Hey guys ill be going to australia in about a month (sept) and i wanted to hear which airline would you guys prefer to fly with?

My first choice would be Qantas = i flew with qantas when i was 8 yrs old - that was like 12 yrs ago - and gosh, i had a nice time flying with and i could still remember the cool things about it! I had gotten lots of freebies and everything since i was a kid, but all in all i really did liked that flight! It was a 747 plane and it had monitors/tv (whatever you wanna call it) on every single seats!!!!!

Whats up with qantas now? Is it still the same? Quality of service? Etc etc

My second choice would be united airlines = cheap round trip ticket from kansas city to melbourne!

Comments about this airline?

My third choice would be american airlines = i really kinda liked them when i flew from kansas city to new york. I dont know about their internatioinal flights though.

Comments about this airline?

Thank you so much guys!

Also, ill be getting my ticket from either orbitz or kayak.

My first recommendation is NOT to get your tickets through orbitz or expedia or other non-airline websites. Buy your ticket through the airline's own website. Then if there is a problem, you can deal directly with the airline.

Take a look at www.seatguru.com to get info on the seats on each of the flights you are looking at. United has the option for Economy Plus - for a small fee you can have more leg room. Worth considering. There are also advantages to flying one airline all the way through.

If you are finding good prices, buy now. As you get closer to your flight date prices will go up.

American doesn't fly to Australia, so you'd be on AA as far as a US gateway (either Dallas or LAX) then on Qantas after that. (Qantas is an AA partner and the two "codeshare" their flights - one airline's flight no. on the other airline's planes.)

Qantas is still a fine airline; if you booked either an AA or a Qantas fare that stops in LAX en route, you could end up on one of their A380 super-jumbo jets from LAX to MEL. However since AA doesn't fly nonstop from MCI to LAX, you'd have to change planes someplace between KC and LA, probably Dallas.

On United's 747s you'll only have overhead monitors in coach; all Qantas' planes will have individual seatback video. Seat comfort will be comparable (i.e. lousy) unless you can pony up the cash for premium economy, which is a whole 'nother matter.

Delta flies nonstop to Sydney from LAX and possibly HNL on 777 aircraft which are very comfy.
Qantas flies to both Sydney and Melborne out of LAX nonstop.

UA's Economy Plus is just standard coach with extra legroom, and it's not even that much more on their 747s. Meaning, it'll be a much worse experience than on Qantas, A380 or otherwise. Add the fact that UA has a 1:50 stop at SYD, adding significant travel time.

In short, there is no contest. Unless the price difference is too great.

I'd also look at V Australia. I flew that airline last fall and really enjoyed the premium economy. Lots of legroom, a very comfortable seat, good food, and noise-cancelling headphones. Of course, that costs a lot more.

I've also seen some good deals to Australia on Emirates or Etihad, but that does add some extra hours from KC.

We've gone to Oz 3 times on Qantas through LAX (once returned through Dallas/Fort Worth) and have been more than satisfied. The seat back entertainment is great and the service and meals (with one exception) just fine. Plus for me it always feels like I start my holiday a little earlier when I get on a plan with attendants speaking with an Aussie accent.