What is your favorite or least favorite Airline?

Not_Punny

Superior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2007
Posts
5,464
Media
109
Likes
3,056
Points
258
Location
California
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Female
Yikes, Claire, don't stir up too many memories! Airplanes are not very family friendly (yet). :wink:

- - - -

I don't have a favorite or most hated airline.

I'm just thankful to get a decent price, to have no one throw up on me, and to arrive alive WITH my baggage. Being more or less on time, if I have a connecting flight, is a nice bonus.
 

Sixofspades

Experimental Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Posts
399
Media
0
Likes
7
Points
103
Age
40
Location
Boston, MA
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Male
They're pretty much all terrible. It depends more on whether the seats next to you are free than anything else. Or if you can fake a sudden hernia and be upgraded to business class. But for the paupers in economy, the service sucks, the chairs are cramped, the food tastes like dog shit, and the entertainment blows, so your best bet is hoping nobody's got the seats next to you so you can at least stretch out and crash for the duration of the flight. That, and that nobody's brought a baby on board.
 

Drifterwood

Superior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2007
Posts
18,677
Media
0
Likes
2,811
Points
333
Location
Greece
For those words, I could have you incarcerated for years on Alitalia economy class food, and MREs on sundays. :eek: *barfing smilie here*

Or I could call an air strike on your house. :rolleyes:

:biggrin1: I am not too far away from one of the Airbus factories, so you could take them out at the same time.

But seriously, have you flown in one their new big birds? Admittedly I was in business, but even so, you can hardly tell that you have taken off or landed.

The competition is good for passengers. :smile:

I flew economy with Alitalia this summer - they were OK, but I didn't eat anything - threaten me with long haul with Ryan Air or Easy Jet and I'll do anything you ask.
 

jason_els

<img border="0" src="/images/badges/gold_member.gi
Joined
Dec 16, 2004
Posts
10,228
Media
0
Likes
162
Points
193
Location
Warwick, NY, USA
Sexuality
90% Gay, 10% Straight
Gender
Male
I don't have any favorites either. So much depends on the actual flight that it's difficult to make a blanket statement.

Of them all.... I was immensely fond of Aer Lingus because their pilots know how to land in crap weather. Now that they're actually expected to be profitable they've gone down the shitter. Continental is vastly improved over the evil it once was but it still isn't great. I will agree that Cathay Pacific is great.

I flew a BA domestic flight once where I pressed the button on the overhead console and the whole thing fell down into my lap held hanging in midair by wires. The pilot was so mortified that he gave bags and bags of crackers. With the help of a flight attendant I managed to get it back up using the box of band-aids in my carry on.

My worst flight was when I was very young on American. The plane was (I think) a DC-6. The front landing gear wouldn't go down. I was flying alone without my parents. We circled the airport in a storm while the co-pilot pulled open the trap door and the passengers unloaded the luggage so he could go down and hand-crank the front landing gear. Happily that worked but we landed with emergency vehicles all in full chase. It was most exciting but my mother had fainted in the terminal. I was fine. Didn't bother me a bit.
 

jason_els

<img border="0" src="/images/badges/gold_member.gi
Joined
Dec 16, 2004
Posts
10,228
Media
0
Likes
162
Points
193
Location
Warwick, NY, USA
Sexuality
90% Gay, 10% Straight
Gender
Male
Oh and as for planes? Give me a 747 with RR engines. Best plane in the sky in my book. 747s don't fall out of the sky like some others do. I do not believe the official NTSB line on TWA 800. I am most looking forward to trying the 787 when it arrives. The A380 might be fun too.
 

ClaireTalon

Experimental Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2005
Posts
1,917
Media
0
Likes
16
Points
183
Age
60
Location
Puget Sound
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Female
Oh and as for planes? Give me a 747 with RR engines. Best plane in the sky in my book. 747s don't fall out of the sky like some others do. I do not believe the official NTSB line on TWA 800. I am most looking forward to trying the 787 when it arrives. The A380 might be fun too.

The best thing about the 747 is that it is well past the stadium of teething troubles, and the construction concept is well-explored by now, so reliability can be taken for granted meanwhile. Also, the degree of automation still holds enough possibilities for pilots to override in crucial situations.

:biggrin1: I am not too far away from one of the Airbus factories, so you could take them out at the same time.

But seriously, have you flown in one their new big birds? Admittedly I was in business, but even so, you can hardly tell that you have taken off or landed.

The competition is good for passengers. :smile:

I flew economy with Alitalia this summer - they were OK, but I didn't eat anything - threaten me with long haul with Ryan Air or Easy Jet and I'll do anything you ask.

