Most reliable airlines?

[virtuoso735]

I've been on two interviews so far and flew on different airlines each time. For my first interview I flew on American Airlines and that was a disaster. My flight was delayed by 6 hours and I nearly missed my interview. My return flight was also delayed by several hours. I flew US Airways for my second interview and there were no delays at all. Very smooth. I know that American Airlines is filing bankruptcy, and there are some labor issues going on, and I have an interview at one of my top choices this coming week, and I'm flying American. Should I buy another ticket from another airline company just in case? I really don't want to miss my interview, but cannot really afford to buy another set of tickets for the same trip. Don't know what to do.

In your experience, which airlines have been the best in terms of getting you to your destination on time?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Swartzlehman]

X

 

[Barcu]

Reliable airline?

 

[AnthonyBourdain]

Terrible experience with United. Broken door, missed connection, had to stay in Chicago/navigate public transportation late at night. I'm going back to Southwest! I'm sorry I ever switched because I've never had a problem with them.

I agree. United is the worst. Don't get me started on them...

 

[Barcu]

But to actually be helpful, I wouldn't worry about the airline as much as planning it so any delays and issues can be resolved before it becomes a real problem. Plan things in advance (like don't take the last flight out of the day if your interview is the next morning). Easier said than done of course, but that's my philosophy when it comes to traveling. It is always worth it to miss a little extra school or work if you can manage if it means less stress.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I've flown a lot since I was a little kid, and maybe I'm just insanely lucky, but I've almost never encountered delayed/cancelled flights (the one exception was when I was on a plane that had its electrical system fail and made an emergency landing; then I had to wait in the terminal for like 5 hours while they repaired it). Then again, I also almost always fly non-stop transcontinental flights, which tend to be better managed than flights consisting of three connections all via puddle jumpers.

Anyway, none of the airlines are better than the others. This is why they're almost always on the brink of bankruptcy. There's no reason why a delayed flight should make you miss an interview though. Fly in at least a day before (if you want to be safe, make it 2 days), stay in a hotel, and then leave the day after your interview. Paying for a few extra days at a hotel is still a lot cheaper than a buying a second airline ticket, especially on short notice.

 

[Goobs]

I've had numerous problems flying on Delta with delayed flights and lost luggage. There were a couple times when the plane flat out would not be flying out that night and they had to comp us all hotel rooms for the night

I've flown Jet Blue a a handful of times over the past three years, and the only problem I've run into was a 1 hour delay from JFK --> SFO (but SFO is undergoing construction and all inbound flights are delayed an average of 1.5 hours so it's not really their fault). They also still give you a free checked bag, complimentary chips, and free onboard satellite TV!

I'll be trying Virgin in a few weeks! I've heard good things about them too.

tl;dr: No to Delta. Yes to Jet Blue. Trying Virgin will let you know.

 

[TxResident]

I've had numerous problems flying on Delta with delayed flights and lost luggage. There were a couple times when the plane flat out would not be flying out that night and they had to comp us all hotel rooms for the night

I've flown Jet Blue a a handful of times over the past three years, and the only problem I've run into was a 1 hour delay from JFK --> SFO (but SFO is undergoing construction and all inbound flights are delayed an average of 1.5 hours so it's not really their fault). They also still give you a free checked bag, complimentary chips, and free onboard satellite TV!

I'll be trying Virgin in a few weeks! I've heard good things about them too.

tl;dr: No to Delta. Yes to Jet Blue. Trying Virgin will let you know.

Woah dere, Virgin Airlines? Somebodys rich! I heard its one of the most comfortable airlines in, so tell us how it is when you take it.

As for a unRELIABLE airline... Try Spirit Airlines They've been in the news a lot and they're notorious.

 

[911 Turbo]

Worst experiences with united, best experiences with southwest

 

[KnuxNole]

I love JetBlue.

TV service, comfy legroom, animal crackers

I'm set

 

[Giggles88]

$@#! American Airlines!

Any airline that will kick you off the flight for your sweatpants being too baggy has got major issues.

