My company is going to be sending on a lot of business travel this year and I don't have status with any airline. So my question is which airline do you think is the best? I'm flying out of Logan which really isn't a hub for anyone so I'm wide open as to which airline I fly. Most of my flights will be domestic but not to one particular place. I liked American when I flew them and I hated USAir when I flew them (and this was before the Christmas fiasco). So please leave comments but I'll look at numbers to decide because most people have strong feelings for one program but I want the one the most people like. So please follow the link below and vote in a poll I set up (no registration or anything like that is necessary). Thanks for your help.

http://www.honest-opinions.com/opinion.php?id=110

I love their huge banner ad proclaiming GET REAL OPINIONS HONSEST. You'd think people would hire spell-checkers before creating huge banners like that...

We can discuss my choice of polling sites in a different thread. Do you have any thoughts on my original question? I want to know, honsestly.

I don't know...it's such a profound question that's never been asked here before. I think everybody is dumbfounded in silence as they debate the issue for the first time.

I know it's been asked before. I did a search before I posted and looked at the other similar threads but they were all flying out of a hub so everyone said use that airline. Or they were flying internationally, which I won't be. So I asked the question in regards to my situation.

OK fair enough...sometimes search doesn't turn up a whole lot. I'm personally a fan of AA - I don't know for sure, but I think they have a decent BOS presence.

Do you have any idea what your destinations will be? Best thing to do is pick your most likely destinations and plug 'em into Orbitz. Look at gate-to-gate durations and - importantly - look for a diversity of route options to those destinations. Find a carrier that offers plenty of daily flights and - if you have to connect - options through more than one hub. If Chicago is buried under a foot of snow, will your airline be able to get you home? Since you are in BOS, you at least have a large home airport going for you. Everybody flies there. Perhaps consider other nearby airports (such as Providence) where the airline flies - you might not want to use Providence, but if you fly enough you're bound to run into a situation where you'd take a flight there over a night in an airport.

I happen to like AA's frequent-flier program as well, but don't let one particular bell or whistle in a program convince to fly an airline that doesn't serve your area all that well.

I don't know where I'll be flying precisely. It'll be all over the place depending on which customer my company wants me to support. There will probably be several trips to Chicago and Orlando. But other than that, it's wide open: San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Seattle. I'm leaning towards AA and United since I have family in Chicago and it wouldn't be a problem if I get stuck there.

I know it's hard, but you should try to figure out approximately how many miles you will earn so you can figure out what elite level you'll qualify at. I think you need this information to compare the elite benefits of the various airlines - upgrades, club access, bonus miles.

Nonstop analysis:
BOS-MCO: DL, AA, B6
BOS-ORD: AA, UA
BOS-SAN: AA, AS
BOS-SFO: UA, AA, AS
BOS-DEN: UA, B6
BOS-SEA: AS

According to this thread, Delta will be moving to a great looking new terminal at BOS.

How important is airport club access to you? Comparing UA and AA: It looks like both AA and UA have clubs in BOS. Certainly both have clubs in ORD. UA has a club in MCO.

It also depends where you are going, you don't want to be stuck in a CRJ all the time

Looks like AA is your choice! Check the partner rules: you'll earn AA miles and Q-points on that Seattle flight, but it varies by fare bucket (IIRC). I think a few folks here have actually made AS their preferred program and accrue miles/status there (because of their stable of partners), but I don't know if that's in your best interest given that you will be the vast majority of your time on AA metal.

An occasional B6 flight to Denver won't be too bad either. Seatback ESPN, right?

I know it says Spring 2005 but I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe the Big Dig has made me cynical but I'll only assume b-e are working.

I agree that a central consideration is which airlines fly to where you'll be flying on business, but here are a few others:

1. What will you use your points for? If it is vacation, where are you likely to want to go? I fly UA, but believe that AA has more destinations in the Caribbean. On the other hand, UA and its Star Alliance are better for trips across the Pacific.

2. How important is extra legroom in economy to you? Once you reach premier status (25,000 miles/year) on United, it entitles you to economy plus, which is four or five extra inches of legroom. I believe that AA is removing from many of its planes the economy seats that offer extra legroom.

3. UA generally has better and newer planes, but AA is in better financial health.

I thought it was the other way around that United was removing the extra room. That definitely is a big factor in my choice. When I was on USAir the guy in front of me put his seat back and slammed right into my kneecaps.

However smart-alecky it may be, this is classic and is a clear contender for the Jim Rome Email of the Day. Rack it! ^