Preferred Airlines

[tom1944]

I'm United all the way but I live near Newark and they fly to Orlando about every hour and a half so it's a good choice. I get status with them from work flights and international travel so I at least get economy plus but maybe first class on every flight. I actually like United in comparison to American.

Same- we are also close to Philadelphia but use Newark more. I thought of Frontier out of Mercer, but my neighbor booked them and while he saved a substantial amount of money, he also had to sit almost an entire day on the way back because his return trip was cancelled.

With the cost of a Disney vacation, I don't feel like taking the chance on missed days there or back. Plus, the divorce my wife wants because I booked an airline that resulted in her sitting in an airport for almost 24 hours would cost me much more than I saved.

 

[davidhr]

From my local airport to MCO my preferred option is JetBlue. Second is southwest. Their changes don’t bother me and for a couple like us the companion pass is a killer deal. I don’t use them more because their options sometimes don’t work for us. Breeze, Avelo and Frontier are options, but they are even more limited and I try to avoid the ultra low cost carriers unless it’s the only option.

In general my preferred airline is Delta, and I use them to other destinations most of the time. I just don’t want a layover in Atlanta that will double my travel time to Orlando.

 

[davidhr]

I live very near DTW, so I am on Delta more or less all the time. I've hit 1MM with them, and that gives me some lifetime perks that aren't half bad.

They are definitely not the cheapest. But they've intentionally been trying to differentiate themselves as something more than just mass transit, and they've been moderately successful at it. I'm in a place in my life where I don't mind being a little bougie when it comes to travel. For example, I get grouchy when an airport only has a Priority Pass lounge, and not a proper SkyClub.

I immediately thought about that Terminal C at MCO. It’s a new terminal and they decided to put one of the worst lounges ever lol

 

[Orbiter_Fan]

Still SW for us. I've really been disappointed with the frequency of their last minute flight time changes, but with status and companion pass, we don't pay for bags and my flight is free whenever my wife flies.

Plus we've transitioned to carry-on travel for all but the longest of trips, so the bag policy wouldn't have affected us much anyway.

 

[MillauFr]

We always fly Alaska even if they charge more than other airlines. We always get treated like VIPs when flying.

 

[Chuck S]

I use Southwest mostly, but I also like Delta and JetBlue, but JetBlue no longer serves my airport with flights to Orlando. I don't really mind the changes at Southwest, but I will be applying for a SWA credit card to avoid the luggage fees, the annual CC fee more than makes up for it with the free luggage. The problem with Delta is there are no direct flights, though I don't really mind changing in Atlanta, but Southwest has at least two non-stops daily.

 

[disneyseniors]

Since Minneapolis is the hub for Delta, we always fly Delta. Our connector flight from our town is per Delta too. Never been disappointed with Delta and haven't tried another one yet.

 

[Sandisw]

JetBlue is who I use and pretty much always will because we have direct to MCO

I even will use them if going out of South Florida did cruises…just Brightline down.

 

[disneyseniors]

JetBlue is who I use and pretty much always will because we have direct to MCO

I even will use them if going out of South Florida did cruises…just Brightline down.

Sandisw, you are so lucky to be able to ride a train! We don't have any where I live and I've always wanted to travel on one.

 

[Genie+]

We’ve been loyal to Jetblue for our NYC area to MCO flights. Over 10yrs now.

The Jetblue credit card perks play a big part. Automatically it includes 50lb checked luggage for up to 4ppl (*even if not using the card to pay for flight - the system recognizes you as a cardholder and automatically removes checked fees for your party). That has been great. We started with really good sign-up bonuses, and when booking flights on points those include all of our carryon luggage plus no change fees.

Which airport depends on flight times and pricing. HPN, EWR, JFK, LGA are within similar proximity for us. I ordered them from our most to least convenient. Best prices are usually the opposite order Though it is nice to have so many options!

*eta- whoops this is wrong

 

[Simba's Mom]

So Southwest was my preferred airline until their awful policy changes.

