Originally Posted by JS

I agree completely, although if it were a personal trip, I would never pay $300 or even $200 for a short-haul (but I'm cheap).

I have overlooked plenty of NW fares that were cheaper because I hate NW. Even though I can earn Delta SkyMiles flying NW, it is not worth flying that p.o.s. airline (that will hopefully go out of business after the August 20 strike) to save a buck. I have since added US to my no-fly list (monopoly airports excepted such as DVL or LEB).

I used to avoid flying Southwest even if they were cheaper, but a couple of years ago, I broke down and tried them again and was really surprised at the good service, although to be honest it's in large part because it's all relative; the majors have cut service so much it's pretty tough to suck harder.

So, now I fly either Delta or UA, or Southwest (not often since I don't live in a WN city), sometimes AA, and that's it. AirTran, ATA, Sprit, etc., are candidates if they're cheaper but that's rare. NW and US are at the bottom because THEY SUCK.