I've been flying mostly Continental on those 2-3 times a year I fly, but I also have a (not-recently-used) FF account on Delta.

For a trip in February, the prices are the same and the schedules are within 45 minutes of each other.

I have 10,224 miles in Continental's program, non-Elite status with 2 Elite points.

I have 9,000 of the old Frequent Flyer miles on Delta, but no SkyMiles.

My next planned trip is next summer, Newark to Grand Rapids.

And, FWIW, I can afford to be bumped returning from Atlanta to Newark.

So which airline should I choose for the February trip? Thanks in advance.

since you are not likely to get status on either airline, it doesnt matter since DL,CO, & NWA are all together now in DLs Skyteam. Id fly the carrier with the lowest fare and put the miles into the same acct no matter which I flew. DL still doesnt require a Sat night stay over on its domestic tkts. So if NorthWest(NWA) has the best fare Id fly with them and give them my DL# to get my miles credited to.
The only thing youd lose is the 1000 mile booking bonus cause you purchased it on NWA.com and not Delta.com. You would need to have a NWA FF# and use it to purchase your tkt then either call up and have it changed to your say your DL# or do it when checking in or at the gate.

May also want to consider focusing your mileage/efforts on CO since EWR is a hub which could allow for other ways to earn miles (i.e. shopping partners, special/regional offers, etc.)

The fares are the same, and I didn't see any online booking bonuses on either Continental or Delta. (I did get one from Continental earlier this year. Either I missed it this time or the promotion has ended.)

My son flies EWR-ATL a couple of times a month, so here's my $.02:

IMO, CO seems to have a better on-time record for evening flights to ATL. Not sure if this is statistically true, but everytime he flies DL, things are delayed, and often flights are cancelled. The CO Friday night flights around 6 pm are often overbooked, VDB is usually about $200. Not sure about the ATL end, since he is flying as a UM, and they don't bump them.

CO flights to ATL depart out of Terminal A; DL is in Terminal B, which seems to have longer security lines, which could be a problem if you are not elite. The PC in Terminal B is also convenient to the gates, if this is an option for you.

EWR is CO's hub, which in my opinion means better staffed. Delta check-in also seems more laborious to me.

It is easier to get award flights on partner airlines from Delta than from Continental. So I would store my miles from either airline in a Delta account, at least until they go bankrupt.

IMHO, anyone with a central New Jersey address ought to be squirrling CO miles.

0524, let me disagree with ya. I live 10 mins from EWR, and yet have been driving over to LGA and flying Song or AA alot lately since the fares out of LGA are at least $100 cheaper. My flight this coming Sun from LGA is $160 while CO wants $354 for the same non-stop, Im on Song, only after I purchased it did AA lower their fare from $221 to $160 to match.
I dont remember finding CO as a cheaper way to go, while in the past I did find sometimes a decent fare on AA or DL from EWR, not too often does CO come thru with decent fares which makes it possible to fly out of EWR rather than JFK/LGA/PHL. Then theres parking also, while at LGA I am able to secure street parking which doesnt cost anything. So my trip this Sun between fares and parking nets me a savings of $239, to which I say THANK YOU JetBlue. Now if B6 will only start up at EWR then I can look forward to using EWR once again.
Then alot of the time fares overseas is also cheaper out of JFK than EWR. Thats about the only time I fly CO is when I go overseas and the savings from JFK isnt enough to go there besides dragging the suitcases isnt easy, Id prefer the drop at the curb-side.

Why? (Just curious.) You, ClimberMom and I all have northern NJ addresses, btw.

I see lower fares on Travelocity sometimes out of LaGuardia or even MacArthur on Long Island, but crossing through NYC just to save a relatively few dollars...Nahhhh. I'd never park on the city streets for several days, either. But I have found a way to beat Newark's parking fees: A ride from a teenage son who wants my car while I'm gone!

For those that dont have such as good arrangement for avoiding EWRs parking fees. The 2 best ones are IMHO, 1 EWR economy lots at $8 a day it can be a cold wait till the bus does come around and it leaves you off at the bus stands that are to the right of the term buildings and thats where they pick you up as well.
My favorite is the 4 Points Hotel at $7 a day, you ride the hotels shuttle van so you can wait in the lobby if its not there or not ready to leave. I believe it drops you off right outside the term on the departure level, to pick it up you need to get it at the tram stop for the hotels which can be a bit of a hassle if you have alot of luggage (never my case). again its been ahile since Ive done this Yrs, as I also usually get dropped and picked up by family memebers, when I couldnt be and it was short trip I parked at the 4P. id call and ask about where they pick-up/drop off to be sure.

Continental is clearly the better choice as they remain one of the only full service airlines operating out of EWR and NYC for that matter. Granted you may pay a lil more, but it shows in thier quality of people and the effort they will make. Parking at EWR is cheap, and its also really easy to get to through the NJTransit/Amtrak Connections to AirTrain. Like some have said AA or Song might be a bit cheaper, but factor in the time and cost of having to get to LGA or JFK, and if you are willing to go to JFK, depending onw here you are going (obviously not ATL) you can get a cheaper price with an IAH connection than a direct from EWR. Infact those super early LGA-IAH flights, such as the 5:55a,, are great for Elite Upgrades, as I have yet to miss one.



-Vincent Sitao

Dare I mention...AirTran!

Comfy seats, huge overhead bins, and good fares. Plus, if you want to treat yourself, you can upgrade to business class (basically just a bigger seat and free drinks) for only $35. Also, the change fee is only $50 if your plans do change.

I don't agree with this. My husband is a CO plat, and I always book our reward travel under his account, but we have successfully redeemed more than one million miles in the last two years, including 3 RT EWR-HNL. I have never not been able to get the flights I want on the days I want.