What airline do you prefer?

[gobblety_gook]

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Hey SDNers...I thought this poll might be useful for those still planning interviews.

I've flown on American, Airtran, Delta, Continental, US Air, United, and Southwest...I think I could've saved big bucks if I bought into a frequent flyers program or something...

Airtran - DON'T use this airline...what a headach...most of the flights are delayed or cancelled.

Delta - They didn't allow me to be put on standby to try and catch an earlier flight! Most airlines will do this free of charge...but they charge like $25!! But they had some really good biscuits.

American, USAir, United - good, no complaints.

 

[DeciduousHuxley]

I totally second Airtran's unreliability and general dodginess.

My vote goes for Southwest. Cheap and, in my experience, almost always on time.

 

[evajaclynn]

Northwest is usually pretty good, but I prefer whatever is cheapest!

 

[cammy1313]

Hard to beat Southwest's $99 each way when flying from Cali to all those east coast interviews.

 

[futuremsfdoc]

crap is airtran really THAT bad? i'm flying it next month on my way to miami.

 

[Uegis]

JetBlue is the best. DirecTV for every seat. Leather seats. Plenty of leg room. Only minus is no food served. Only snacks. But who wants to eat airline food anyway. Bring your own!

 

[phleebie]

i flew on american airlines last week and they had an inflight movie in coach which was pretty nice. (too bad they showed "a cinderella story" starring hilary duff 👎 👎 👎 )

 

[twicetenturns]

Song airlines has DirecTV as well. ATA moves quickly and usually isn't so crowded. I was able to get bulkhead or exit row seats each time. Also, three round trips = free flight. Not bad at all.

 

[saki0005]

Northwest is usually pretty good, but I prefer whatever is cheapest!

I second that

 

[waterski232002]

Independence air for all us East Coasters.... Don't worry though, they're expanding to the West Coast soon!

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

I have flown alot, both internationally and domestically.

The service that I have received on Continental is second to none. I was extremely impressed by the amenities on their aircraft as well as the service I received.

I highly recommend to NEVER fly America West, they can suck my ass.


BTW, how about them Buckeyes 🙂

 

[UCLAstudent]

BTW, how about them Buckeyes 🙂

I might be one next year! 😀

As for airlines, my vote goes to Southwest. It is cheap, and it is one of the only airlines that still serves a decent snack without a fee. 😉 Midwest Airlines was nice ... they baked chocolate chip cookies on the flight and handed them out warm!

 

[jonb12997]

Swiss Air... oh wait, I forgot to send my application to University of Zurich... crap!!

 

[evajaclynn]

I flew on United last year on a Christmas Break trip to Hawaii.

I went from Baltimore --> CA --> Hawaii

My bags went from Baltimore --> CA --> Florida --> Mexico

How the hell did that happen?

My bags finally made it to me right before I had to take them back home.

On a happy note, I did get a free flight from United after I wrote them an angry little letter! 🙂

 

[krelian]

Crap, I hope Airtran isn't so bad. I'm flying ATA to Boston for interview. The cheap price was too difficult to resist.

 

[runner1979]

Continental--Unlimited free upgrades for Onepass Elites!!!

 

[CaMD]

Crap, I hope Airtran isn't so bad. I'm flying ATA to Boston for interview. The cheap price was too difficult to resist.

Airtran is not the same as ATA - it looks like that's what your post is implying. (Airtrain is annoying and usually late in my experience. I've had one bad flight with ATA and one totally fine one.)

 

[Mitro]

Crap, I hope Airtran isn't so bad. I'm flying ATA to Boston for interview. The cheap price was too difficult to resist.

You're in luck! Airtran is better than ATA was - not that this says much for Airtran.

 

[twicetenturns]

ATA and airtran are totally different. If you are taking ATA to Boston they often have Business Class upgrades for only 40$. Check before boarding. Also coach seats 14 a & f, 4 a,c,d,f are total winners on that flight. you can often get them by changing your seat at the electronic check in.

