United?USairways?

[salbythec]

We always fly jet blue but I saw a airfare for United operated by USairways for our dates (3-23-08 to 4-5-08) for 174.80 round. I think this is a good deal.
How is it to fly United/USairways?

 

[beccasmom]

I love JetBlue, too, but that is a good price for that time period. I would go for it. The services on JetBlue are terrific, but my first criteria is usually price. USAirways is fine....the service is not as good as it once was, but except for a few carriers, that is endemic in the industry. Safety is not an issue, though. SWA may also offer a competing rate, but their schedules aren't posted that far in advance.

 

[dogsmom]

You might want to take a look at Consumer Reports latest issue where they rated the airlines. Jet Blue is one of their top picks. United and USAir are down the list. Something to consider.

 

[Pirate at Heart]

Hey,

US Airways STINKS!

I brought a ticket for a business trip to Atlanta in July for $199-

My meeting date got changed, had to reschedule fight, the price of the new ticket was $400+ ; no problem I understand the rate went up but...then they charged me and additional $100- for changing the fight!!!

I could see them charging a fee IF the new rate was lower but higher????

Thats just crazy.

Not to mention that I had to speak with 6 people before the change was made (almost 45 minute on the phone) and oh yeah... they changed the original fight times on me by 4hrs so even if the meeting date didn't change I would have missed it. When I asked CS if I would still have to pay more because the airline changed the fight time and I would miss the meeting he said "oh yeah, not our problem!"

Crazy!

If I were you I'd stick with Jet Blue.

 

[CarolA]

Hey,

US Airways STINKS!

I brought a ticket for a business trip to Atlanta in July for $199-

My meeting date got changed, had to reschedule fight, the price of the new ticket was $400+ ; no problem I understand the rate went up but...then they charged me and additional $100- for changing the fight!!!

I could see them charging a fee IF the new rate was lower but higher????

Thats just crazy.

Not to mention that I had to speak with 6 people before the change was made (almost 45 minute on the phone) and oh yeah... they changed the original fight times on me by 4hrs so even if the meeting date didn't change I would have missed it. When I asked CS if I would still have to pay more because the airline changed the fight time and I would miss the meeting he said "oh yeah, not our problem!"

Crazy!

If I were you I'd stick with Jet Blue.

OK. I don't really like USAir BUT if you change the flights then you have to pay the fees. Sorry! This is not unique to USAir.

For those of you consideirng them remember Consumer Reports is not commenting on safety just customer happiness. (USAir is being run by idiots so customers are low on their list, plus thier employees seem to hate management. Always a positive LOL!)

That said most folks on the DIS will fly them if the price is right. (The DIS talks about wanting "service" but spends 99% of it's time looking for the $39 airfares....incompatible statments?)

 

[plutospup]

That said most folks on the DIS will fly them if the price is right. (The DIS talks about wanting "service" but spends 99% of it's time looking for the $39 airfares....incompatible statments?)

Excellent point Carol!
The glory days of airline travel appear to be over. Today it seems to be a matter of who can get me there, and how cheap is it. Greyhound/bus service is now in the skies.

As for US Air...I fly them from my tiny nearby airport, and connect through...PHL ...to whereever I need to go. I can honestly say I haven't had a problem. However, anytime I fly United through Dulles I prepare for problems & lonnnnnnnnng extended layovers. Moral of the story...any airline can have problems on any given day.

 

[safetymom]

I think if you don't fly all the time you will find US Airways just fine. I agree with Carol about what consumers want.

Most airlines charge a change fee on tickets.

 

[Pirate at Heart]

OK. I don't really like USAir BUT if you change the flights then you have to pay the fees. Sorry! This is not unique to USAir.

For those of you consideirng them remember Consumer Reports is not commenting on safety just customer happiness. (USAir is being run by idiots so customers are low on their list, plus thier employees seem to hate management. Always a positive LOL!)

That said most folks on the DIS will fly them if the price is right. (The DIS talks about wanting "service" but spends 99% of it's time looking for the $39 airfares....incompatible statments?)

Hey,

Perhaps...but I wasn't commenting on JUST the fee alone, it was the overall experience... horrendous.

To save a couple of bucks, again this is my opinion, the hassle isn't worth it.

But, to each his own.

 

[BCVBRUCE]

My father-in-law just retired from USAirways. He says they have stunk, they do stink and will always stink.

My brother-in-law is currently a pilot for USAirways. He was, is and will always be.....well....special. Run away while you can.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

How is it to fly United/USairways

These are 2 completely different airlines.

