Delta or United

[MtMinnie2]

We will be flying either Delta or United out of Montana in December. Which inner net places do you search for the best deals??? So far I am looking at tripadvisor but was wondering if there was another one people prefer.

 

[Sandi]

I would just go through the airlines' websites:
www.delta.com
www.united.com

I find it easier to book through the airline than to use one of the on-line travel agent sites. If you're looking for flight comparisons and combinations of different airlines, you might try www.orbitz.com and www.expedia.com.

 

[Ranger111]

I'm with Sandi's advice.

I don't have the time (or energy) today to give all reasons, but search through a travel site such as kayak for flights.

Once you find one that meets your needs go to the actual airline site to buy your tickets.

Potential for "issues" is much reduced. For said issues, do some googling.

 

[Greysword]

Flight Search: I recommend using Hipmunk, as it uses the ITAMatrix search function. The good part about Hipmunk is that it works like an online travel agency search (Orbitz, Expedia, etc), but is much more robust. Also, Hipmunk is not a travel agent. Their links are directly to the airline's website, which is the best place to buy tickets in case of issues.

As for Delta vs United, there are advantages to both. Delta has better customers service (by far) than United, so your experience at the airport and aboard the aircraft will be better. Plus, many Delta flights have satellite TV aboard (no guarantee, though). In addition, they are pretty reliable in their departure and arrival times. On the downside, Delta has a tendency to switch aircraft and move their schedules around a bit (Delta has a policy if the schedule change was more than an hour, you can change your flights for free to anyone available. As such, you might be able to pick better flights than those purchased). Also, their frequent flier program (Sky Miles) has some of the worst redemption costs if you build up enough points.

United has one of the best frequent flier programs, with excellent redemption potential for future flights. Also, they are in the Star Alliance, which means you can instead credit your flights to Aegean airline (the Greek airline) and attain Star Alliance silver status with only 3,000 miles flown for (pretty much) life. Status is important, as it gets you Premier Access (priority boarding (great for carry-on bags), priority security lanes, priority baggage, and check-in) as well as priority customer service lines (great for weather and mechanical issues).

However on the downside, United is working on their customer service (their Fly the Friendly Skies adds talk about everything but people friendly ). Also, they seem to have delays, mechanical, and pilot rest issues more than the norm.

In the end, I generally choose Delta, as I prefer good customer service, but having even Silver status in Star Alliance for (almost) life is a nice benefit to attain from just one round trip.

As for finding flight prices, Hipmunk or the ITAMatrix sites are the best, and it is what the professional miles & points bloggers use.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[MtMinnie2]

Thanks for the advice.
I will keep an eye on the price for awhile before purchasing a ticket.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

.......
United has one of the best frequent flier programs, with excellent redemption potential for future flights. Also, they are in the Star Alliance, which means you can instead credit your flights to Aegean airline (the Greek airline) and attain Star Alliance silver status with only 3,000 miles flown for (pretty much) life. Status is important, as it gets you Premier Access (priority boarding (great for carry-on bags), priority security lanes, priority baggage, and check-in) as well as priority customer service lines (great for weather and mechanical issues).

However on the downside, United is working on their customer service (their Fly the Friendly Skies adds talk about everything but people friendly ). Also, they seem to have delays, mechanical, and pilot rest issues more than the norm.

In the end, I generally choose Delta, as I prefer good customer service, but having even Silver status in Star Alliance for (almost) life is a nice benefit to attain from just one round trip.

As for finding flight prices, Hipmunk or the ITAMatrix sites are the best, and it is what the professional miles & points bloggers use.

Good luck and have fun!

I'm a UA 1K and they give me great customer service! I do agree that there are many areas where they could improve; meal service, attitude of some FAs, especially former Continental FAs, better entertainment systems, etc.

Some of your FF info is wrong. You need to fly 4,000 miles on Aegean Airlines for silver status and it is not for life! FF status only last a year, then you must requalify. You can credit UA miles to Aegean, but depending on your fare class, you may only get credited 50% of the miles flown.

Unfortunately, Silver status on UA does not get you a priority customer service phone line (that is only for 1K/gold and above), priority security lines, or priority baggage. Useful chart here:

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/premier/staralliance.aspx

While you may feel UA has delays above the norm, statistically, this is untrue. Check DOT statistics.

