Which airline to fly?

jmcoreymv

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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I'll probably have to be doing some business traveling soon (first time), from CA to FL. Anyone recommend a good airline? I've only flown AA before. Do they all have plugs for laptops and individual tvs these days or what?
 

HN

Diamond Member
Jan 19, 2001
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i flew midwest airlines last year (los angeles to tampa) and it was great. i've never flown jetblue but i think the midwest planes are similar (wide roomy leather seats throughout the cabin). i sat next to a pretty big gal and didn't feel cramped at all. for flights taking off after 7am (or was it 10am?) they serve fresh baked* chocolate chip cookies as a snack.

*they say 'baked' but it could be microwaved for all i know, i didn't actually observe the cooking process. i do know the smell of 'fresh baked' cookies wafted through the cabin, the chocolate chips themselves were gooey, and the cookies tasted great overall.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,419
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continental = shit food
southwest = no food

flying delta next week will let you know how that goes!
 

Qacer

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2001
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Which part of California?

If you are in San Diego, I would pick Southwest to FL. You'll probably encounter at least 2 stop overs, but it's not that bad. Plus, I've been flying Southwest for a while now and their customer service is pretty damn good.
 

OulOat

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Aug 8, 2002
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The cheapest would usually be SWA or one of the newer low cost carriers, unless you can get in on a deal. If you dislike too many stopovers or tend to fly often, I would stick with the legacies. Continental is supposed to have the best service, but routes may be limited. United has some nice advantages like bigger planes and economy plus, but CS sucks really badly, so expect difficulties rebooking and changing flights. AA is a good choice for frequent flyers for their FF program, but you would have to get used to older planes such as the MD-80. I would stay away from Delta and NWA due to the way they treat their employees (which trickles down to the way their employees treat us), but they have nice planes and seats.
 

jmcoreymv

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: Qacer
Which part of California?

If you are in San Diego, I would pick Southwest to FL. You'll probably encounter at least 2 stop overs, but it's not that bad. Plus, I've been flying Southwest for a while now and their customer service is pretty damn good.

I think the biggest thing for me would be non-stop. I'm not sure where I want to fly out of, it might either be SD or Irvine, similar distance.
 

SoulAssassin

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2001
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there isn't one airline that's necessarily better than another...if you're going to start doing a lot of business travel I would look at what, if any, airline has a hub at your local airport.
 

SoulAssassin

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2001
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also be sure to sign up for their ff program...one word of advice...keep your boarding passes until the points post
 

gsethi

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2002
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Jetblue is nice....personal TVs on each seat...they have A320 which are in 3x3 configuration with 1 aisle. Pretty new planes and nice service overall.
Southwest will be probably cheaper than Jetblue but no TV (TVs do help in passing time)...they use 737s which are again 3x3 configuration with 1 aisle.

with AA, Continental and others, it will be your luck for Personal TV depending on the plane and how new/old it is. You might end up with a personal tv on each seat, or a mini-tv that flips from the roof every 8-10 seats or no TV at all.

When flying domestic, thats the only thing I look for as to which airline/plane has TV so that time passes and legroom (although it doesnt matter that much anymore as you will have anywhere from 30-32" of pitch nowdays) For everything else, they are basically all the same. You can always purchase your own food which will most probably be better than the crap they serve on flights anyways.

Again, as someone mentioned above, check seatguru.com to see which airline and which plane has TVs and laptop plugs. Southwest and Jetblue didnt had any power ports last time I flew with them.
 

alphatarget1

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2001
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<3 UA (United Airlines)

Although I'm a mere 2P (Premier, lowest elite level on UA)

Are you really tall? You should consider UA and paying for Economy Plus Access (200-300 bucks) if you are. If not it doesn't really matter, just find some direct flights.
 

Qacer

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2001
2,721
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I've flown from San Diego to Tampa using Southwest. I had one minor stop over (not getting off the plane) and one major one (getting off the plane to change to a different Southwest flight). Overall, it was a smooth ride. Normally, if you change flights with Southwest, the gate is just right around the corner. No need to run around and catch the plane.

P.S. If you want to grab a drink in Tampa, let me know.
 

oogabooga

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2003
7,806
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I've flown SW, American, and United.

I usually fly American, I'm relatively happy with their service, plus I'm a frequent flyer with them.
United was pretty nice the one time I flew them. Flew from San Fransisco to Chicago. Was comfortable enough.
SW i'm not too big on. It's cheap and service is alright, but the plane depresses me, something about it never settles with me as weird as that sounds.