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Airlines to fly (and avoid)
Lady Eri
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I am going to throw this out there and see what you guys think, I know experiences differ. I am trying to keep it to US airlines. We all know Air Canada, Virgin, Emirati, and Air France are fine lines. We also don't usually get to fly them.
Best Absolute Budget: Southwest Airlines
Always a good price, no extra fees, but the lowest fair usually comes with draconic change fees should anything have to be altered. Attitude is usually good, and bare bone service does exist (for drinks, ect.), but you are still like cattle being herded.
Worst Budget: Allegiant Air and/or Spirit
Fly on it once, and you will know and see things that'll make you wake up screaming you are still on the airplane. Especially Allegiant oh god we are all going to die did the wing just come off?
Best Niche Airline: Frontier
It's a shame they are only out of Denver and western states, because holy shit the leg room is awesome, the leather seats are so plush. The TV has so many cable channels, the WiFi works, and the movies are a la carte. Pay the extra $25 for the classic ticket though so you can get all that stuff for free (including bag fees). I recommend the BBQ chicken salad. It's the only thing I have ever ordered on a US Flight that actually looked (and tasted!) like the picture on the menu. Fresh corn and lettuce, great chicken.
Worst Niche Airline: Horizon/Alaskan
Usually ontime, but the seats make Southwest look spacious. Also don't test the 3 hour tarmac rule coming out of Vancouver, they get bitchy.
Best Legacy: Delta Airline (Maybe US Airways)
Of course you don't get access to most of the benefits unless you are in first class. That's why you only stick with one legacy carrier whenever you have to fly one. US Airways has a very nice first class good concierge. Delta has a good all around cabin. Way better than some others.
Worst Legacy: American Airlines
Oh god they use to be so good, now it's like flying Southwest but having to pay more to do it. Ugh. Your mileage may vary depending on what kind of plane you are on.
Best Absolute Budget: Southwest Airlines
Always a good price, no extra fees, but the lowest fair usually comes with draconic change fees should anything have to be altered. Attitude is usually good, and bare bone service does exist (for drinks, ect.), but you are still like cattle being herded.
Worst Budget: Allegiant Air and/or Spirit
Fly on it once, and you will know and see things that'll make you wake up screaming you are still on the airplane. Especially Allegiant oh god we are all going to die did the wing just come off?
Best Niche Airline: Frontier
It's a shame they are only out of Denver and western states, because holy shit the leg room is awesome, the leather seats are so plush. The TV has so many cable channels, the WiFi works, and the movies are a la carte. Pay the extra $25 for the classic ticket though so you can get all that stuff for free (including bag fees). I recommend the BBQ chicken salad. It's the only thing I have ever ordered on a US Flight that actually looked (and tasted!) like the picture on the menu. Fresh corn and lettuce, great chicken.
Worst Niche Airline: Horizon/Alaskan
Usually ontime, but the seats make Southwest look spacious. Also don't test the 3 hour tarmac rule coming out of Vancouver, they get bitchy.
Best Legacy: Delta Airline (Maybe US Airways)
Of course you don't get access to most of the benefits unless you are in first class. That's why you only stick with one legacy carrier whenever you have to fly one. US Airways has a very nice first class good concierge. Delta has a good all around cabin. Way better than some others.
Worst Legacy: American Airlines
Oh god they use to be so good, now it's like flying Southwest but having to pay more to do it. Ugh. Your mileage may vary depending on what kind of plane you are on.
Lady Eri on
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Steam
I'm flying United for the first time this weekend, so that should be interesting
it was weird.
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If you are tall like me, never fly Virgin. The seat backs are a hard plastic that dig into knees.
Continental can DIAF. They will cancel flights after they've already boarded and claim mechanical failure. Its happened to my dad 3 times, all at Newark too.
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If you're in africa, Kenya airways are pretty great.
Yeah this actually makes me never want to fly United again. I can only imagine what it's like o see your musical instrument defiled on the tarmac.
