What airline won't you fly?
Nov 20, 2000, 7:36 pm
#46
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Boston,MA,USA and GVA
Posts: 433
AF, NWA even though I end up on them for 15000 a year, US.
Some people have mentioned AZ, i was a little surprsied at this, since I consider their intra Euro C class better than SR or LH. But, that is just me
Some people have mentioned AZ, i was a little surprsied at this, since I consider their intra Euro C class better than SR or LH. But, that is just me
Nov 20, 2000, 7:36 pm
#47
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Boston,MA,USA and GVA
Posts: 433
AF, NWA even though I end up on them for 15000 a year, US.
Some people have mentioned AZ, i was a little surprsied at this, since I consider their intra Euro C class better than SR or LH. But, that is just me
Some people have mentioned AZ, i was a little surprsied at this, since I consider their intra Euro C class better than SR or LH. But, that is just me
Nov 21, 2000, 9:36 pm
#51
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: AA, Hilton, Marriott
Posts: 469
I'll never fly AirTran. They just changed their name from ValueJet, painted new colors on their planes, and hope everyone will forget all the people they left at the bottom of the Everglades because they didn't monitor their maintenance subcontractors properly.
Nov 22, 2000, 3:32 am
#53
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: HAM
Posts: 257
British Airways for constantly overbooking every single flight....
Korean Air for its impressive record of crashes and near-crashes....
Garuda Indonesia for stating in their restructuring plan that they will improve their financial standing by cutting maintenance and staff training....
... but the worst was actually and Egyptian charter airline and subsidiary of Egypt Air that took 48 hours to get me from Frankfurt to Egypt because they had only two planes and not enough money to refuel...
Korean Air for its impressive record of crashes and near-crashes....
Garuda Indonesia for stating in their restructuring plan that they will improve their financial standing by cutting maintenance and staff training....
... but the worst was actually and Egyptian charter airline and subsidiary of Egypt Air that took 48 hours to get me from Frankfurt to Egypt because they had only two planes and not enough money to refuel...
Nov 23, 2000, 1:11 pm
#55
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: East Orange, NJ
Posts: 326
Captain Mike:
I see you have fallen for the Delta/Media party line that Airtran is less safe than major airlines. True, they used to be Valuejet. The accident, however was mostly not their fault, but Sabre-Tech's fault.
It was SabreTech that loaded the deadly cannisters onto the plane that caused the accident. True Value-Jet had ultimate authority, but every airline has subcontractors that load things onto their planes. They can't possibly re-check everything.
It amazes me that other airlines can crash into mountains, take off in typhoons, use the wrong runways, crash into consrtuction equipment, have tire blowouts that cause engine failure, have mystery blow-ups over Long Island, etc., and no one questions their safety.
Value-Jet didn't immediately change to Airtran to try to hide anything. They merged with already existing Airtran and adopted that name because of the persistant bad rap they were getting from the media. We all know that when it comes to Airline and Flying related issues, the media is always sensationalizing, misquoting and mistating facts.
They now are more safety conscious than most airlines because of the everglades tragedy.
dg1: Fly Airtran, I think you'll like it. True they still have some old DC-9s (not as many as Northwest!) but those are rapidly being replaced by those nice new 717s.
You really need the competition in Pitt, since USAir tries to dominate everything. Another discount airline, Vanguard, which I flew to Pitt earlier this year from ATL, no longer flies that route, and has reduced operations there.
Plus Airtran has the best frequent flyer program for flights on their airline:
Use an AMEX card and 3 roundtrips will get 1 free. How can you beat that? Or if you use business class, it takes only 1-1/2 round trips. For six roundtrips, Airtran will buy you a ticket on any airline to wherever you want to go in the U. S. that they don't fly to.
Yes, they have assigned seating, and a Business Class that only costs $25 more than regular coach (which is a heluva lot less than even full coach would cost on Delta).
As a matter of fact, Delta raised their prices 300-400% when ValueJet wasn't flying for a few months. Airtran is the only one keeping prices in line in Atlanta. Delta has never met a price that is too high!
I have a co-worker who refuses to fly them and is loyal to Delta. I've gotten 3 free roundtrip tickets while he is still waiting for the first one fron Skymiles!
I use them every chance I can. My only problem with them is the limited amount of places they go. They have good coverage on the eastern half of the United Staes, but they don't go west of the Mississippi and of course they don't go internationally except for Grand Bahama Island.
One thing I really like is their fare restrictions aren't that restrictive, usually 7 days advance is all it takes and even walkup fare will give you a good price not the OBSCENE quotes you would get from the "big six" carriers.
No Saturday night stay is ever required, and One way tickets cost HALF as much as round trips, NOT 3 TIMES AS MUCH!
So they are limited in some ways, but they are certain one of the finest regional airlines and a discount leader! They are my favorite airline!
Mac
------------------
Via con Dios!
