Kmxu

It is a typical FT bashing thread. It does not matter how one defines the terms.

sfoeuroflyer

To be frank, the weak sister in the bunch is UA. Inedible food, undrinkable wine.

rittenhousesq

Varig? Oh wait, I'm dating myself, lol.

pinniped

Weird....I've flown TAP a few times and, mercifully, had decent experiences. Never had a major irrops incident with them though - that's always the real test.

My aversion to AC over the years has generally been that they are about the most expensive airline I've ever encountered - even for short mundane trips. I was flying a different airline out of LGA a couple years ago, in the same gate area as AC, and AC was having an operational meltdown, canceling multiple flights, and people were everywhere trying to get rebooked. I had also been in the AC lounge (Priority Pass) and people were pissed - even their elites weren't getting rebooked quickly. This was not a weather situation in New York - other airlines were operating normally (as "normally" as LGA ever is, anyway) - but it's possible that Canadian weather was to blame. My guess is it was a couple YYZ flights and maybe a YUL flight but I don't recall for sure.

My worst Star Alliance experiences, without question, have always involved a UX carrier on a domestic US flight.

milepig

Before I flew them I was dreading COPA, but in the end it turned out to be pretty much a carbon copy of Continental 25 years ago, right down to the decor in the lounge.

If we can add UX, I would certainly put MESA - aka MESSY, on the list.

work2fly

Pretty much this.

I've flown TK, SQ, AC, LH, and LX biz this past year, and based on the photos in the international meals thread, have actively avoided UA. The Polaris seat may be the best for a solo traveler, and the Polaris lounge may beat all but TK and AC's premium lounge, but that seems to be about it.

Lomapaseo

next time use the screw cap before drinking

pinniped

I will say...for some of my journeys, the soft product on the ground and hard product in the air is what I value most. Dinner & drinks in the lounge, sleep in the air. So United gets credit where it's due on that part of the Polaris product.

But no arguing that the inflight soft product lags others in the alliance.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Fair point. My idea of “repugnant” - an airline cancels flights due to crew shortage and refuses to pay for hotel room because they decide (corporately) to call the cancellations “safety issues”. That’s repugnant. “Worst” might be the worst in-flight service or schedule recovery, etc. I guess both are fair game here - whatever airline UA partners with that is bad, in one way or another (or many ways).

Red Raider LV

I can't believe there's been no mention of Avianca. They've essentially become a LCC.

Egyptair is also awful. I'll go out of my way to avoid their apathetic crews, lack of alcohol on board, and CAI transit experience.

Air China also sucks. What's to like about them? Lounges are awful, hard product is passable, soft product is poor. IFE is really bad. They're only in *A because of their access to the Chinese market. Far worse than UA.

I would take LO, TP, or AC over AV, MS, or CA any day of the week.

Concerto

So in the end, Star Alliance is pretty bad. In fact, it's gone from bad to awful. In Germany, apparently the bank accounts of TAP were frozen because they were refusing to refund pax during Covid times and just generally treated people in a dreadful manner. Frankly I wouldn't fly TAP, not after all the experiences I have read about, and I wouldn't go near Air Canada either.

AsiaTravel2019

Yes they will. So very good.

Hipplewm

I will vote for Aeromar
All prop planes
They do have Coke Zero though
Roosters fly in cargo, right in front of passengers
They don't participate in the US ESTA - so you get SSSS every flight on the leg where you transition to a carrier who does participate.

WineCountryUA

So far 3 or so carriers out of 26 have been commented on (10%-ish), perhaps a little premature to paint the entire alliance on performance of a few. There are many, many more stronger *A carriers. Probably other alliance also have weak partners.

steveo

I Present to you, the snack box on an Air China Flight from Beijing to Ulaan Bataar. I'm pretty sure the Sandwhich spread was a combination of industrial ash, pig anus, and a little bit of horse semen for flavor.


Air China Snack Box

Delicious.... probably cures COVID