 

[Greysword]

I'm a UA 1K and they give me great customer service! I do agree that there are many areas where they could improve; meal service, attitude of some FAs, especially former Continental FAs, better entertainment systems, etc.

Some of your FF info is wrong. You need to fly 4,000 miles on Aegean Airlines for silver status and it is not for life! FF status only last a year, then you must requalify. You can credit UA miles to Aegean, but depending on your fare class, you may only get credited 50% of the miles flown.

Unfortunately, Silver status on UA does not get you a priority customer service phone line (that is only for 1K/gold and above), priority security lines, or priority baggage. Useful chart here:

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/premier/staralliance.aspx

While you may feel UA has delays above the norm, statistically, this is untrue. Check DOT statistics.

Hi Cyber,

I'm sure a 1K gets much better service than those of us cattle in the back . I think you hit the nail on the head with the attitude of the FAs. This extends to the gate and check-in desk agents, as well. United isn't very good, IMO.

As for Aegean, I was being simplistic. To attain Aegean Blue (Star Alliance Silver), it requires 4,000 miles, but new members get 1,000 miles for signing up, so that is where I got the 3,000 figure.

Aegean status actually lasts for three years, but is renewed for another three with only one flight segment credited. Thus once attained, it can be maintained with one United flight (of any length or duration) credited to Aegean, which is why it is pretty much for life as renewal is no where near as hard as other airlines.

While Star Alliance Silver does not gain access to UA's elite phone service, it does allow access to the elite customer service lines (along with better treatment) at the air side service desks. While small, I was able to be rebooked on a same day flight earlier this year due to being third in the elite customer service line versus the dozens in the regular line at EWR. This was my reference for priority customer service.

Star Alliance Silver does get priority security lines, which I linked to in my post (linked again here for easy of reference).

Premier Access benefits

We continually strive to make your travels more convenient when flying on United, Copa Airlines and Copa Airlines Colombia.

From check-in to baggage claim, we provide premium travel services for eligible customers and offer the following where available:

Premier AccessSM check-in: designated airport check-in lines
Premier Access security lane: exclusive security lanes
Premier Access priority boarding: among the first customers to board
Premier Access priority baggage handling: among the first bags to be delivered

Premier Access is available to the following customers:

MileagePlus Premier® members
United First®, United Global FirstSM, United Business® and United BusinessFirst®
Copa Airlines Clase Ejecutiva customers
Star AllianceTM Gold and Silver members
MileagePlus Club and Presidential Plus credit cardmembers

Customers who are not included in one of the groups above may have the option to purchase Premier Access for a particular flight. A Premier Access purchase includes priority check-in, security lane access (where available) and boarding, but it does not include priority baggage handling. Premier Access is not available for purchase on flights operated by Copa Airlines or Copa Airlines Colombia.

I was able to use it on the same trip. if it isn't on the boarding pass when provided (as my initial flight out wasn't, then ask the UA agent to reprint. They won't want to (reference customer service issues), but they will if insisted. If they push back, I suggest showing them their own website.

Finally, it is likely UA does not have greater delays than other airlines. However, I've been lucky with other airlines and had no delays. Flying UA I generally encounter a delay or straight cancellation if I fly (usually once per year for work).

UA isn't a bad airline. They have great frequent flier benefits, even for the infrequent flier. I just wanted to provide the OP my point and counterpoint on both airlines.

Thanks for the opportunity to clarify my positions. This is my prattling, but I defer to the 1K for better knowledge of United!!

 

[Ranger111]

Hunter S. Thompson once said, "Flying United is like crossing the Andes in a prison bus" (It was also his belief that somebody like former First Lady Pat Nixon was responsible for selecting, training and approving every flight attendant for United. Mr. Thompson did not hold Madame Nixon in high regard).

So, I have tried to avoid United whenever possible.

However, I just traveled the West Coast on United and -- here's the surprise -- found everyone from gate agents to baggage people to customer service people to flight attendants (well, except one FA) to be very, very cordial.

Maybe it was a fluke, but if it was....

 

[MillauFr]

If I was flying from Montana I would chose Delta. Connecting in Minneapolis is much easier and less prone to delays than either Denver or Chicago.