If you are thinking of buying a US Airways ticket through United's website, don't. Buy it through the US Airway's site unless it is cheaper through United (sometimes happens). If there is a problem, it will be much more complicated to deal with 2 airlines rather than one, plus if you are eligible for US Air upgrades, you won't be able to do it if you buy through United.

 

[salbythec]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think we are going to wait for JB and SW.

 

[MrMarv]

Since Southwest started service to both Philly and Washington DC (Dulles), airfares have undoubtedly gone down, which has always been the case whenever they've entered a market.

The six 'legacy carriers' (United/American/NW/Continental/Delta/USAirways) are notorious for those outrageous fees for changing your tickets.

SW charges nothing (to the best of my knowledge), nobody has a better frequent flyer plan, and their on-time record is light-years ahead of everybody else's.

 

[CarolA]

SW charges nothing (to the best of my knowledge), nobody has a better frequent flyer plan, and their on-time record is light-years ahead of everybody else's.

I have some major issues wiht SW's freqent flyer plan.

1. Your credits are on a rolling expiration schedule. If you don't fly a lot they tend to expire before you can use get enough to get a ticket. With other airlines ANY activity keeps the miles current.

2. You can't go international on SW. IMHO MCO is too cheap to worry about using free tickets on. I have two DL tickets to Frankfurt this fall for just taxes!!!

 

[MrMarv]

The point is that when you do book your flights on Southwest's website (as do 70% of their customers), you can use that free ticket to fly from coast to coast, with almost NO chance that you won't be able to get that free flight.

Since they've also made flying coast-to-coast a one-stop proposition on a single size aircraft as opposed to those smaller jets which the other carriers have been adding to their fleets for longer and longer flights, that's not too shabby either.

Complaints to the other airlines have soared because since those airlines have started using much smaller aircraft for more and more (and longer) flights, getting a free R/T ticket (once you've satisified their ever escalating mileage requirements) for a domestic flight is almost impossible unless you're willing to cough up extra $$$ to fly first class.

They've also reduced the periods for acitivity on those frequent flyer accounts as well, and alienating their customers some more which Southwest hasn't done either.

And those tiny jets that those carriers use are very noisy compared to a Southwest 737.

Another key item that most of the travelling public has no clue about is that when those six legacy carriers utilize those smaller jets which are not theirs but one of the airlines which they use for commuter/connecting flights (Comair/Delta, United/United Express, etc.) those flights have far worse records for on-time performance than the major carrier, yet those late flights do not result in those on-time performance records of the major carriers which you see monthly being downgraded, which merely widens the gap between their on-time records and Southwest's, which is very good to begin with.

 

[CarolA]

The point is that when you do book your flights on Southwest's website (as do 70% of their customers), you can use that free ticket to fly from coast to coast, with almost NO chance that you won't be able to get that free flight.

Since they've also made flying coast-to-coast a one-stop proposition on a single size aircraft as opposed to those smaller jets which the other carriers have been adding to their fleets for longer and longer flights, that's not too shabby either.

Complaints to the other airlines have soared because since those airlines have started using much smaller aircraft for more and more (and longer) flights, getting a free R/T ticket (once you've satisified their ever escalating mileage requirements) for a domestic flight is almost impossible unless you're willing to cough up extra $$$ to fly first class.

They've also reduced the periods for acitivity on those frequent flyer accounts as well, and alienating their customers some more which Southwest hasn't done either.

And those tiny jets that those carriers use are very noisy compared to a Southwest 737.

Another key item that most of the travelling public has no clue about is that when those six legacy carriers utilize those smaller jets which are not theirs but one of the airlines which they use for commuter/connecting flights (Comair/Delta, United/United Express, etc.) those flights have far worse records for on-time performance than the major carrier, yet those late flights do not result in those on-time performance records of the major carriers which you see monthly being downgraded, which merely widens the gap between their on-time records and Southwest's, which is very good to begin with.

Personally I love SW. However, I do not hold them responsible for EVERYTHING you do.

There are a few other things you seem to ignore when "singing the SW Hymm"

1. SW chose airports where they have a MUCH better shot at "on time" thereby making sure the odds were stacked in thier favor. They have not come to Atlanta for example. In the Boston area they fly out of PVD not Boston International.

2. SW a few years ago REDUCED the number of credits most of us were getting on a flight. (Same thing as the others increasing the mileage) Go over to flyertalk.com and read. There have been several changes to SW's frequent flyer program that have ALIENATED flyers. Plus the single travelers like me find the "reward" of a free companion ticket to be a JOKE!!! What good is that????

3. If on one of the majors you fly once a year your miles do NOT expire. If you fly SW once a year, your credits are going to expire because you can't build up enough to get a free ticket.