LOL, good idea to take out that factory too. But since it is Airbus, hitting one will probably only take out the manufacturing of seat cushions or something. Decentralization, you know.

I admit I have never flown on anything Airbus cranked out. It's a good thing travel agencies can now give you the information which plane will probably be used for a flight, and I always work my way around them. As for the softer take-offs and landings, I must say that I can understand rougher landings from a professional point of view. Especially under bad weather conditions, such as wet runways, it is the only reliable thing to make good contact between the tyres and the runway (you can't switch to heavy-wet tyres as you could in a car race). Airbus has taken so many decisions out of the pilots hands to grant a caring handling of the engines, structure and passengers that it affected security (overshooting runways, non-deployment of thrust reversers/spoilers after landing, abnormal system ends, the list goes on). Needless to say, from a pilot's point of view, I can't understand why they threw out the good ol' control column and yoke in favor of a phallic sidestick.
 

jason_els

<img border="0" src="/images/badges/gold_member.gi
Joined
Dec 16, 2004
Posts
10,228
Media
0
Likes
162
Points
193
Location
Warwick, NY, USA
Sexuality
90% Gay, 10% Straight
Gender
Male
Ah yes! That's why I love the Aer Lingus pilots. Always land with a good bang and then drop the nose like lead weight when it's raining and those are in A330s. Startling at first but shows you they know what they're doing.

I'm not particularly in love with the Airbus products. The interiors are cramped. They're coffin-like. They also seem to have a lot of niggling problems.
 

earllogjam

Expert Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Posts
4,917
Media
0
Likes
179
Points
193
Sexuality
No Response
$19 (or maybe $29) from newark to baltimore. did that once. they came down the aisle with a credit card machine to collect the fare. REAL no frills. but it worked. think another carrier ate them up.

Continental ate them up I think. They were in the middle of building a new hub at Newark.

I'm on the Star Alliance system and use United, and Alaska Airlines not because they are particularly good but they offer non-stop service to the cities I travel to often. I try to avoid US Airways as much as possible.

I don't see much difference in most of the carriers these days. Most offer perfunctory service. That includes the international carriers - ANA, Air Canada, KLM, Mexicana, and TACA. Thai Airways has decent food in steerage class although their planes are old. I like BA because I've been bumped up to business class on a few of their flights.

Is it me or is redeeming air miles getting harder and harder these days? I have about 90K miles on United frequent flyer and unless I book 6 months in advance, fly at a riddiculous hour or fly through some hub there are no mileage plan seats left on most flights.
 

dong20

Sexy Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Posts
6,058
Media
0
Likes
28
Points
183
Location
The grey country
Sexuality
No Response
Is it me or is redeeming air miles getting harder and harder these days? I have about 90K miles on United frequent flyer and unless I book 6 months in advance, fly at a riddiculous hour or fly through some hub there are no mileage plan seats left on most flights.

They don't earn revenue from them - yes I know they have already but I doubt they see it that way.

I'm also on Star Alliance though with SAA. It's usually no problem getting tickets, even at very short notice, less that 24 hrs even - provided you're willing to pay an expedite 'fee' of a about 1000 miles though that can be paid in cash.

Ha, I remember flying into San Salvador on TACA a few years back right through a fairly robust thunderstorm, that was an experience, and not for the food!!
 

SpeedoGuy

Sexy Member
Joined
May 18, 2004
Posts
4,166
Media
7
Likes
41
Points
258
Age
60
Location
Pacific Northwest, USA
Sexuality
99% Straight, 1% Gay
Gender
Male
Is it me or is redeeming air miles getting harder and harder these days? I have about 90K miles on United frequent flyer and unless I book 6 months in advance, fly at a riddiculous hour or fly through some hub there are no mileage plan seats left on most flights.

Same experience here. It seems to be getting more difficult and with all the drawbacks you listed. There just doesn't seem to be much incentive for the airlines to honor their mileage plans in good faith.

But don't worry, earl. Lots of people have been telling me for decades the free market will quickly weed out underperforming companies and consumers will eventually benefit. So take heart in the fact that your useless miles will not have been accumulated and sacrificed in vain.
 

earllogjam

Expert Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Posts
4,917
Media
0
Likes
179
Points
193
Sexuality
No Response
Ha, I remember flying into San Salvador on TACA a few years back right through a fairly robust thunderstorm, that was an experience, and not for the food!!

