Originally Posted by
Bogwoppit
I have more travel plans upset by mainline carriers than low cost, and I have done tons of both. KLM have issues every time I fly with them, I keep getting stranded in GLA due to weather (when all other airlines are still flying).
Yep. It is worse in the US where regional airlines operate nearly half of the domestic legacy flights. You pay legacy airfare, so you can pay more to check a bag, now pay more to carry on a bag, and the crew makes less than their peers at an LCC. Further, the last two major American crashes were regional jets, there was the famous Colagan flight that crashed on approach in Buffalo in part because the pilots were tired from long commutes to work and because they had little experience and poor training in icing conditions. Also, a Comair flight operating for Delta crashed into moutains at LEX, because it took of from the incorrect runway. The pilots had violated sterile cockpit rules during the taxi, and if you read the black box transcripts you can see they were not very professional.
Also, in terms of reliability, regional flights are pretty poor. They do not count towards the legacies operational statistics, so mainline flights are often privileged by dispatch. About ten years ago there was a Comair flight from JFK to IAD that over the course of a month did not operate a singal flight on time.
Also, when flying from outstations, the ground staff will often be outsourced to regional ground companies, who at some airports may be contracted out for multiple airlines. When things go sideways, these people don't actually work for the airline you bought your ticket from, and therefore are not as invested in your final outcome, and often times they tell you that you have to call the airline. Under the wings, I once witnessed outsourced baggage handlers litterly drop bags out of a plane until the baggage conveyor belt pulled up to the plane.
I haven't flown intra Europe as much, but my limited experience is that legacies in Europe are also cutting amenities for the passengers, free checked bags are going away, as I said in another post, OK doesn't even provide free in flight water anymore. Also, airlines like Air Berlin (not sure if it is a legacy or just a "full service" carreir in an alliance) to an extreme and Alitalia to a lesser extend are in financial trouble and may not be the most reliable options. From a safety stand point, AF has its own history of safety issues and seems to crash a plane about once every decade or so.
Outside of Asia, I am not really sure what the advantage of a legacy really is, other than a historical paint scheme on the plane.