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they've always been friendly and courteous and the flights for most part were pleasant.
Since I'm on the West Coast and mostly need to get to destinations in the deep south (i.e., Huntsville or Atlanta) I usually end up on American or Delta. Each of the past three years I've flown Alaska to PAX. I've good and bad experiences with all.
I've only ever flown Continental once, and that was last December when I flew from SFO to Tampa (via Houston). I was blown away when I got an actual, legit meal in coach. I don't like the reservations side of their website but for flight status the fact they show tell the flight number that your plane is running before your flight is extremely useful and I wish everyone would do it.
I like American and Delta well enough. Delta has a better on-board product (newer planes, in-flight entertainment) but I have 40k SkyMiles and I don't know if I'll ever be able to cash them in. Meanwhile, American actually has one-way awards, which I used last May to get home after a shuttle launch.
I've flown JetBlue all of once, but it was SJC direct to JFK. Despite it being a redeye, they were still doing their unlimited snacks thing. Awesome.
As for Alaska, their coach seats seem just as small as everyone else's. I just try to be savvy, and as such, I've only ever had a middle seat once (at least, in situations where I could control it).
A few people started laughing because it's closer to a four hour flight
The captain got on the radio and said
"I hear some of you are complaining about our decision to move faster than the speed of sound, so I guess we'll slow it down a bit for you.
We'll be in Portland International in three hours thirty eight minutes.
I hope you're happy."
Air Canada is the worst I've ever had. We spent almost an hour on the tarmac after landing because it was too cold, and the plane in our spot was stuck there. A Canadian airline failed to prepare for it to be cold. In Canada. In January.
So, we missed the flight we were connecting to, and spent the night in the Montreal airport!
Then we got home to find we'd run out of oil and our pipes had frozen. That last part isn't Air Canada's fault, but we'd have been better able to cope with it if we hadn't spent the night previous putting up with their shit.
anyone have any good/bad experiences with them?
steam
jet blue having live TV is pretty great
One time a few years ago I flew on jetblue both ways for a trip, and the trip home had an unexpected delay resulting in me having to take a redeye. It was a pain in the ass but I don't chalk it up as indicative to jetblue in general; the flight itself was fine enough once i finally got onboard.
I've flown southwest the most in recent memory mainly due to flyer miles my dad has accumulated. I've never had a problem with them.
I flew on continental once a few years ago, both ways, for a trip to florida and nothing out of the ordinary happened with them.
That's all I can recall since i've been on airplanes for almost all of my life and unless its something really bad (like the delay with jetblue) or really good (flying on luftansa) my experiences just kind of blur into generic "airplane."
If I'm visiting family (Detroit) it's always Delta/NW because it's their hub, and thus usually pretty cheap
Elsewhere, either United/US Air or Southwest
And thank you, this reminds me I need to go buy some tickets
never really had problems that wouldn't happen to another airline
I mean yes their first class is goddamn insane and they give you like fucking foot rubs and the captain comes and introduces himself.
But even in coach class the flight attendants are incredibly nice (not to mention trilingual and apparently hired based on gorgeousness and ability to wear natty blue kerchiefs). They will get you anything. Like, anything at all, as far as I can tell. Mul tissues? Never-ending booze service? Slippers? Warm eye thingers? Milk from a goat that has been hand-milked by a monk in North Korea? They got 'em. (I didn't check that last one.) Also you can choose from about a billion films to watch on their little screens, which is very nice when you're on leg three of your eighteen hour + airport time flight across the world. Asiana has like, three movies to choose from, on the other hand. And while I love Korean food I will say that the food on Korean Air flights is far and above superior to the food on Asiana.
...I realize this means nothing to most of you so you can just substitute 'Delta' for Korean Air and 'United' for Asiana I guess. It's weird because apparently Asiana has a better rating, but my Korean Air flights have been way nicer in every single instance in my experience. I dunno what is up with that!
Also Incheon is the nicest airport in the world, ever.
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