TWA FFB/Aviators - transworld first vs transworld one

I took a trip from jfk to sfo recently, and had somewhat of a mixed report. on the out bound the stl-sfo was very dissapointing. on a 757 dinner flight we had 2 choices, no menu, very poor service in general. The 767 transworld was a little better, but still some service deficiences such as no menu, no using passenger name, no adding ice to drinks, etc. American was FAR SUPERIOR. Is it just me or is twa still lacking?

I have only taken TW one to LGW once and TWF a few times on long haul....5 or more hours such as HNL and ANC from STL, and they didn't have a menu in TWF but in TW one they did have a full menu upon boarding. The Service seems to be very pleasing to me but TW is far away from the other carriers but they are really trying and inproving greatly I think. TW is one of the few airlines that offer an upgrade to it's business class from a Y fare on just the Elite card unlike others who require miles on any fare except F and they do give miles for the amount of the ticket u spend unlike the others so they compensate for things in areas others don't. Hope u have a better experience next time.

On a TW flight from MIA to STL I was offered more ice in my drink at least 10 times throughout the flight. You really need to fly at least 5 different flights on the same airline/class to determine how their service compares to other airlines.

A recent flight from SEA to STL was plain awful but the flight from STL to MIA was ok.

TWA is the only airline that I know of that will allow you to upgrade to First on the day of departure for a small fee (max is $150.00) on any type of ticket. This has to be the best bargin in the entire industry.

TWA trans-one intl service is far superior to their domestic service including trans-con. HOWEVER thats NOT saying much!
If its service you want you better look and go elsewhere if $$$ is important than forget about getting anything for your $$$ except being transported from one city to another.
Keep in mind that the 'W' in TWA stands for World something that they have been lately leaving little by little, yes I know they are trying to score w/the Carribean but it'll go down like ATL,JFK,Columbus,New Orleans,MexicoCity etc. I understand their LAX-SanJuan is pretty empty w/the FA's counting down till that too is dropped.

I last flew TW when Trans World One first began. it was a 747 from JFK-SFO. I remember how great the seats were. But I also remember that nut service came in PLASTIC cups!

I have found the service on TW flights in F to range from good to outstanding. However, it is true that the catering is behind that of many airlines on long-haul domestic routes, as is some of the polish (menus, etc.)

However, TWFirst on a 767 is a very nice experience, while a transcon on a 757 is certainly no worse than the same on UA or AA.

With what they have to work with, the vast majority of TW F/A's provide a very good level of service. Especially in F, they seem to really appreciate your business, and work extremely hard.

I would love to see some of the refinements of premium service offered on other carriers, but I'm pretty happy with my ability to get upgrades. Given the choice between Y on AA or UA, or F on TW, there's no comparison.

Originally posted by craz:
yes I know they are trying to score w/the Carribean but it'll go down like ATL,JFK,Columbus,New Orleans,MexicoCity etc. I understand their LAX-SanJuan is pretty empty w/the FA's counting down till that too is dropped.

Craz,

You are so far off the mark with that comment that one can only feel sorry for you being so misinformed. The SJU focus city is doing extremely well and has surpassed even the best expectations that TWA had hoped for.

Their flights to the Caribbean are almost all sold out (except for LAX, which is slowly improving)and the yields are excellent. This focus has turned out to be a cash cow for TWA and is one of the best moves they have made.

Your obvious bias against TWA is getting the best of you, pal. Research the facts.

Also, just today, TWA was awarded two beyond-perimeter DCA slots to fly a daily NONSTOP between DCA and LAX. I know you will most likely dismiss this great news with some negative retort but this route was heavily pursued by both AA and UA and neither was given anything. The reason they wanted it so bad is because it's another cash cow route and TWA got it.

I fly TWAFirst 99% of the time and the service, for the most part, is very good. Especially out of SFO. Although I depart from LAX much more often and have had nothing but excellent service there too. I've flown TWOne approx 15 times and have always been pleased by the service I have received. It is true, however, that the degree of service can vary from one flight crew to another. This airline has been struggling financially for over a decade now but somehow they keep on going, and given the conditions they must operate under, I think they do a wonderful job.

GUYS,

MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME OUT AS I HAVE NOT FLOWN TWA IN MANY YEARS. I AM GOING TWA FIRST CLASS JFK-SJU IN A 767 BOTH WAYS, WHAT CAN I EXPECT. DO THE SEATS EXTEND AND RECLINE LIKE I HAVE READ IN TW ONE? HOW IS THE SERVICE TO SJU? ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

First,

Please turn off the caps. To answer your question, the F seats on the 767s have a great deal of recline and pitch. They are a bit on the narrow side, because of the 2x2x2 seating on the "wide body" but for a flight like JFK-SJU, quite nice. Seats are also equipped with leg and footrests.

I believe that TWOne service is really only on trans-Atlantic flights. The FC seats on a 767 are also equipped with in-seat video, but I don't know that they will be operating. They were for STL-OGG, but not for numerous STL-LAX legs.

Well, I know this is somewhat futile and I don't want to start a flame war, but thanks CA Platinum for your remarks about TWA's service. Craz is, as usual, totally misinformed.

Just for grins I checked out the loads on this evening's LAX-SJU flight. Only 16 seats available on a 757. I was looking at them also about two weeks ago and the situation was similar. All the flights out of JFK are usually totally packed. And the STL flights are run with a 757. I don't know what the weekday loads are like, but the weekend crowds are substantial.

