Which airline, and why?

[Aliceacc]

In the past, we've flown Jetblue from JFK to MCO.

My kids love the TV in each seat, and the free snacks. And in the 2 most recent trips, I've been able to fly the 5 of us to WDW for about $1,000.

I've always been a bit hesitant to try Southwest because of the no-assigned-seating thing. But I understand that now you can pay a bit more, and guarantee that you'll have an "A" ticket, so you can sit together. (With young kids, I simply am willing to pay more to ensure that none of my kids is sitting alone.)

Neither Jetblue nor Southwest have posted fares for next August. But I can get the 5 of us on a Delta flight, for a total of $1086--- pretty close to my target price.

I know nothing of Delta's policy on charging for checked baggage; I would love the info if anyone has it.

I know I have plenty of time; this is my Saturday morning diversion from the Geometry tests upstairs in my briefcase.

Any comments/ suggestions/ anything?

 

[Cruz91]

I prefer SWA for 2 reasons. First, 2 free checked bags per person (Delta is $25 for each person's first bag and I think $20 for the second). The second reason is cancellation policy. Basically if anything happens even up to the day of travel and suppose you just don't show up for your flight, you get southwest credit for the full purchase price of the tickets good for 1 year from the date the tickets were ordered. That's a huge piece of mind for me. For most other carriers, the cost for cancellation is $50 or so EACH WAY, in your case you'd lose half of your original payment if you had an emergency.

As for the boarding, we do pay the extra earlybird fee now most of the time. It's $5 per ticket. Sometimes we'll just pay it on the return flight because I'm confident I can check in on line exactly 24 hours before departure flight and get a good boarding number.

Hope this helps. PM me if you want more southwest info...

 

[jdb in AZ]

Actually, the early-bird check-in is $10. now.

We love the freebie baggage policy and fly SWA whenever we can get a decent fare. Which is more often than not when we fly to the west coast. 'cept when I can score a buddy pass from a friend who works for US Air.

When we visit DD in Virginia we really price-check the different airlines and go with whatever flight/airport has the best fare. In July, American Airlines into Richmond was the cheapest, until I had to change my return flight -- $150. change fee. Then my flight home was canceled (mechanical issues) so I ended up coming home on Delta. In December we'll be flying into Baltimore on SWA.

 

[formill]

We have flown southwest a few times and always been able to sit together- bought the Early Bird once they came out with that. There was only one time where I panicked with southwest- we were in MCO and were in the A boarding group...but walked on the plane and there were a lot of people already on that plane! We had a non-stop flight to Buffalo but wherever that plane started from the people got on and landed at MCO and stayed on the plane- we had to go very close to the back to get 6 seats together. I have no idea how you would tell when booking if that will be the case with your Southwest flight- it only happened that once. I prefer Jet Blue- like knowing your seats and love the tvs- but they are often pricier- this year we are Southwest down and Jet Blue back home.

 

[jsilvers]

I know nothing of Delta's policy on charging for checked baggage; I would love the info if anyone has it.

For domestic flights, $25 for the first checked bag for ordinary passengers. (Note there is a link to this information directly from the Delta home page - "Baggage and Service Fees".)

 

[goofy4tink]

Jetblue and SW are my two favorite airlines. I won't fly Delta unless I have no other choice. They charge $25 for the first checked bag, and they always change my flights at least 3 times if I book more than 6 months out.
So...with that being said....
SW..yes, you can pay an addtl $10 pp, each way, for EBCI. But, that doesn't automatically get you an A boarding group. You will most likely be in the A group but it's not a sure thing. Unless you are at the tail end of the B group, you should be able to find seating for 5 together...3 in one row, 2 in front or in back, or across the aisle. I love the boarding with SW..it's never been an issue for us to find seats together. And, I love that I can check my bag(s) free.
I love JB as well though. I love the entertainment systems in each seat. I like the offered snacks. And, I usually like the fares.

For me, it's 6 of one, half dozen of another when deciding which one to fly. If flying JB, I fly out of Logan in Boston. If flying SW, I used TFGreen in Providence. Logan is a bit closer, but parking is cheaper at Green.
I seldom pay more than $250 pp, for a nonstop flight.

 

[sue1013]

I agree with the PP I will only fly Delta if there is no other choice. Delta has too many changes. I know all airlines can change flights I don't mind changing times or even if they change a non stop to one with a layover I'm not thrilled but will deal. But not when they change the layover to a different airport with a long wait between flights. Last time I had tickets on Delta was supposed to have an hour layover in Atlanta. One week before they change to a 4 hour layover in the midwest making a 3 hour trip into over 8 hours. I did get my money back but had to pay much more for a flight on different airline than had I originally booked with a different airline.

 

[Aliceacc]

OK, guys, thanks.

So basically, my gut was right: whether I like it or not, I'm waiting until the other 2 post fares, then probably booking with Jetblue.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I know nothing of Delta's policy on charging for checked baggage; I would love the info if anyone has it.

Any comments/ suggestions/ anything?

You can always get this information on an airline's website.

As far as choosing airlines, if you aren't a member of any airline's FF program and rarely fly, chose whatever is the cheapest with the schedule which works for you.