 

[krelian]

Yea, crap I was mistaken. I flew ATA to Chicago before and was fine. But this time I'm taking AirTran... maybe I should have gone with United even though it was double the price.

 

[bidster]

Hmm...I flew Airtran between ATL and Chicago and it went fine both trips. No complaints here!

 

[Athomeonarock]

I think south west is the best regionally, But if you really have to fly somewhere you cant possibly ever drive, stick with Continental..THey are the best.

 

[Amxcvbcv]

I like American. I've flown on them enough that I have two continental roundtrips worth of frequent flyer miles and Gold status.

I'd fly others, particularly Southwest, but American has always come through with lower or similar prices for every route I've flown.

Also, we don't have a large choice in Oklahoma City.

I guess that's another reason I prefer American - the proximity to their main hub, DFW.

 

[striped sweater]

JetBlue is the best. DirecTV for every seat. Leather seats. Plenty of leg room. Only minus is no food served. Only snacks. But who wants to eat airline food anyway. Bring your own!

i prefer jetblue as well. i just wish they flew more places. love the bagel chips!

 

[sunUCB]

jetblue is the best.

oh, and i second the "never fly america west" - really, i'd rather not go to my interview than fly that airlines again.

 

[CharlieVN]

jetblue is the best.

oh, and i second the "never fly america west" - really, i'd rather not go to my interview than fly that airlines again.

I will be the 3rd to promote JETBLUE. Hands Down #1 out of my 3 others airlines Southwest, Delta, Sun Country (a subs of Delta). You get your own TV and trippy Blue Potato Chips.

 

[calstudent]

UNITED all the way! i've been flying them for years, well my whole life, actually, and always good service, generally reliable (except through chicago o'hare), and good chance of upgrades.
their partnership with USAir is great for miles too!

 

[DoctorMalki]

I really liked continental... their service is definately really good. Detla is not so good in terms of service and also being on time. Almost all my delta planes have been delayed

 

[faradayampere]

i would vote for jetBlue as well ... they're great

 

[Bubchik]

JetBlue all the way!!!!

 

[USbound]

Swiss Air... oh wait, I forgot to send my application to University of Zurich... crap!!

I like how they give swiss chocolate for lunch!

 

[DO it right]

jetblue is the best.

oh, and i second the "never fly america west" - really, i'd rather not go to my interview than fly that airlines again.

oh my...america west..what a nightmare that flight was. I used america west to go to Arizona, and we almost lost our battle to turbulence...do yourself a favor, don't choose america west

 

[Bikini Princess]

I think that the best way to understand airlines is by their hubs.

The location of a hub can make or break an airline, depending on how much travel time is used on your flight.

America West - Not good usually because its major hubs are in Las Vegas and Phoenix, with long layovers. This area is sort of a no-man's land - too far west to be a good connection spot, and too far east to avoid a second stop on the west coast.
Delta - Rarely good if you are traveling to the Northeast - it has its main hub in Atlanta, which means a lot of wasted time if you connect there on a flight to say New York or Boston. At the same time, Delta does flights straight to Frankfurt from Atlanta, which may be convenient in some cases.
Southwest - Cheap, unpredictable, some random hubs in Texas like Houston.

American Airlines - Usually good for cross-country flights. Still, avoid American's Dallas hub for connections if possible - it is a huge airport, and connection times are increased to 1 hr + because of the time needed for the shuttles.
United - very good - Hub in Chicago makes for fast trips.

Another good way to judge airlines is by location and season. I think in winter you should avoid getting connections in Great lakes-effect snow areas (For example, Cleveland or US Air's hub is Pittsburgh). In the dead of winter, snow piles up rapidly in these areas, creating unexpected problems. Still it is can be unpredictable traveling during January in general.

 

[bonez318ti]

i like american. i flew with them every week for a year across the country.. accrued about a quarter million ff points and executive platinum status.. that was a few years ago, but I still get many perks when I travel with the 'one world' network.. i'll fly one world when I can help it.. atleast until my priviledges run out 🙂