Hallo, I am hoping to fly to Phoenix in May.
I am looking into prices and routes at the mo...
I am happy to pay a bit more for a better airline/transfer airport.

My options seem to be KL/NWA via DTW, CO via IAH, DL via ATL. Already decided against USAir, and want to avoid LHR if at all possible.

So which airline/transfer airport combination would you recommend and why? I'll be flying cattle class

Out of the three choices,

1.CO - clear favorite

2.DL - distant second

3.KLM/NW - not even close

Actually recent reports on NW's A330s in coach haven't been all that bad. However, if it's KLM metal, nope...

AMS-SEATTLE (NW) PHX (Alaska)?

While I'm a CO fanboy, I actually disagree with AAFF on this one.

There are 5 AMS-DTW flights a day in May, and 4 of them (3 NW and 1 KL), are on new A330 with great entertainment. The 5th flight is a NW 757 with no entertainment, but extra legroom in coach. And DTW is not a bad place to enter the US and change planes. DTW-PHX is on relatively new A320, so no problem there.

I think it's as good, if not better, than the CO's routing via IAH. On CO's 767, you get entertainment running on a loop and not AVOD, and you pay for alcoholic drinks, if that matters to you.

DL's AMS-ATL should be on their newly reconfigured 767-400ERs, which is also fine. Though ATL is not my favorite airport to make a transfer.

I don't think there's a clear winner among the three. And if elite status on Flying Blue is important, check the fare classes and make sure you get 100% EQM. You should, on all these airlines, including CO; but double check on that.

I didn't look at what airplanes were used on this route. I based my advice on my own (albeit limited) experience with all three airlines. The few times I flew with NW I had nothing but bad experiences. DL just didn't do it for me. CO was always a pleasant experience, great service, on the ground and in the air. In fact I seriously considered switching to CO for most of my flying but AAdvantage made me stay with AA.

I've always had good experiences with NW on International flights, although they were all Asia flights, not Europe flights.

Another vote for the NW routing. I would try to get on the NW A330 out of AMS, as they are about as comfortable as coach gets and reputed to be a step ahead of the KLM version.

You are right to avoid USAir.

There is a new, and relatively uncrowded route, AMS-DFW. It is listed as a KLM flight, but the aircraft seems almost always to be a NW 747.

There are frequent flights from DFW to PHX on both AA and US. The AA flights are shown as more expensive, but advance purchase fares are almost the same.

Opinion on connections at DFW seems binary. Love it or hate it, with no in between.

AMS-DFW on KL/NW hasn't started yet, and it will be KL669 on a KL A330, starting 3/30/08.

I stand corrected. Now I am wondering what that NWA 747 was doing at DFW. I've seen it a Terminal D twice.

Sports charter. Most likely a 747-200.

"Sports charter". Yes, it's being used to haul all of the ex-Cowboy coaches to Miami.

Well, you can also opt for:

**Northwest Airlines on AMS-DTW-PHX
**Delta on AMS-JFK-PHX
**Delta on AMS-CVG-PHX
**KLM on AMS-DTW-

Thanks everyone.
I think we've decided in the end to go via Heathrow, so we do an EU-EU-US transfer rather than an EU-US-US transfer. Saves a lot of bag schlepping, even if we miss out on our miles.
T5 will be open by the time we go so hopefully things will go Ok. Only problem is of course that it's BA. Currently trying to persuade he-who pays-the-bills to pay for premium economy