I see you have fallen for the Delta/Media party line that Airtran is less safe than major airlines. True, they used to be Valuejet. The accident, however was mostly not their fault, but Sabre-Tech's fault.
It was SabreTech that loaded the deadly cannisters onto the plane that caused the accident. True Value-Jet had ultimate authority, but every airline has subcontractors that load things onto their planes. They can't possibly re-check everything.
It amazes me that other airlines can crash into mountains, take off in typhoons, use the wrong runways, crash into consrtuction equipment, have tire blowouts that cause engine failure, have mystery blow-ups over Long Island, etc., and no one questions their safety.
Value-Jet didn't immediately change to Airtran to try to hide anything. They merged with already existing Airtran and adopted that name because of the persistant bad rap they were getting from the media. We all know that when it comes to Airline and Flying related issues, the media is always sensationalizing, misquoting and mistating facts.
They now are more safety conscious than most airlines because of the everglades tragedy.
dg1: Fly Airtran, I think you'll like it. True they still have some old DC-9s (not as many as Northwest!) but those are rapidly being replaced by those nice new 717s.
You really need the competition in Pitt, since USAir tries to dominate everything. Another discount airline, Vanguard, which I flew to Pitt earlier this year from ATL, no longer flies that route, and has reduced operations there.
Plus Airtran has the best frequent flyer program for flights on their airline:
Use an AMEX card and 3 roundtrips will get 1 free. How can you beat that? Or if you use business class, it takes only 1-1/2 round trips. For six roundtrips, Airtran will buy you a ticket on any airline to wherever you want to go in the U. S. that they don't fly to.
Yes, they have assigned seating, and a Business Class that only costs $25 more than regular coach (which is a heluva lot less than even full coach would cost on Delta).
As a matter of fact, Delta raised their prices 300-400% when ValueJet wasn't flying for a few months. Airtran is the only one keeping prices in line in Atlanta. Delta has never met a price that is too high!
I have a co-worker who refuses to fly them and is loyal to Delta. I've gotten 3 free roundtrip tickets while he is still waiting for the first one fron Skymiles!
I use them every chance I can. My only problem with them is the limited amount of places they go. They have good coverage on the eastern half of the United Staes, but they don't go west of the Mississippi and of course they don't go internationally except for Grand Bahama Island.
One thing I really like is their fare restrictions aren't that restrictive, usually 7 days advance is all it takes and even walkup fare will give you a good price not the OBSCENE quotes you would get from the "big six" carriers.
No Saturday night stay is ever required, and One way tickets cost HALF as much as round trips, NOT 3 TIMES AS MUCH!
So they are limited in some ways, but they are certain one of the finest regional airlines and a discount leader! They are my favorite airline!
Mac
------------------
Via con Dios!
Nov 23, 2000, 7:50 pm
#56
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: Charlotte, NC
Programs: DL DM, Hilton, Marriott & SPG Platinum & a whole lot of other programs...
Posts: 745
True AirTran Business Class is only $25 or so more than coach, but on a flight from PHL to TPA my Business class meal was a glass of water and Granola bar. I asked for another ald told, sorry, 1 per customer. I dont think that is a fair comparison 
Nov 23, 2000, 9:51 pm
#57
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Paradise Lost
Posts: 286
Any South or Central American carriers - Taca (Tacsa?), LanChile, LanPeru, SAETA, Avianca, Cubana, Guyana Airways. I have flown a few and their staff are not always attentive or worse - not bilingual. I make sure I know where the exits are.
Oh, and Air France - ugh.
Oh, and Air France - ugh.
Nov 23, 2000, 10:51 pm
#58
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Dallas,Tx AA-EXP AA_Life Plat
Posts: 113
Oh my - what a long list:
Southwest (WN) - since Jan-84 when a through flight from Harlingen to Love (DAL) via a stop in Hobby (HOU). When we landed in HOU they told everyone to exit and "find your own way to Love". They offered for us to standby, on a Friday at 5:PM, the first flight I was able to confirm on WN was at 8:PM, so I just bought a DL o/w tkt and have not flown them since! :mad And, Yes, they certainly treat you like cattle. We make a joke here in TX about the company "bus" since they ran an ad campaign about the company "plane".
America West (Worst) - joined their FF club before my first flight. Flew them six times in three months. They refused to credit the FF points for the flights, said I was NOT a member even though they were mailing me promo literature with my FF number on the address label, AND each tkt stub showed my FF number on it! I figured they were too dumb to deserve ANY of my business.
Haven't flown them since. That was in fall-93.
Northwest Airlines (NorthWORST as my Minn friends call them) - flew them twice this fall from DTW-MKE. Center seat each time on 757. Horrible seat pitch! Generally run down equip. NOt friendly people at all.
Delta - when I have to check bags. Flew them in spring-95 with a change of planes in SLC on flights where I had checked bags at DFW through SLC to final destination. My bags never made on the same flight as I used to my final destination TWO TIMES IN A ROW IN ONE MONTH! :mad Maybe do 1 or 2 legs a year w/rollaboard only when forced to use them.
