the flights have been pleasant enough. I don't need meals and all the amenities on short flights. It's more a matter of just get me there safely than anything else.

 

The only thing that irks me these days is delays caused by Air Traffic Control. No one ever mentions it before boarding and once the plane pulls away from the gate it gets parked on some auxiliary runway for what can be hours until Air Traffic Control gives the pilot a new slot for takeoff and landing! This happened at LaGuardia here in NYC one morning. We sat for four hours on the side of a runway before taking off. You mean to tell me the pilot didn't know this before the doors closed?

 

Weather is always the culprit. I recommend flying in the early hours for two reasons. First, the plane is usually at the gate from the night before, so you don't have to worry about waiting for a delayed plane to arrive from somewhere else. Second, most bad weather seems to arrive later in the day, especially in the south, so early mornings are usually clear for takeoffs. It also gets you to your destination earlier so you can enjoy the remainder of the day.

 

Lots of folks love JetBlue because the get free TV shows. Although it's a nice amenity, I can do without the TV. I'm an avid book reader, so I always have a book with me to help pass the time.

 

Ed

[Guest bighugbearphx]

>I recently saw a survey which showed United at the bottom of

>customer satisfaction on U.S. airlines. After being Premier

>or Executive Premier with them for four years, I've had it

>with their attitude and refusal to give upgrades, and I've

>started flying U.S. Airways this year after they sent me a

>surprise Gold Preferred card in the mail. So far, I like them

>much better.

 

Most of their frequest flyers seem to feel differently, based on articles I've read.

 

FYI, the July issue of Consumer Reports has ratings of all major US airlines based on reader input after 31,000+ flights in the past year. The ratings were for "overall customer service" including check-in ease, seating comfort, cabin staff service, online booking and on-time performance.

 

US Air was dead LAST of all the airlines, with a rating of 62 (out of 100). Next to last was America West (actually part of US Air but still flying planes under that name) with the same rating.

 

The overall rankings with scores:

 

1. Jet Blue 87

2. Midwest 86

3. Southwest 80

4. Frontier 78

5. Hawaiian 78

6. Aloha 75

7. Alaska 74

8. Spirit 74

9. Continental 72

10. AirTran 71

11. Delta 67

12. American 66

13. ATA 66

14. Northwest 65

15. American Eagle 65

16. United 64

17. America West 62

18. US Air 62

 

Seating comfort:

BEST: JetBlue, Midwest

ABOVE AVG: Frontier, Hawaiian, Aloha

WORST: Am Eagle, Northwest, AmericaWest, US Air, Delta

 

On-time perform:

BEST: Aloha

ABOVE AVG: (Top 5 airlines)

WORST: American and (bottom 3)

 

Cabin service:

BEST: JetBlue, Midwest

ABOVE AVG: (#3-6)

WORST: America West

 

Online booking:

BEST: Jet Blue, Midwest

WORST: US Air, America West

[Guest bighugbearphx]

>I am partial to United, mainly because they have more legroom

>(I am 6'4")

 

A useful website, for tall and/or fat travelers is

http://www.seatguru.com/

 

They list cabin configurations, as well as seating width and "pitch" (distance between seats) for all Domestic and Int'l airlines, different classes of service, whatever planes they fly. Also includes warnings on exit rows and stuff like "No legroom due to bulkhead" and "Avoid this row, downwind from rest rooms!"

[+ ArVaGuy]

With all this airline talk I am getting confused about which message center I am reading. I could start posting about escorts on FT that could get interesting.

 

In regard to your situation on Memphis, either NW or DL would be a good choice. As has been noted MEM is a hub for NW so they pretty much own the market. The labor issue can be a factor in service levels but the entire industry has lousy labor issues when you come right down to it.

 

The passenger satisfaction survey that the media makes such a big deal about is actually IMO a load of bull. The methodology has been challenged on several levels and the results are skewed since WN and B6 (that's Southwest and Jet Blue for you non FF folks) are given a bit of a leg up with the legacy carriers due to the fact they do not have international routes.

 

Also, some argue that the results should better distinguish the difference between frequent flyers and non frequent flyers. The FF's have a very different understanding of how the system works and levels of expectation. Casual flyers tend to be the ones who have issues with the slightest delays and, from my observation, tend to create their own hell more often than not. (My recent flight from Salt Lake City (SLC) would be an example of such but I'll refrain from telling that story here.)

