goofy4tink
No tags...not needed! Transportation moderator
- Joined
- May 2, 2002
- Messages
- 54,711
Here's the thing.....I fly pretty much only SW and JB. Why??? I've had the best experiences with them. I used to fly Delta to Orlando, but I had to keep an eye on my flights with them....multiple changes with changes to seat assignments. It drove me nuts. I chose a flight for a reason...so most of the time, the changes did not meet my needs. With SW and JB I can pretty much count on them keeping the schedules as offered.
I did fly Airtran to Ft Lauderdale last year. And it worked out fine. BUT...I booked with them about 4 days before I flew. Many people I know have had awful experiences with Airtran making huge changes to flights once they are booked. But since I was so close to departure it wasn't an issue. And it was a good experience.
SW makes many people nervous because of the non-assigned seating. But what people need to understand is that all airlines can change your seat assignments. THey usually don't but it does happen. So don't get complacent about it. If you find a flight with SW that works for you, book it. The vast majority of people have no issue finding seats together for their family. It's those who are flying with a larger than normal group and who didn't checkin online soon enough that have the seating issues. If you are flying with a youngster under 4 you are going to be fine.
And....SW had those two free checked bags.
JB is also good. You get one free checked bag. You get to pay a bit extra to get that extra leg room...really nice for those of us with long legs. You have the TV units for each seat. And yes, they do sometimes not work. I always bring a book, just in case!!
No one airline is going to work all the time for everyone. You really have to look at each trip and decide what is going to work best this time. I like lower fares but sometimes the lowest fare isn't going to get me the type flight I want...I may have to spend a bit more to get the flight times I want. And that's okay.
I did fly Airtran to Ft Lauderdale last year. And it worked out fine. BUT...I booked with them about 4 days before I flew. Many people I know have had awful experiences with Airtran making huge changes to flights once they are booked. But since I was so close to departure it wasn't an issue. And it was a good experience.
SW makes many people nervous because of the non-assigned seating. But what people need to understand is that all airlines can change your seat assignments. THey usually don't but it does happen. So don't get complacent about it. If you find a flight with SW that works for you, book it. The vast majority of people have no issue finding seats together for their family. It's those who are flying with a larger than normal group and who didn't checkin online soon enough that have the seating issues. If you are flying with a youngster under 4 you are going to be fine.
And....SW had those two free checked bags.
JB is also good. You get one free checked bag. You get to pay a bit extra to get that extra leg room...really nice for those of us with long legs. You have the TV units for each seat. And yes, they do sometimes not work. I always bring a book, just in case!!
No one airline is going to work all the time for everyone. You really have to look at each trip and decide what is going to work best this time. I like lower fares but sometimes the lowest fare isn't going to get me the type flight I want...I may have to spend a bit more to get the flight times I want. And that's okay.
We are definitely closer to Providence - we're actually right by the RI border. However, I am pretty much set on Jet Blue. Newer planes, good safety record, tv's for all, assigned seating - all these things make the idea of flying less scary to me. We have been driving to WDW for 9 years - believe it or not this is big leap for me! Thanks for everyone's input!