I hope they go bankrupt!

 

[911 Turbo]

I love JetBlue.

TV service, comfy legroom, animal crackers

I'm set

Now if only the plane would actually take off.

 

[KnuxNole]

Now if only the plane would actually take off.

Maybe I've been lucky, but I haven't had too many delays with JetBlue.

*crosses fingers it stays true for upcoming interview season*

 

[basedbear]

The only time I have ever had a cancelled flight was when there was extremely bad unflyable weather in Europe.... must be lucky for me

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Spirit Airlines is the worst, hands down. At least United has decent connections.

 

[DHURT]

Southwest has been great. And if delayed, enjoying complimentary drinks to unwind after an interview is prime.

 

[DAPI]

I personally love Alaska Air. And if you have to take a connection in the NorthWest using Horizon, they serve you a complimentary local microbrew or wine. Seriously cannot be beat!

 

[TxResident]

Spirit Airlines is the worst, hands down. At least United has decent connections.

And seats. As in literal seats on the plane. As in I'm not going to be sitting on a pole.

 

[Planes2Doc]

Anyone can have any issue. At least with Southwest, they operate a point-to-point network instead of hub & spoke network. Therefore, if there is a cancellation, you can probably still get to your destination via a creative routing.

 

[MedPR]

Southwest

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[ShenanigansMD]

And seats. As in literal seats on the plane. As in I'm not going to be sitting on a pole.

Hahaha I remember telling a flight attendant that I don't like flying on slave ships. I swear they put a metal bar in the front seat just so that it can ram against your knee and annoy you the whole flight.

And Southwest has had the most successful business model of all airlines in US history; there's a book or too about them that just explains their strategy. I guess in turn that strategy yields great customer service.

 

[linebacker57]

So I made a tally of my interview flights, I took 31, on Delta, United, American, and Southwest, and here are the tips I have:
Never take the last flight of the day, and never take the first flight. Flights where the plane is going to be doing a quick turn around at the gate after coming in from another destination tend to not get delayed very often due to mechanical issues, because the plane was already working. If you can fly hub to hub, do it, these flights are often, IMEx seldom delayed, because they are an airlines money routes, even if it means going to IAD instead of Reagan, or O'hare instead of midway. Also, give youself a minimum of 2 HOURS to make a connection, and always fly out at least mid-day, the day before the interview. Also this goes without saying, never check bags. Planeside checking is OK, and often unavoidable

 

[Bangersandmash]

It is also as much about the airport you are flying in to as it is the airline. All airlines will have their issues, but some might be related to airports. It is how they treat and accommodate you when something goes wrong that is key. I've found JetBlue and Southwest to be the best in rescheduling delays, along with fairly good planes.

But if you're going into the New York area, JFK is an awful ****up of an airport. If you're going into DC, Reagan is usually better than Baltimore. For South Florida, Fort. Lauderdale is better than Miami (and still close enough to UM).

 

[911 Turbo]

Do people usually fly to the city of interview the day of or the day before? I'd imagine you miss a lot of school if you a good number of interviews... But I guess it doesn't matter anymore lol

 

[MedPR]

Do people usually fly to the city of interview the day of or the day before? I'd imagine you miss a lot of school if you a good number of interviews... But I guess it doesn't matter anymore lol

I go the day before since interviews are typically first thing In the morning. Then I fly home the same day as the interview.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[blizzah]

Do people usually fly to the city of interview the day of or the day before? I'd imagine you miss a lot of school if you a good number of interviews... But I guess it doesn't matter anymore lol

considering most interview days start at 8 or 9, flying the day of is impossible

 

[911 Turbo]

I go the day before since interviews are typically first thing In the morning. Then I fly home the same day as the interview.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

considering most interview days start at 8 or 9, flying the day of is impossible

Ahh I see

 

[mimelim]

I just went on 18 interviews this Winter for residency, >30 flights in total. Flew American, Southwest and United. This Winter was unusually mild from a weather standpoint, so things went rather smoothly. Zero weather delays on those flights, which is a miracle.