4. I am not sure where you get the "complaints soared" data. (Are you the same poster who thinks "millions" quit flying because the airlines quit giving free food?)

4. It's probably NOT SW that forced the move to smaller jets, it's FUEL costs and load factors. (Personally I love the CRJs!)

5. I got a round trip skysaver ticket to Washington DC for next weekend on May 31st.... I also have two roundtrips to Frankfurt International in Business Class. It's not impossible to use those miles.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

nobody [SWA] has a better frequent flyer plan

I too disagree with this. As far as I am concerned, nobody has a WORSE FF plan than SWA. Even if I sometimes have difficulty getting tickets using FF miles on other airlines, I can still use them for upgrades, which are worth their weight in gold for long trips. My miles don't expire after 2 years either.

Plus, there is no such thing as elite membership on SWA, thus no perks like lounges or faster security lines.

the gap between their on-time records and Southwest's, which is very good to begin with.

Check the facts - SWA's on-time record is not the best. So far this year they have had on-time departures only 79.6% of the time; on-time arrivals 81.36% of the time. Summer is just starting - look for these statistics to worsen.

http://www.transtats.bts.gov/HomeDrillChart.asp?URL_SelectMonth=4&URL_SelectYear=2007

 

[MrMarv]

Southwest's business model is built on flying in and out of airports that are MUCH less congested than the one which the majors use as their hubs; that's why their on-time record is so good.

Providence & Manchester, NH are both around an hour from Boston, but with the monopolies which the majors who dominate Logan International resulting in substantially higher airfares out of their firmly entrenched, Southwest knows that they can go into nearby communities with many more flights for MUCH lower airfares, and still turn profits year after year, which is exactly what they've done in market after market from coast to coast.

As I 've previously described, the on-time records of the majors on-time records are not nearly as good as those you see published every month.

Southwest has also brought down airfares a LOT to most, if not all of those cities once they start servicing them, and folks in the Northeast must be VERY happy about how Southwest has brought down airfares to MANY major cities in that area of the country, starting with Baltimore in 1993, as opposed to the USAirways & Delta monopolies in that part of the country.

If planning your vacation consisted of driving 75-150 miles will result in your easily saving hundreds of dollars (even with today's gasoline prices) as opposed to flying into the hub of the legacy carrier, wouldn't you avoid the monopolies which the hub-and-spoke airlines have, and the nosebleed-inducing skyhigh airfares that go with them?

Of course you would!!!

But the result has always been the same; MANY more flights and MUCH lower airfares.

Your days of paying extortion-like airfares would be history, (such as $600.00+ R/T for a 45-minute flight, vs. $100.00 or less for flying the exact same distance in another part of the country where Southwest's fares control the market and or help keep a lid on prices), even in cities where two or more major airports exist, such as LA, Dallas & Chicago, as well as the Bay area.

Delta can have their monopolies in Atlanta and Cincinnati and the sky-high airfares that come with them; the same goes for Northwest in Minneapolis & Memphis, American in Dallas & USAirways in Charlotte.

I'll gladly avoid all of those airports if it means saving hundreds of dollars on my airfare to visit most regions of the country, and so would anybody else who loves to travel see the country without having to put up with those sky-high airfares.

 

[Dizz42]

My complaint with the legacy airlines is changing flight times. Yes, I get antsy to book my SW flights when their fares aren't out yet. But I will gladly wait if: 1) I'm going to get a good fare and 2) they're not going to change the flight times on me! USAir did that to me and also friends/relatives too many times. And they never even contact you to let you know things changed.

 

[RSGroup]

Just felt like I needed to chime in and say that I fly a lot, and my flying experiences on US Airways have been consistently below average. Most airlines generally give you about the same experience, but I would rate US Airways and Northwest Airlines both in a category significantly below all the others.

Just one person's experience...
Jesse

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If planning your vacation consisted of driving 75-150 miles will result in your easily saving hundreds of dollars (even with today's gasoline prices) as opposed to flying into the hub of the legacy carrier, wouldn't you avoid the monopolies which the hub-and-spoke airlines have, and the nosebleed-inducing skyhigh airfares that go with them?

Of course you would!!!

Actually I wouldn't and I don't. I used to live in the Boston area and sometimes fares would be cheaper out of Providence, but it wasn't worth it to me to make the drive. I'd rather pay more and have an easy 20 minute drive to the airport. I can't imagine getting to the airport after a long day of travel and then facing a 100-200 mile drive home to save a hundred dollars.

Additionally, I never pay sky high prices for airline tickets because I rarely do any last minute traveling, carefully research ticket prices so I know what a good price will be and buy when the price is right, or use FF miles for tickets.