I am thinking about becoming more loyal, flying more first class, etc.
What are the pros and cons of various airlines. Closest airports are BUR and LAX, but would travel from others for a good reason.
Have no flight miles, but have ancillary prog miles:
American 300 (I dont like the award hassles, length of time required to issue award and inability to change it without fees, time limits and other garbage)

NW 80
Some delta + united + continental.

Dont have plans to travel to a consistent destination. Probably south america, asia, western and eastern europe. East coast.
Hawaii, Bali and Egypt are on the list.
I do tend to get tickets to boston for others on a regular basis.

I am still in the process of figuring out what I want. So far it seems to be:

Luxury travel (this probably excludes southwest). Off peak, non season, maximizing upgrade opportunities to first class; Planes loaded with fewer people, better service (eg not using security as an excuse for poor service). Relative ease of obtaining awards or overcoming hindrances like fees, etc.

Are there any good sources (web sites, books) for this type of info: airlines, airlines at lax.

If some of this is covered somewhere else, let me know.

[This message has been edited by slow (edited 07-01-2002).]

[This message has been edited by slow (edited 07-01-2002).]

[This message has been edited by slow (edited 07-02-2002).]

[This message has been edited by slow (edited 07-02-2002).]

[This message has been edited by slow (edited 07-02-2002).]

[This message has been edited by slow (edited 07-02-2002).]

Where are you planning to travel to?

That would make a difference, and also, all loyalty programs have those hassles.

If you don't want to bother with those restrictions, try Southwest airlines, no first class, but you don't get any restrictions.

Precisely.

It all depends on what works for YOU, in your own unique situation.

Given your destinations and time schedules, which airline would you fly most often? And how does their program compare to others? If there are other programs that are better from there, but are not as convenient, ask yourself how much extra hassle would be involved in flying them.

Also, count reliability. Airline X may be the best on paper, but they may have a ten percent record on getting you there when you need to be there. On the other hand, they may be supremely reliable, but require an extra connection to get where you're going...in which case, if you have the extra time, and would like to score an extra segment (if that airline counts segments..), factor that into your calculation, too.

Where you are, you do have some choices, which is good. You also probably have many choices, which is confusing...

In any case, do what works best for you!
-Harry

If your travels frequently take you to Atlanta or SLC than I would say, Delta is a great program. Otherwise, Delta is no longer a practical option for the LAX-based flyer. DL no longer offers service to SFO..Asia (limited to code-share Korean Airlines), non-stop to Europe your choices are limited to the AF code share and only into CDG. If you plan to fly to JFK, DL still offers non-stops which are competitive with AA and UA. It is not possible to fly to Boston on a wide-body. Washington, D.C. requires connecting, as well as Chicago. Portland and Seattle require connection in SLC. Forget Australia. Service to Mexico is possible on AeroMex (code share) If you vacation in Kona, you will have to connect in HNL as DL (unlike AA & UA do not offer direct service. So, if you prefer the convenience of non-stop flights out of LAX, you might want to consider an airline other than DL

if you are west coast oriented for travel then ua or hp are choices, if you will be flying transcons or intl, then ua, aa or dl are choices. use southwest, jetblue, america west as backups in case you need a cheap fare at the last minute.

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f

Dont have plans to travel to a consistent destination. Probably south america, asia, western and eastern europe. East coast.
I liked the flexibility of the continental program where I can call today and get an award the same day, change whatever I need, etc.



[This message has been edited by slow (edited 07-02-2002).]

The only program that will allow you that type of flexibility is Southwest, and for four round trips, booked online, you get one free.

Most people use a big carrier like Delta,American, or United, and then use Southwest,America West or other as a backup.

If flexibility for same day travel is your biggest priority, then maybe you should consider Southwest as your primary airline, then use AA or UA. For you to get awards on the same day you will have to get a rules buster, and have to use double the miles.

Hope this helps.

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Another evil plot for world domination through the use of points and miles.

CO is notorious for lack of award availability, unless you use EasyPass at twice the spending level.

I say join Egypt Air if you go to Egypt a lot.

I use American, but if I were starting now, out of LA, I would take a serious look at Jet blue. Especially if Long Beach airport is convenient...

Hi Slow-

If you are looking for a wealth of non-stops, United is probably going to be your best bet out of LAX. They also have the better network to the int'l locations you describe.

You could consider American as they have several non-stops, though fewer, and not as many direct served destinations from LAX. Their OneWorld partnerships with Cathay Pacific, LanChile, and British Airways would help make up for it. United's Star Alliance partners also supplement nicely- particuarly Lufthansa for Europe, Varig for S America, and Singapore/Thai/ANA for Asia.

I wish I could help you with F fares but I haven't had the pleasure. I hope to get there later in life.

Best of luck and happy travels-
Kevin

One other thought-

I fly mostly UA and haven't had trouble getting award tix a couple days before the flight. Certainly, it is a gamble if there is going to be availability or not.

There was no addt'l charges because I booked online.

Cheers,
Kevin

ha, ha,

But seriously, I was actually considering egypt. What's the best way to get there in while being loyal to one airline.

I am still in the process of figuring out what I want. So far it seems to be:

Luxury travel (this probably excludes southwest). Off peak, non season, maximizing upgrade opportunities to first class; Planes loaded with fewer people, better service (eg not using security as an excuse for poor service). Relative ease of obtaining awards or overcoming hindrances like fees, etc.

Are there any good sources (web sites, books) for this type of info: airlines, airlines at lax.

I do tend to get tickets to boston for others on a regular basis.

If some of this is covered somewhere else, let me know.

[/b][/QUOTE]



[This message has been edited by slow (edited 07-02-2002).]

Call me crazy, but it seems every time I drive up to LAX there is a huge line out the terminal for Southwest. Isn't that a big discouragement for potential frequent flyers on that airline?