Southwest was by far the best. First, you can cancel flights and get a credit for the flight very easily. Second, if you show up early at the airport and there is an earlier flight they will automatically offer you a seat on the earlier flight without you asking if there is one available. Do not under estimate this. Getting to your next city is awesome compared to hanging out in an airport. The one thing that did go wrong on Southwest was that on a tight interchange in Midway they left my bag in Chicago. I had an afternoon interview with the program director in Pittsburgh. Southwest located my bag in Chicago, told me that it wouldn't arrive in time for my interview and to go and buy a new suit, but not to go overboard with it. The customer service in Pittsburgh told me to write a short, but full explanation of what happened and attach copies of the receipts and to give it to them or mail it to them. 6 weeks later I got a check in the mail from Southwest for the cost of my Jos A. Banks suit. I have no idea if they do this as general policy or if it was just that time or just in Pittsburgh, but I was blown away.

 

[Fivo]

After reading this thread I became sad that I had already booked a flight with American Airlines. So I decided to check my reservations and it turns out they changed my flight home from a departure of 6:30pm to a departure at 1:30pm. Thanks but no thanks. Their latest flight out that day was 3pm so they ended up refunding me. I guess I am free once again (would have cost $150 to change a $350 flight if I changed my mind later) and will now be looking at Southwest thanks to all the feedback in this thread

 

[selttiks288]

Southwest.

 

[typicalindian]

After reading this thread I became sad that I had already booked a flight with American Airlines. So I decided to check my reservations and it turns out they changed my flight home from a departure of 6:30pm to a departure at 1:30pm. Thanks but no thanks. Their latest flight out that day was 3pm so they ended up refunding me. I guess I am free once again (would have cost $150 to change a $350 flight if I changed my mind later) and will now be looking at Southwest thanks to all the feedback in this thread

Seriously...from now on I'll probably book southwest. I made the unfortunate mistake of scheduling with spirit airlines for my current flight :x

 

[occams_razor]

I love Jet Blue and Virgin, just say no to United

 

[sinombre]

Be smart about how you schedule flights... minimize layovers/connecting flights if possible, fly early in the morning, avoid connecting in super busy airports, check the weather report in case you need to move flights around, and don't check in luggage. You can only do so much though... I tried to change my flight to avoid missing my connecting flight because of a lightning storm in Chicago, and I still ended up missing it and spending the night at LAX.

Also +1 for Southwest.

 

[Freeinfinity]

Terrible experience with United. Broken door, missed connection, had to stay in Chicago/navigate public transportation late at night. I'm going back to Southwest! I'm sorry I ever switched because I've never had a problem with them.

This happened to me too! Fortunately, I had still had some spare time to connect, but there was a moment where I thought I might have to spend the night in the airport. I didn't realize United had such a bad reputation.

 

[TxResident]

I just went on 18 interviews this Winter for residency, >30 flights in total. Flew American, Southwest and United. This Winter was unusually mild from a weather standpoint, so things went rather smoothly. Zero weather delays on those flights, which is a miracle.

Southwest was by far the best. First, you can cancel flights and get a credit for the flight very easily. Second, if you show up early at the airport and there is an earlier flight they will automatically offer you a seat on the earlier flight without you asking if there is one available. Do not under estimate this. Getting to your next city is awesome compared to hanging out in an airport. The one thing that did go wrong on Southwest was that on a tight interchange in Midway they left my bag in Chicago. I had an afternoon interview with the program director in Pittsburgh. Southwest located my bag in Chicago, told me that it wouldn't arrive in time for my interview and to go and buy a new suit, but not to go overboard with it. The customer service in Pittsburgh told me to write a short, but full explanation of what happened and attach copies of the receipts and to give it to them or mail it to them. 6 weeks later I got a check in the mail from Southwest for the cost of my Jos A. Banks suit. I have no idea if they do this as general policy or if it was just that time or just in Pittsburgh, but I was blown away.

mimelim DA GAWD awesome story with awesome service.