What airline?

[Blackunicorn]

This is my third time flying, and the first time I'm responsible for the tickets. Help! What airline is the best overall? I'm seeing not-so-great things about American Airlines, which was who I thought we'd be going with. I'm a very nervous flyer, terrified, in fact, and I'm only doing this because it's turing out to be more economical in time and money, and because my husband won't get much of a vacation if we drive.

Also, we once flew on a plane that had TV's in the backs of the seats. Is that a rare plane? Since it looks like we'll be traveling for 5 hours, I'm trying to find things to entertain the kids. Gameboys are available, but for 5 hours? Is there an airline that's better for families than others? My kids will be 12 and 7. More leg room would be nice, also, but first class is not an option.

Car seat? It's not a law to put my 7yo in a car seat in Colorado, but I thought some states had a law about booster seats until the age of 8. If I recall correctly, airplanes are lap belts only, so I wouldn't need a booster seat on there, would I? Does anyone know if Florida requires booster seats until the age of 8? My daughter will be about 2 months away from her 8th birthday.

Update: A google search revealed that Florida laws are up to the age of 5. Wow! It was easy--searching for booster seat laws in my state gave me a headache.

Thank you!

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

As far as I know, only Song and JetBlue have seatback TVs. And Song is going out of business in a few months. Their fleet will be absorbed by Delta.

As for the best airline, my opinion is: just go with the one with the lowest fares and most convenient departure airport and time. With the exception of the TVs, there is very little difference between domestic airlines.

We always go by who has the best fares and best departure times.

Enjoy!

Bob

 

[kaytieeldr]

ANY airline is going to have good things and bad things said about it (except maybe JetBlue, but I don't think they fly from Colorado. I would just look for the airline with the best combination of fares and schedules. You can do the comparisons at any travel website, but the smartest way to actually book is directly through the airline - either online or on the phone. Keep in mind most airlines charge a little extra if you use the phone option. As far as I know, most airlines don't have tvs in the seatbacks. Song and JetBlue do; Song is being absorbed back into Delta, who will then be using the Song planes (with the tvs) for 1,750+ mile flights - so if you're flying after May and Delta is an option, you might want to lean toward that airline.

 

[we3disneygo]

we have always gone with Air trans and this trip we might fly on American they have the cheapest tickets so far.our trip is in Sept.