I've flown over 40,000 miles and 45 segments so far this year, all domestic. Last week I was thinking about how tired I was getting of CO. The I took an America West flight.

Things started off great. We got out of our meeting early enough to catch the 3:30p flight, 3 hours earlier than originally planned. My colleague is a Plat with them and got us both upgraded.

Seats 1A and 1B, feet on the bulkhead, plane taxiing to the end of the runway, plane turning for take-off, thinking about the hard earned cocktail we're about to have...but, wait. Pilot comes on with the "unfortunately we're going to have to head back to the gate because of an indicator light...".

They tell us 15 mins. Then they tell us to get off, but leave our stuff. We try to get back on our original 6:30p flight, they say we can't do that. They won't let us, even if we pay (no explanation). They give us another 15 mins, then another and another. Then they say they are putting us all on the 6:30p (our original flight).

Now we're on the plane, 3 hours later, in seats 187Q and 188Z or something way back there. They close the door. But, oh...wait. Sorry, indicator light.

An hour later we push back. Ten minutes into flight they announce, "We're having a problem with the coffee maker in the back. Please discontinue use of the coach lavatories and only use the one lav in First (yes, full flight).

First looked like heck - leather dye scuffed off the seats, carpeting stained, walls scuffed. Coach was worse....

Pitiful....

I have similar thoughts every time I step on a DL flight, which fortunately is not too often.

One of the reasons which I fail/forget to mention when asked why I fly Continental is...their fleet maintenance! ^ Fewer mechanical issues, well maintained interiors.

Now watch...next flight there will be a maintenance issue

Makes me really want to requailfy my US/HP Chairman's Elite status...

-Vincent

Well said..CO offers a high quailty product and at competative fare.

Thanks for the report ^

For me at least this has been one of the areas where CO has shined.

I can think of only one serious MX delay in the past year or so that seriously affected my schedule. In other words, I am quite glad that all my CO flights, save one, have not had major MX issues!

Keep up the good work CO ^

Actually, DL's refurbished cabins are not half bad. They Y seats are leather I believe and quite comfortable. I flew on a refurbed 757 DCA/slc and it was pleasant and the CRC in SLC (unfortunately there is only one and there should be at least 2) is very nice indeed.

I definitely have not experienced the DL refurbished cabin, but your description does not sound bad. I have a DL segment coming up that hopefully will be on a refurbished aircraft.

I've had the misfortune to fly Delta a couple of times last year. But, at least I got lucky in that they were last minute flights and the only availability was a seat up front and it was of the new refurbished cabin.
Have you ever bought something that was refurbished compared to rebuilt?
Let me put it this way, they weren't bad, but the NW cardboard seats actually have more plushness to them. I felt like I was sitting on one of those new dashboards that look like soft leather or vinyl but are actually industrial grade hardened steel.

Well, maybe not that awful, but it isn't very good either.

I wasn't if FC so can't compare. All I can say is the Y seats were not any worse then CO's Y seats and the cabin looked clean. As a Y experience it was comporable to CO and NW ( my too mos frequent airlines) better then my experience in US and UA...Have you seen some of their planes lately some appear to be missing half their paint...

not if you are flying EWR to MSP or EWR to BOS.

try $680 one-way to MSP. NW charges the same and since they are the only games in town, like it or lump it. round-trip isn't much better, if at all. i have seen a lot of JFK in the past few months (sun country "competition").

Do any of you fly AA? At the rate I'm going I'll renew my Plat status sometime in late April, early May. I'm thinking I then do a competitve deal, get status on another airline and go for their top tier as well - especially since my upgrade % is lower than ever this year.

But, I know America West, UA, Delta are not on my list. That leaves AA, which has good flights from AUS.

Thanks,

AB

FCTSTY,

Try MSP-DTW or CLE-EWR if you want a real eye opener.....$700 would be cheap for those routes

AA's your best bet out of AUS; on AA you would earn miles that you could possibly (gasp!) use for international upgrades. I think only AA and CO have clubs there, too.

Alas, let's not forget AA has the same Cash + Miles for International Upgrades; although I hear availability is better than on CO, so that may make it worth it.

-Vincent