 

All that said, do I think there is a difference in one airline over another? Absolutely not. I have had great service and lousy service on every single major carrier - WN and B6 included. AA tends to have, for me some of the surliest FA's surpassed only by US. I fly United in part because the route structure has worked best for my needs.

[KMEM]

Most everyone told part of the story. There is no such thing as real first class on any domestic airline at present and not likely to be any time soon. Memphis is a hub for NW and most fares to/from any hub, including Memphis, will be generally higher. However, Frontier has just recently come into Memphis and the markets served by both Frontier and NW are generally cheaper. You should be able to find a reasonable fare for SEA-MEM-SEA. Whether anyone is happy or not, the NW labor problems have been reduced to a current contract.

Have fun.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

 

After I posted this I looked on the NW web site and found a R-T SEA-MEM-SEA departing 9/12, returning 9/20 for $249. I arbitrarily choose those dates.

[Epigonos]

I fly a lot and as far as I'm concerned they are all just about equally BAD. With that in mind I research flights on http://www.kayak.com and select the one that fits my schedule and my pocketbook.

I know JetBlue is all the rage,. right now, but frankly they fly to and from airports I don't like using and have a very limited schedule. I frequently use Southwest when flying in the U.S. I realize it is like flying on a cattle car but the fares are good and the schedules frequent.

[jocklover]

Great to have you coming to Tennessee.

 

I live in Tennessee and hope you have a great time in Memphis.

[Guest novabear22031]

Amen to much of what you said. I too have been taking American Airlines since I started to fly again since July '05. Been pretty happy with them. So far I have used them to fly out of DCA (National Airport in Washington DC) to SFO via ORD, three trips to MIA, one trip to ORD, and one trip to PSP (Palm Springs CA) via ORD (all R/T's).

 

In all of those flights I have suffered only delays three times. Two in MIA - one was a Air Traffic Control (ATC) ground stop due to an air show in DCA for the new AF Memorial, the other was so that they could change a tire (that perhaps according the pilot, should have been changed in which ever South American country they had departed from - though in hindsight it was probably better to have the work done here in the USA. :-) ). Both delays were for less than an hour on my return flights. Guess I am more open to delays on returning that getting there in the first place.

 

The worst delay was this past Monday as I was trying to return from PSP to DCA via ORD. Evidently there was rain and scattered thunderstorms that shut down 1 of 3 runways, causing delays of 2 to 5 hours for many flights. In the end my PSP/ORD flight was delayed by 2 hours. Could have been 3 or more hours if the pilot had not taken control of the situation (more on that later). Lucky for me, my connecting to DCA was delayed by about the same amount of time.

 

Now on my rant about ATC. In the PSP/ORD situation. The pilot was trying to take direction from ATC in DC. That was causing much of delay in PSP. Evidently the tower at PSP gave him clearance to take off as soon as he was able to get us on board. He decided to take the towers OK. Not to miss his chance on a departure, the pilot had us on board and pushed from the gate in under 20 minutes! It was like a D-Day exercise! Good call on his part, for we were allowed to land at ORD without delay after a normal flight time. But in the end, WTF is going on that even the pilot can't get a straight answer from ATC?

 

 

Add to that, once I was at ORD, I talked with a few agents and crew members from AA. They universal comment was, "welcome to O'Hare during the summer months!". Again WTF! If they know that weather can delay flights out of ORD (a major hub for both AA and UA), why not restrict operations during the summer months? I would personally prefer less flight options knowing that I will get on my flight, than to wonder if I will be sleeping at the airport or even worse!

 

The even worse was shown by this group of 12 people flying from ATL via ORD to Rome on the same day I was doing my PSP to DCA run. Their flight from ATL landed 12 minutes after the official departure time for their ORD/Rome flight. AA would not hold that flight (which was an early afternoon flight) - could be argued as to what AA should have done - but the next days ORD/Rome flight did not have 12 seats available. So AA put them on a Raleigh flight scheduled at 8:25PM (but rescheduled for around 10:30PM) and then have them fly to JFK to catch the 5PM flight to Rome the next day! Lord only knows if they even made those connections!

 

I am a little concerned about my late July trip to SFO from DCA now....

[Guest novabear22031]

I am looking forward to Virgin America's entry into flights from Dulles (IAD) later this summer or early fall. Looking at their website (http://www.virginamerica.com/). They seem to be on the right track to try and please the US traveler.