I flew JFK-SJU last September on an internationally-configured 757 and it was incredibly comfortable - almost like upper-deck business class on a 744. I also upgraded my sister along with me. This is one fantastic perk of the TWA Aviator program that I'm not sure exists at other airlines.

I flew STL-JFK last Friday on TW844 which is a 767. My sister was also flying on that flight and they moved her up to sit with me without paying for an upgrade. The purser did this after we asked if it was possible. It was a very nice flight. The seats have a ton of legroom. Although the 767 was a bit old and worn, but nothing worse than I've experienced on other airlines. I hope one of these days TWA will have enough $$ to upgrade their 767 fleet somewhat.

The service was very nice. There were only 7 of us in first class and we had 2 attendants plus the purser taking care of us. We had the standard two meals to choose from (ceasar chicken salad or roast beef wrap) and nice, cold Budweiser. Unfortunately no ice cream. Although one of the attendants was initially cold to us (I think because the purser sat my sister next to me), she settled down and we chatted for a bit.

It's true that because I fly out of STL that TW is the obvious choice for me. But I'm free to choose carriers and could just as easily be flying AA or UA in (paid) first class. However, in my opinion, TW does a great job with the resources they have. It seems that they don't garner much respect here on the Flyertalk boards from this very experienced group of travellers. But I can honestly say I'd rather fly them over United or American anyday (I've flown enough on those two in the past year to know). It just seems my TW flights are less stressful.

Add to that the incredible opportunities for upgrades to first. Although my business travel is in first, because I'm elite1 I get upgrade on all my (cheap) personal travel also. I'm 100% in the past year. I've noticed that since they took away the free upgrades for elite Aviators that the front cabin is less crowded.

Craz has been here numerous times in the past to voice his displeasure with TW. Most of it is rambling, poorly articulated, and of little substance. Typical of some of the other posts one sees around the boards. I suppose it's a good thing he would choose not to fly TW because then there is less chance of having whining people on a flight with me. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

tfjim & CA P,
as for the imfo on the LAX-SJU flights, the remarks I made were based on what a few FA's told me on a 6/5 int'l flight into the US. I believe I said that in my post.
as for me loving TW theres no question that my love for this airline is all but over(although i'm still holding Platinum status,and having flown appx 900,000 ACTUAL miles w/them over the years). There are still great people working there but their numbers are going down as MOST employees are very bitter w/the airline(rightly so) but once they get to work it should be checked and the passengers shouldn't be getting the short end of the stick because of their personal views.
as per DCA for TW its just returning to a route it once flew I believe that was w/a couple of flights a day.I still remember when CDG had 2 from JFK,1-bos,1-Dulles,1-STL and these were L10's or 747's.
TWA was once a GREAT airline,now its trying only to survive if it will only time will tell, but I received much better service on the LP flights I just flew than on TW(Aeropostal being the sole disappointment).
What I like to ask you both is what about the hub cities that failed, alot of people went to TW and after a period of time they just packed up.Including all the recent pr about New Orleans which didnt pan out.I hope for the airlines sake that the Carribean works since not much else seems to be.

tfjim & CA P,
1) wish to correct myself the DC-LAX & DC-CDG flights wre out of Dulles and not DCA(National).
2) just saw the article in the NY Times about the DCA flights.Although what you wrote was true it was slightly biased. From your post I thought that TW and only TW got a route.Actaually 12 routes were given to 8 airlines NOT 1 of them a major and I'm sure the majors tried to get them all.
AWA-2 to PHX,& 1 to LAS
Frontier 1 to DEN
NATIONAL 1 to LAS
ATA 2 to Chicago
MIDWEST 1 to DesMoines(dont think TW is happy about that)
MIDWAY 1 to RDM
SPIRIT 2 to Florida(not stated which cities)
TW 1 to LAX
guess this puts TW with the others who got and is not considered a major,I dont know why TW got 1 if it was a major doesn't really matter. Next time please post the whole story,I really thought only TW got something and you could have posted about the others even though its on TW's thread.

MSY was never a hub city for TWA. There was some speculation at one time that it may at some point in the future become a focus city, but I don't believe that it ever had more than a few flights to STL, in addition to a JFK-MSY-MEX routing.

Craz wrote:
"2) just saw the article in the NY Times about the DCA flights.Although what you wrote was true it was slightly biased."

and

"Next time please post the whole story,I really thought only TW got something and you could have posted about the others even though its on TW's thread."

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Personally, I don't see the problem with CA Platinum's post. It was accurate and to the point. Read the other Webflyer forums so you can see your preferred airlines' press release details. There is no need to clutter up TWA's forum with unrelated airline information. Most of us are in TWA's forum because we want to learn more about TWA and stay on top of the latest offers.

Back to the topic. I would agree that TWA's standard FC food service is lacking when compared to UA or AA. Although a FC experience depends highly upon the crews serving the flight (this is true regardless of the airline), TWA doesn't provide that extra level of the food service experience. My guess is they can't afford to do this at this time (as opposed to they don't want to do this).

Speaking of the crews, I have noticed the FA's on my flights have been more on the cheerful side and willing to go the extra step for the pax. I'm sure everyone has a bad day, but I've been pleased with the FC service lately. On a flight two weeks ago, the FA was cracking jokes with the pax and the smiles made the trip more enjoyable.