Very happy to learn that you moved over to NW.....certainly the better of the two. :)

Personally speaking, I try to avoid DL as much as possible. Unfortunately, I'm using my WorldPerks miles for a free ticket and NW has put me on DL metal for my return flight (on regional aircraft, of all things!!!). Argghhhhhh! :mad:

Cheers,
MIKE

I hate codeshares - That's just the kind of thing that's likely to happen. Now NW is joining SKYTeam too.

I'm guessing people haven't bothered to mention US Airways because it is so close to liquidation. But USScare gets my vote.

Their fleet is older than I am. The interiors look like they're about to fall to pieces, and somehow I always get the broken seat with the broken light and broken armrest.

When checking in on a first class ticket, the counter agent rudely yelled at me, "This line is only for first class! The regular line is over there!" She pointed to the other line, shouting, "It's over there! This is first class only!"

Second in line is KLM. I agree with the poster who said NW has it's act together, and it's KLM that drags down the pair in that partnership. The main problem is that KLM staff are uniformly grouchy, defensive, unhelpful, and rude. AMS is a pretty nice place to spend 24 hours, which is how long I seem to spend there no matter how my original connection was scheduled.

D - Doesn't
E - Ever
L - Leave
T - The
A - Airport

Nickname I started calling DL in '00 when over 50% of my domestic tickets (18 RT) were shifted to NW. The majority of flights actually on DL were late.

NW agent in MKE laughed & put me in F when I hung my head and said, "Forgive me, I have sinned, I should have known better, but the DL ticket was so cheap" I was pleasantly surprised when Y wasn't 100% full. Admitting error can sometimes have a good reward.

Yeah, the saddest news of the year. You know, I kind of liked the unique NW/KL relationship independent of any world alliances. NW and KL were doing fine without the interference of AF (takeover of KL) and DL (trying to infect everyone around them with their continual bad business decisions). :mad:

Other than NW's pension fund problems and high fuel prices, this airline is doing okay. Heck, they outright own over half of their planes (can't say that for any of the others in the U.S.). Now with their new association with SkyTeam, who knows how things will turn out. *fingers crossed*

Cheers,
MIKE

GRADGIRL, I take it that you are talking about flying on their regional prop-jet Dornier 328, right? If so, I totally agree with you! They are in poor condition (despite only being 9 years old...but don't fret, they are leaving the fleet very shortly). Strangely, the one tremendous advantage about the Dornier-328 is that they have much more legroom and wider seats than most of their mainline aircraft. I'd take a ride on this aircraft over the super-tight CRJ anyday (both have about the same fuselage width but seating for D328 is 1-2, CRJ is 2-2). :(

I have recently flown on their Airbus 321 and Boeing 737-300 (first class) and must say that these aircraft had modern looking interiors. But I may have been lucky. ;)

As for your comment about AMS, I never mind staying overnight at this airport. If my layover is over 4 hours, I exit the airport and hop onto one of those national/regional trains below the airport and run up to Centraal Station in center city Amsterdam. In fact, I specifically design my travel plans so I could have lengthy layovers at AMS. I'm just a sucker for this city.....love those canals, all of the cool eateries, the lights, the energy, the entire pulse of the city....AMS is fine with me! :D


Cheers,
MIKE

Hi Mike,

Nope, I was referring to USair's larger planes. I'm not sure which I've been riding in, Airbus 321 or Boeing 737, but they were definitely 3-3 configuration in Y. I was in first class on several of these flights, but still found broken seats and missing ceiling panels (that one was weird). Once the A/c started
leaking water into the cabin.

I'm sure I would have a good time in AMS, but usually they keep me cooped up in the airport with false promises about when the aircraft which has gone mechanical or failed to show up on time will actually be leaving.

I'm sorry that's been your experience of LCCs in the US, but over here it's another story (OK, apart from having to fork out for sandwiches now; I know! I know!) from what I hear in FT, Iberia are getting better lately, and that HAS to be because of the LC competition. Maybe Alitalia will take the hint too now that they're going down the pan.
Happy FAs (with Easyjet at least) go a long long way to turning a flight into a pleasurable experience - any sense of tranquility from having a pre-assigned seat is wiped out when your FA is a vindictive bruja. And Easyjet can teach Iberia a thing or two about good relations on the ground as well. (Just don't try and phone Easyjet on a weekend - even if they don't actually subcontract their CSs then, it feels like they do).

Another vote for KLM
 

I'll add my vote for KLM. I've never flown Iberia, so I can't compare, but KLM's poor service and declining standards must put them in a league of their own. Perhaps it's because I have flown KLM so much that I have seen so many things go wrong, but reading the KLM FD forum here my experiences are not exceptional. Since the introduction of the "Europe Select" intra-European "business class," I now have issued standing instructions to avoid KLM as much as possible. I'd nixed them long-haul quite some time before.

I also have only limited experience with US domestic flights, but compared to the airlines I do fly often (BA, LH, SK, SQ and OS), KLM comes out a poor last.