[Guest]

I'm always curious about all of the surveys which rank Southwest so highly. What's to like? Upgrades or meals aren't even an option. You can't call your seat in advance. I just don't understand the appeal. As for Alaska, I just flew with them last month, and have flown with them a number of times over the years. In the days when most airlines were providing coach customers with meals, they didn't even provide a meal on a 5:30 PM departure from Puerto Vallarta to San Francisco. When I flew them first class a few times between SFO and PVR, the meals were thread-bear. I'm new with USAirways, but so far they're much easier to deal with. I get upgraded automatically without even having to call or use 500-mile coupons, or anything. I just get an e-mail saying "Your upgrade has been confirmed." With United, I couldn't upgrade even when the first-class cabin showed almost empty. My mother had the same experience. If I show the airline loyalty, I expect the airline to show some recognition, or what's the point in being loyal?

[Guest novabear22031]

>I'm always curious about all of the surveys which rank

>Southwest so highly. What's to like? Upgrades or meals

>aren't even an option. You can't call your seat in advance.

>I just don't understand the appeal.

 

My disdain for SWA is from the cable TV show "Airlines" IIRC - the US version. I even had a buddy of mine that was a subject of that show (Gary from Annapolis/Baltimore).

 

 

>I'm new with

>USAirways, but so far they're much easier to deal with. I get

>upgraded automatically without even having to call or use

>500-mile coupons, or anything. I just get an e-mail saying

>"Your upgrade has been confirmed."

 

I flew UselessAir last summer from DCA to LGA (IIRC), both the outbound and inbound flights forced us to sit on the tarmac for 2 to 3 hours. Not even drink service - since we could "take-off" at any time. It would have been easier for me to drive to Long Island (my final destination) than to have flown.

 

Also back in '96 my ex found a flight that was coded wrong on the UselessAir reservation system. R/T fares for $99! We had his corporate travel department snap up those fares. It was only after a few weeks of thinking that we decided to pay the rebooking fee to extend our trip. It was only then that we found out they canceled our reservations, even though we had "confirmed reservations". They finally re-instaded our reservations. The only bright spot in that ordeal, was that the gate agent saw the comments about the ordeal and saw that we were flying out on my B-day - she gave us 1st Class seats for both sides of the trip!

 

> With United, I couldn't

>upgrade even when the first-class cabin showed almost empty.

>My mother had the same experience. If I show the airline

>loyalty, I expect the airline to show some recognition, or

>what's the point in being loyal?

 

Don't get me started on UA! They are the last airline of choice for me after my trying to get back from ABQ to DCA. I had a medical issue while in ABQ, I called UA about a hardship upgrade to 1st class. I explained the medical issue with the guy on the phone. He said to show up early, and they would accommodate me. I arrived at the airport early - oly to be told that 1st class was "too valuable to give away". So they gave me a bulk-head seat. For my condition I did not need leg room - but more importantly the width of the seats. They flew 1st class with only two passengers on that flight from ABQ to DEN.

 

Because of my medical issues, the bulk-head seat caused me great pain. I was prescribed some heavy pain medication, which could only be taken with food. The ABQ/DEN flight for coach was beverage service only; I saw from my bulk-head seat that rolls were being served in 1st class. I asked a FA if I could get a roll in order to take my medication. She informed me that food service was just for 1st Class, and that if I needed to have food for my medication - I should have thought about that before boarding!

 

That was about 10 years ago. Never have been on a UA flight since. And as much as I hate UselessAir, UA will be the last choice in airlines for me....

[Guest]

>I flew UselessAir last summer from DCA to LGA (IIRC), both the

>outbound and inbound flights forced us to sit on the tarmac

>for 2 to 3 hours. Not even drink service - since we could

>"take-off" at any time. It would have been easier for me to

>drive to Long Island (my final destination) than to have

>flown.

>

Although I live in California, I'm wondering why one would fly from Washington DC to New York City? Don't you guys have pretty good train service? I don't even think it's worth the bother to fly from SF to LA. Once you drive to the airport long-term parking lot, take their shuttle to the airport, go through check-in and security, wait for your plane, fly over, wait for your luggage, take the shuttle to the rent-a-car place, get your car, then drive to your hotel, you can pretty much have driven the whole way (not to mention saved a big bundle), and that's even if the planes are on time.

