hi everybody
I'm planning a little vacation in the US and I have two airline options. Either CO or UA. ZRH - ORD - Fll (with AA) - ZRH. So which airline would you choose and why? Thanks a lot
JetAviation

Milesbuzz?

As the OP is not asking about mileage on these airlines specifically, I'm moving this to TravelBuzz. It appears to me he is asking about service comparisons.

You ask UA or CO. However I am confused because you say AA? Which routes "specifically" on CO or UA? Transatlantic or domestic?

Anyway here are my 2 cents. Domestic CO I avoid the B737 as I find it terribly uncomfortable. Minimum leg room, narrow and hard seats. They say they are the only ones who serve food but I would prefer to buy it, based on what they give you. Transatlantic it was OK except for the food which was unedible. Comfortable seats on the B767 with 32" legroom.

I personally don't like CO and would opt for UA though I have not flown long distance with them since 10 years. I liked it at the time.

Mmm moved to Travelbuz? I really find this website "very confusing" and difficult to find certain subsites. It should be made clearer.

thanks so far for your comments
to clarify
zrh - ord (ua or co)
ord - fll (aa)
fll - zrh (co or ua)
aa is the cheapest option for the domestic segment, though I wouldn't mind taking aa all the way.
for the complete itinerary there is almost no difference in prize between co or ua, that's why I'm asking for help on quality issues of both carriers.
thanks again

I prefer UA b/c they can be credited to my FF program (AC Super Elite)!

But even if I can't claim the mileage, I would go for UA. UA isn't a very good service carrier, but from experience, they are much much more pleasant than CO. UA hasn't lost my business but CO has.

If you're in coach, UA has E+, which makes a big difference. However, E+ is primarily for status fliers, but you should check to see if you can get it.

CO all the way. I have heard the best things about CO on airliners.net. They seem to be the best w/ entertainment, food, and service. Haven't heard to many good things about UA. Definitely do CO. I myself have never flown them but I hear they're the best of the Big Six when it comes to service.

One thing you may want to consider is your connecting airport. On UA it will probably be IAD, which is dingier than but not as congested as CO's EWR hub.

Personally I would go for UA as service in Y is decent, in addition to having economy plus (unless you're a *S or have a Y, B, or M fare you're probably going to have to pay $79 at checkin for it). IMO economy plus is definitely worth the money (it makes a long flight in economy much more tolerable). If you flew CO you'd have to transit in EWR which is disliked by almost everyone. I haven't heard particularly bad things about either CO or UA in longhaul economy (I haven't flown CO in years so I wouldn't know).

I would go with UA if you can get into E+. It makes a world of difference in flight comfort.

If you can't get into E+ than CO and UA are largely a wash since they both offer similar service. They both fly 767s with PTVs at each economy seat.

Also you might consider choosing on frequent flyer program if one belongs to an alliance that you fly more often--Star Alliance/UA vs SkyTeam/CO.

As you can see from the above comments, both carriers have their fans and detractors. I've had good and bad experiences on both (within the US). Either of the mainline carriers would be a better choice than the other's commuter carrier, if that makes any difference. From your comments, I'm inferring that both ORD and FLL are planned stops, not just point in a mileage run or to get a specific price. If that's not the case, others may have additional suggestions for carriers to consider.

To stray a little from initial question (apologies if you've already considered these): (a) unless you are on the non-stop LX (code share AA?) or direct UA flight ZRH-ORD, you will probably have to change planes en route to ORD; thus you should consider whether flying into (or out of) MWD instead of ORD is an option and whether gives you better alternatives; (b) from your description, it seems as if you are describing the trip as an international open jaw and a domestic one-way; if price is critical, you might try pricing as 2 round trips (for ex. ZRH-ORD-ZRH and ORD/MDW-FLL/MIA/PBI-ORD/MDW); (c) PBI and MIA are fairly close to FLL; MCO is only about an hour away by plane and often has very competitive prices since a lot of carriers are taking a lot of people to Disney and other nearby attractions; you can probably find MCO-FLL for under $100. Consider checking into these airports as alternatives.

Good luck.

As a very frequent flyer and business travel manager I took all of our business away from Continental and put it to United because, among reasons, United's Economy Plus is a lifesaver when not flying in business or first, while Continental's coach seating is just miserable due to its miniscule pitch and, speaking of Newark as a hub, its ghetto-attitude ground staff and flight attendants.

When people remark about Continental's entertainment it's because they have large-screen LCD viewers at every seat, even in coach - at least they look large-screen because you're basically right up against the seat back in front of you where the screen is located. Anything looks big when your nose is pressed against it!