Which is the best U.S. Airline?

[Albertan mom]

I have only flown WestJet and AirCanada.
Which US airline would you recommend and why?
Does Northwest have individual tv screens? Are they good?

Which ones have the tv screens, nice staff, decent food, good safety records etc...
Thanks!!

 

[janette]

You might find something like that in first class, service isn't a priority with US domestic airlines. You might get peanuts and a drink or they'll offer a snack pack for purchase. Meals service is a distant memory.

 

[MosMom]

We always fly Northwest when we fly in/out of Calgary and they have always been nice. Flew United once, never again! You will most likely have the TV screens as it is a long flight. You would probably have your layover in Minneapolis.

 

[DawnCt1]

Delta's Song has those great seats with the monitors, etc that you are talking about but Song is being rolled into Delta so I don't know what features they are keeping. A lot depends on the route. Many people feel that the best airline to Honolulu is Continental. DH flies them on occasion. We stick to Delta because that is where most of our miles are.

 

[FreshTressa]

I hate how southwest won't guarantee you can sit by your kids if they are over 5.

NO ONE wants to sit by a 6-10 year old unaccompanied by an adult. Other than that, I really like them.

American Airlines flew me home free once when I was stranded...that was nice, and they have a tiny bit more room.

I think they all have hits and misses.

 

[Kimberly]

JetBlue

They're a small business class jets based out of JFK airport in New York City. Their service is better than anything I've ever received on a first class flight before, but since they are a small company, their destinations are very limited. The few planes I've been on of theirs, they're all "first class" with large reclining leather seats, and your own LCD screen to watch a movie with headphones. Excellent Airline!

 

[MoniqueU]

Jetblue. I wont even list the reasons why. They are just everything I want in an airline except internet access. I can't wait till they take over the world.

 

[smilingmouse]

I have only flown WestJet and AirCanada.
Which US airline would you recommend and why?
Does Northwest have individual tv screens? Are they good?

Which ones have the tv screens, nice staff, decent food, good safety records etc...
Thanks!!

Re: NW, nit depends on the type of plane you have, when I flew from Detroit to Paris last month, I did have a personal video screen, but it was due to the type of plane I was flying in. (an Aiebus, if I remember correctly). Hope this helps...

 

[bicker]

The airline industry is very competitive, and as a result, the quality of service we get from airlines ranges from poor to very poor. Some airlines, like Southwest, make poor service part of their system, such as not offering advanced seating assignments. Other airlines, like Delta, are suffering from horrible financial distress, so you'll get poor service in the form of frequent schedule changes that could disrupt your flight times and cause you to have to scramble to resecure seat assignments. Other airlines, like AirTran, have smaller fleets and no agreements with other airlines, so when they have a mechanical problem, you're stuck waiting for them to get around to fix it, since they won't accommodate you on another airline's flight.

Your best bet is to go in expecting the worst, since you'll often find that that's what you'll get.

(JetBlue seems to stay above the fray, though.)

 

[Kitty 34]

We fly Northwest out of Detroit a lot and have never had any complaints with the service they do offer.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I hate how southwest won't guarantee you can sit by your kids if they are over 5.

NO ONE wants to sit by a 6-10 year old unaccompanied by an adult. Other than that, I really like them.

I'll be flying alone with my kids (they will have just turned 10 & 8) on our trip and I'm hoping we can sit together. My kids have not flown since they were infants, so this is their first "real" flight. I know that ds will be nervous, and his fidgeting would drive a stranger NUTS. He has mild ADHD and some mild anxiety issues. I imagine ds would be squirmy for the whole ride, and will possibly cry at takeoff. If he does get next to a stranger, I can't imagine that stranger not wanting to swap seats with me so they'd have a more peaceful ride and so I can calm ds if he gets scared.

My plan is to try to get into that A level of seating and grab the first 3 seats in a row I can find. I don't care about a window seat or whether we're in the front or back of the plane. I just want to be close to my kids.

I wish SW would up that age limit for early boarding with kids to age 12 or 13. It's asking a lot of a child to sit with stangers if that child is afraid of flying. And it's asking a lot of grown-ups to be with unsupervised kids who may not behave well because Mom and/or Dad are rows away and can't keep tabs on their kid(s).

 

[golfgal]

We get the best customer service on Sun Country but their seats are small and they have a limited schedule.

We usually fly Northwest mainly because they have the most flights and usually the best prices since they hub out of Minneapolis. I have to say that the flight staff isn't usually the best but it isn't like they are beat up passengers. They don't serve free meals inflight unless you are first class.

 

[DebbieB]

Instead of throwing out a general question, I would check which airlines offer service from your city to where you want to go. I don't think Southwest or Jet Blue fly in Canada, so that's out.

I'm sure Northwest flies from your city, I've flown them and don't have any complaints. No TV's or meal service on the flights I've been on.

 

[ducklite]

The last time I flew into YYC it was on American. I napped through a lot of it. I've got a friend in Calgary who usually flies Westjet to Orlando and hasn't had any problems. Before they started flying outside of Canada she would use Continental.

Anne

 

[Albertan mom]

We can fly out of Edmonton or Calgary.
Mostly all the US airlines fly out of there to Orlando.
Northwest seems to have the best flight times and prices though. So that is the one I am most curious about.
Also United, Delta, Continental, Alaska, American Airlines were listed as possibilities.
Thanks for all your advice.
Any other comments/concerns about any of the airlines?

Thanks!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

For our family of five, the best airline is the cheapest! We usually fly Southwest or Continental. Continental has some old planes, and some really nice newer ones that have tons of room, and individual tv monitors that play games.

 

[bicker]

United, Delta, Continental and American are all pretty similar, in my experience. American is slightly more reliable, but otherwise there's no real difference between them.

 

[Planogirl]

I was very pleased with Frontier when we flew them to California a few years ago. They didn't have all of the little amenities you mentioned but they assigned seats and seemed to have their act together which was quite nice.

 

[Planogirl]

United, Delta, Continental and American are all pretty similar, in my experience. American is slightly more reliable, but otherwise there's no real difference between them.

I've had the worst luck with American! Constantly changing flights, lost seat assignments, being bumped and lost luggage are are normal for me when I fly them. I guess that it's the luck of the draw.

 

[bicker]

Yup, luck of the draw. The more you fly, all of these airlines, the more your experiences tend towards them all being the same.