[Guest novabear22031]

Sometimes it is due to lame brain corporate travel plans (as was in my case). I told them that it would be better for me to drive than fly, but no way....

 

The only benefit was a Lincoln Town Car to and from the NYC airports.....

[Guest bighugbearphx]

>My disdain for SWA is from the cable TV show "Airlines" IIRC -

>the US version. I even had a buddy of mine that was a subject

>of that show

 

I hated Southwest Airlines way before that show, but that show is actually an accurate depiction of the SWA mindset: "We're a happy little bunch who doesn't give a shit about our customers!" They'll smile and joke around as they bump you from your confirmed flight, and lie to you about finding you another flight anytime soon. It amazes me that their PR people think of that show as a GOOD thing for them.

 

Many people don't realize that they are among the few airlines who will not interline with other carriers, so, if they bump you, all you can do is camp out in the terminal until the next (likely overbooked) SWA flight to that destination. Been there, done that ... won't do it anymore.

 

Of course, the vast majority of their passengers DO get where they are going as planned, and generally LIKE the low fares, frequent schedules and upbeat attitude. That's how they rank so high in surveys. But if you ever have a problem with them once, as I did several times, you learn to steer clear of them from that point forward.

[edjames]

I guess then we'd have to start with the disadvantages of Amtrak going between NY and Washington. Very unreliable. The shuttle flights are quite easy and very affordable, and once again you get to your destination early. Amtrak between NY and Washington takes about 5 hours and the cost is almost the same as a decent discount airfare. I say plane it!

 

Ed

[Guest]

I was surprised by the 5 hours claimed by your post, so I checked up online. According to Amtrak's website, Acela service takes 2 hours and 45 minutes (price of $150 more or less, depending on when you travel), and regional service takes 3 hours and 8 to 23 minutes ($90). Since airlines advise arriving 90 minutes before departure time, I doubt that flying saves either time or money. I don't really know the answer, but I'd be curious as to comparative on-time records. I would have to guess that planes would be more affected by fog, lightning, and snowstorms than trains. I would also guess that there are more problems with security bullcrap, particularly as it relates to carry-ons, with planes than with trains.

Boy, would I be happy if we had trains going from Oakland to LA in 2 hours and 45 minutes! :-)

[+ deej]

I'd be surprised at 5 hours too. I used to take that trip regularly and it was 2:30 or thereabouts. But it WAS 20 years ago.

 

As for on time, railroad people have a saying: "People wait for trains, trains don't wait for people" meaning the train leaves on time no matter what, and that has always been my experience.

[+ ArVaGuy]

In the early days of the Acela service it was extremely erratic and prone to breakdown. The rail system in this country is not truly designed for high speed trains. x( For a time they even had to slow the Aclea trains down due to issues with faulty breaks. Bombardier, the manufacturer, was forced to redesign the breaking system so the trains could travel faster. It took just over a year to work the kinks out of the system.

 

The advantage of Amtrak over the DL & US shuttles IMO is the lower level of hassles one experiences with the train versus jet service. Delays at either DCA or LGA can turn that short hop into a 3 hour or more nightmare. The US shuttle is notoriously late at times.

 

Also, what I like about the train service is going from Union Station in DC to Midtown Manhattan directly. There's no need for a taxi from LGA and that can shave $$$ and time off a trip. I have a colleague who commutes from NYC to DC and they like the train because it affords up to 3 hours of uninterrupted time to get work done and relax.

 

To me the train seems much more civilized than air travel. First off there's less of a security gauntlet to deal with. The seating is less cramped and its easier to move around. Plus one can watch the scenery glide past the window although I will admit that some of the industrial parts can be not so nice to view. Further, ahem, the train has an effect on many a libido - mine included. Something about that continual rocking and rolling on those rails.....hmmmmm. :9

[ServeUncutUncle]

Firstly you should always consider changing your airline at the start of the year. Half way though could mean that you end up with no Elite status on anybody the following year.

 

The foremost site for Frequent Flier information is http://www.Flyertalk.com

 

If you feel you will fly over 100,000 miles a year then the choice is really no brainer...its American Airlines. Their Executive Platinum Status is the most Generous of any Major Airline, including FREE ungrades on North American Itineraries and 8 Intercontinental Upgrade Vouchers.

 

They also offer what is know as a Platinum Challenge...anyhow all the details are on the Flyertalk site.

 

Happy flying.