Air Tran - I remember the Everglades incident!
Vanguard - cause they really do treat you like cattle, even worse than WN!
Any asian airline - ONLY because their seat pitch and width is sized for their local market and I am 6ft.-7inch tall and weigh 265 pounds. I just don't fit in their coach seats on a tranpac run. I use QF and can usually find a two-seat row in the very back all to myself on their 747s. Plus I get all those nice AA Oneworld miles for those long transpac runs to Oz and NZ! JAL at 500+ seats on a 747 doesn't cut it for me (that's on an internal Japan flt. folks)!
Why would anyone who values their life fly Aeroflot?
Southwest (WN) - since Jan-84 when a through flight from Harlingen to Love (DAL) via a stop in Hobby (HOU). When we landed in HOU they told everyone to exit and "find your own way to Love". They offered for us to standby, on a Friday at 5:PM, the first flight I was able to confirm on WN was at 8:PM, so I just bought a DL o/w tkt and have not flown them since! :mad And, Yes, they certainly treat you like cattle. We make a joke here in TX about the company "bus" since they ran an ad campaign about the company "plane".
America West (Worst) - joined their FF club before my first flight. Flew them six times in three months. They refused to credit the FF points for the flights, said I was NOT a member even though they were mailing me promo literature with my FF number on the address label, AND each tkt stub showed my FF number on it! I figured they were too dumb to deserve ANY of my business.
Haven't flown them since. That was in fall-93.Northwest Airlines (NorthWORST as my Minn friends call them) - flew them twice this fall from DTW-MKE. Center seat each time on 757. Horrible seat pitch! Generally run down equip. NOt friendly people at all.
Delta - when I have to check bags. Flew them in spring-95 with a change of planes in SLC on flights where I had checked bags at DFW through SLC to final destination. My bags never made on the same flight as I used to my final destination TWO TIMES IN A ROW IN ONE MONTH! :mad Maybe do 1 or 2 legs a year w/rollaboard only when forced to use them.
Air Tran - I remember the Everglades incident!
Vanguard - cause they really do treat you like cattle, even worse than WN!
Any asian airline - ONLY because their seat pitch and width is sized for their local market and I am 6ft.-7inch tall and weigh 265 pounds. I just don't fit in their coach seats on a tranpac run.
I use QF and can usually find a two-seat row in the very back all to myself on their 747s. Plus I get all those nice AA Oneworld miles for those long transpac runs to Oz and NZ! JAL at 500+ seats on a 747 doesn't cut it for me (that's on an internal Japan flt. folks)!Why would anyone who values their life fly Aeroflot?
Nov 24, 2000, 6:25 am
#59
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 470
There have been a number of really accurate posts concerning SWA, so my thoughts are pretty much repeat, but here goes.
I really appreciate SWA's business approach, and they are brutally efficient. That having been said, flying there can be quite an irritating process. A flight of an hour or less is OK, but anything longer than that and you are taking a real chance of being stuck in the cattlecar.
Hence, I fly America West. Now Am West is not the world's greatest airline by any means, but their first class is quite good. With platinum status I get FC about 3/4ths of the time and a 125% bonus. I.e., Am West treats their silver/golds/platinums very well since there are so few of us.
SWA also helps to keep fares very low, particularly in Phx.
I really appreciate SWA's business approach, and they are brutally efficient. That having been said, flying there can be quite an irritating process. A flight of an hour or less is OK, but anything longer than that and you are taking a real chance of being stuck in the cattlecar.
Hence, I fly America West. Now Am West is not the world's greatest airline by any means, but their first class is quite good. With platinum status I get FC about 3/4ths of the time and a 125% bonus. I.e., Am West treats their silver/golds/platinums very well since there are so few of us.
SWA also helps to keep fares very low, particularly in Phx.
Nov 24, 2000, 11:07 am
#60
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: East Orange, NJ
Posts: 326
milesandpoints: If all Airtran gave you to eat in business class was a granola bar, then that's terrible, especially if they only would give you one. I will say that this is usually not the case. I would report that to management!
I suspect, however, that they had more beverages than just water!
Bigtex1:
I remember THE FACTS surrounding the everglades incident. I also remember MANY other airline crashes. Therefore, I don't think rumors of perceived safety problems (many instigted by the ignorance of the media) have any validity.
I have no problem flying Airtran, they are just as safe as AA.
Mac
------------------
Via con Dios!
I suspect, however, that they had more beverages than just water!
Bigtex1:
I remember THE FACTS surrounding the everglades incident. I also remember MANY other airline crashes. Therefore, I don't think rumors of perceived safety problems (many instigted by the ignorance of the media) have any validity.
I have no problem flying Airtran, they are just as safe as AA.
Mac
------------------
Via con Dios!