I flew TACA in and out of Quito, Lima and Tegucigalpa and they have an unusual check in procedure. There are usually 2 clerks behind the check-in counter who move at a glacial pace. The concept of standing in a line is non-existant so about 100 passengers push up against the desk from all sides waiving their tickets to get a boarding pass - most obnoxious person gets served first. At 15 minutes prior to departure the 2 clerks drop everything and leave to go on a cigarette break. Lo que sera sera.
 

earllogjam

Expert Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Posts
4,917
Media
0
Likes
179
Points
193
Sexuality
No Response
But don't worry, earl. Lots of people have been telling me for decades the free market will quickly weed out underperforming companies and consumers will eventually benefit. So take heart in the fact that your useless miles will not have been accumulated and sacrificed in vain.

I hope the biggest underperformer, United, stays afloat until I can actually use the rest of the miles I have with them.

As a consolation to not getting a free flight someplace I'm getting some magazine subscriptions with my soon to expire Delta miles. Good deal huh?:rolleyes:
 

dong20

Sexy Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Posts
6,058
Media
0
Likes
28
Points
183
Location
The grey country
Sexuality
No Response
I hope the biggest underperformer, United, stays afloat until I can actually use the rest of the miles I have with them.

As a consolation to not getting a free flight someplace I'm getting some magazine subscriptions with my soon to expire Delta miles. Good deal huh?:rolleyes:

As a star alliance member can't you use them on other alliance members? I know I can use my SAA miles with other alliance airlines.
 

earllogjam

Expert Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Posts
4,917
Media
0
Likes
179
Points
193
Sexuality
No Response
As a star alliance member can't you use them on other alliance members? I know I can use my SAA miles with other alliance airlines.

Yeah, I have used them for international fights on ANA, Air Canada and Thai but I always thought that if United were to go under all my United Mileage Plus miles would become worthless, regardless of being part of the Star Alliance network. I don't think I'd be able to transfer those miles to another Star Alliance airline.
 

ClaireTalon

Experimental Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2005
Posts
1,917
Media
0
Likes
16
Points
183
Age
60
Location
Puget Sound
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Female
But don't worry, earl. Lots of people have been telling me for decades the free market will quickly weed out underperforming companies and consumers will eventually benefit. So take heart in the fact that your useless miles will not have been accumulated and sacrificed in vain.

And for decades I have been waiting for these predictions to sublimate. Well, Tower Air has gone down this way, partially at least. But if I look at the low-fare carriers springing up like mushrooms rather dying away, I get my doubts that markets work that way. Fact is, the average passenger will accept low service if it comes for a cheap price, and has little or no interest in airworthiness or how strictly an airline sticks to the check intervals. So, the bad (by all objective indicators) carriers are to stay, like them or not.
 

earllogjam

Expert Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Posts
4,917
Media
0
Likes
179
Points
193
Sexuality
No Response
And for decades I have been waiting for these predictions to sublimate. Well, Tower Air has gone down this way, partially at least. But if I look at the low-fare carriers springing up like mushrooms rather dying away, I get my doubts that markets work that way. Fact is, the average passenger will accept low service if it comes for a cheap price, and has little or no interest in airworthiness or how strictly an airline sticks to the check intervals. So, the bad (by all objective indicators) carriers are to stay, like them or not.

What did the alligators in the everglades say after the Value Jet crash?

Mmmm. Now that's good airline food.
 

AlteredEgo

Mythical Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Posts
19,176
Media
37
Likes
26,249
Points
368
Location
Hello (Sud-Ouest, Burkina Faso)
Sexuality
No Response
Virgin Atlantic is my favorite, while British Airways and Delta both jockey for position as my least favorite.

When my flight was delayed 2+ hours due to snow, Virgin threw us a party. They put on great music I'd not yet heard, and encouraged dancing. They also brought out snacks and beverages. Then they still gave us our scheduled snack, beverages, and meals in-flight.

I got very, very sick in London, on the day I was to return home. On that very day I began coming down with the worst virus I've ever had. It lingered for weeks, and I was useless the entire time. You know how you feel on the first day of a bad sickness. I was sluggish, in pain, weak, dehydrated, and I just wanted someone, anyone, to be nice to me. Smile, joke, or just say, "Is there anything I can do for you, Ms. Ego?" Instead, when I asked in a barely audible, hoarse voice for Tylenol, Advil, or their equivalent, the attendant actually gave me a dirty look and rolled her eyes at me. Likewise when I later asked for another water. They gave my friend the same treatment. Also, the seating sucked. I know it was coach, but there seemed to be six million people on the plane!

Delta has starved me for the last time. God I hate them so.