Southwest used to be mine, but recently we had to fly United, and even though we flew first class, we came back thinking "Well, maybe Southwest's changes won't be that bad!" The only other two airlines within 230 miles of us only fly 2-3 times week. So we're really stuck!

 

[cruisehopeful]

I only prefer Alaska airlines because it has direct flights to where I want to go.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I’m really upset about SW changes too, especially the baggage changes . We used to always drive to Orlando but last year we decided we’d start flying down every year and this past January we flew from DC to MCO on SW for around $800 round trip (including extra for priority boarding) for 5 of us and we each had at least one checked and one carry on bag. Now we’ll have to pay a lot more I guess, we stay for two weeks at a time so we pack a lot.

 

[RedHead0186]

American Airlines. I travel a lot for work, including international (so I've got status and miles) so I was already creeping away from SW and toward AA even before all the changes. But those changes pretty much solidified it for me, AA is my go-to now.

 

[Fangorn]

We're in Oregon. Our preferred airline is Alaska. We made the change from Southwest about 7-8 years ago, primarily because Southwest was mostly only connecting flights, and with wife now needing a wheelchair, that became difficult. Alaska has the only non-stop flight from PDX-MCO of any airline. Great timing on that flight as well. For the past 4 years, Alaska has been cheaper than SWA. So pretty much a no-brainer. Why pay more to spend 10-12 hours traveling on SWA, when we can get there in <6 on Alaska?

Steve

 

[foodiddiedoo]

Same- we are also close to Philadelphia but use Newark more. I thought of Frontier out of Mercer, but my neighbor booked them and while he saved a substantial amount of money, he also had to sit almost an entire day on the way back because his return trip was cancelled.

With the cost of a Disney vacation, I don't feel like taking the chance on missed days there or back. Plus, the divorce my wife wants because I booked an airline that resulted in her sitting in an airport for almost 24 hours would cost me much more than I saved.

The Mercer airport is also very depressing. I had to go there to pick up a rental car once and waited 30 minutes for someone to even show up at the desk.

 

[foodiddiedoo]

I immediately thought about that Terminal C at MCO. It’s a new terminal and they decided to put one of the worst lounges ever lol

The United clubs at terminal C and A are very nice, but I'm sure it's a hub priority. The Polaris lounge is very very nice.

 

[RuntheMouse]

We are loyal to Delta. It helps that we live in a hub city but I don’t ever consider other airlines. Changes/cancellations are very easy with them which I appreciate very much, I rarely fly on the same itinerary as my initial booking!

 

[disney-inspired]

So Southwest was my preferred airline until their awful policy changes.

I know this is subjective to where one lives, but what are your airlines of choice? I am on the hunt for a new one to be loyal to and I'm not sure if any of them offer no change fees, but that is what i miss most. Extra points if yours has that with an economical price.

With me being a super stalker im looking for an airline with flexibility for when those waitlists go thru!

I'm from CA so was used to flying from LAX to MCO so had plenty of options. I'm moving to the DFW area and guess whose main hub is there . For the price, I may be stuck with Southwest because it flies direct and I don't have to deal with the tiers in economy. I want an assigned seat, so this seat changes will work for me with SW but I'm annoyed by the charge for bags.

Anything to avoid LAX

I actually like LAX - I've never had a hard time getting through security or issues with my flight. They also have tons of flights to MCO and I can usually grab a red-eye.

I’m really upset about SW changes too, especially the baggage changes . We used to always drive to Orlando but last year we decided we’d start flying down every year and this past January we flew from DC to MCO on SW for around $800 round trip (including extra for priority boarding) for 5 of us and we each had at least one checked and one carry on bag. Now we’ll have to pay a lot more I guess, we stay for two weeks at a time so we pack a lot.

I will either have to get really good at carry on packing or just eat the cost. I wasn't always flying SW before so the bag charge isn't much of a change for me.

 

[MyDogTink]

This thread is giving me hives. I have flights booked on United and JetBlue because they’ve both had bad stats lately out of Newark. Looks like United improved and JetBlue got worse.

BTW, I just discovered that airlines are under no obligation to tell you why they cancel or delay flights.