Which Airline?
 

Which of the following airlines would you choose, based on a combination of comfort and customer service, for an overseas flight?
American
Continental
Delta
Northwest
United

Thanks! Found very similar fares for each, and haven't flown with most of them before, so I appreciate any help you can give me!

Depends where you live..Anyway American is my first choice, more legs room,
Continental is very modern, every seat a small TV and games..
When I go to Paris, I take Continental because is more convenient for me to take Houston-Paris..
When I go to Rome, I take American all the way.

I Try to stay away from kennedy airport, is congested and old..,
also DELTA is horrible, you really feel like a cattle...

oops every seat has....

I have no idea about international, but based on my domestic experience I would choose American for economy seating. I've had too many bad experiences with Continental and United to count. I don't remember anything bad about Delta or NW (which I've flown once or twice) but nothing great stands out either.

If you are flying on discount economy - American - More Room Throughout Coach.
They fly 2 different models to Europe. Boeings 777 and 767. The 777s go to London and Frankfurt. The 777s do have individual screens. The 767s fly to Paris, Madrid, Rome, and few other places. They do not have individual screen. AA will fly B757 from Boston to Manchester starting in June, but unless you have status, I would skip that routing. Elites/full fare paxs get to sit in first class for the price of economy ticket on that route, which is great for them, but, everybody else gets to sit in the new re-configured economy (basically, it's the same as Continental or United in regular economy and no individual screens.) Personally I just don't like the 757s.
United offers Economy Plus - little better than American's MRTC, but also extra money above the regular economy fare.
Continental - ok, somehwhat tight in coach.
Delta and Northwest - no comment.

Service/food will be pretty much the same on all the above. I believe that with the exception of United, all the others charge for alcoholic drinks. I do know for a fact that AA and CO does.

Hope this helps.

For great seat descriptions checkout
<b>www.seatguru.com</b>

UA - AAFF has covered AA, though I have some questions about UA's Economy Plus. I don't think they actually sell a &quot;Economy Plus&quot; ticket, unlike a somewhat similar (but not identical) product from EVA of Taiwan. I believe the E+ is simply reserved for their premier Mileage Plus members and high-fare coach passengers, though I'm not sure what fares guarantee a E+ seat.

Continental - They have the only 767s with personal video screens, but they're also using 757s on a lot of newer and thinner routes, like EWR-Edinburgh, EWR-Oslo, etc. Avoid the 757s.

Northwest - They have two distinct products now. On most, if not all, of the AMS routes, they now have brand-new A330, with individual screens in every seat. On other routes, you have 25+ year old DC-10-30s that has nothing. Those should be all phased out soon, but check your routings.

This is a real tough one, because I mainly choose based on price and flight times, with preference to nonstops (I will pay quite a bit more for a nonstop, at least $100, if not more). After that, it would depend on connecting times and location. So, I've never really had a choice of more than about two airlines that are fairly similar in those.

I've never flown NW or Delta overseas, and I don't think United (but long distance in US). My experience with AA vs CO is limited to only three flights, but I would say Continental was superior in service and staff. I think AA has terrible customer service and I had a horrible experience with them from Paris with several malfunctioning planes in a row that prevented the plane from taking off even the same day. So, they wasted over a day of my time due to their mechanical problems -- and the AA staff in Paris and then JFK were quite rude and incompetent.

They do have more leg room, and that's why I booked them, but that's about all I can say for them.

Thanks to all! I was just checking fares and noticed that the difference in different airline prices was only about $20 one way or the other. Of course, by this fall when I actually make my reservations, this may change, but wanted to be prepared.

For long flights we prefer American--have flown other carriers long distance but have learned there's a lot to be said for the extra room American offers.

Assuming tourist class, Continental has a reputation for good service. AA makes a big thing about more room, but you have to check that the flight you are taking has that, because not all do. I haven't flown the others recently enough to comment.

I see a lot of posters placing a premium on the personal screens on the back of each seat. My experience is that the programs put on those screens are the dregs of the entertainment world, so unless you are into simplistic video games or watching a display of your flight creeping across the ocean, all viewed at the end of your nose, I would not place any value on those screens. I don't even turn mine on anymore.

Bring your own entertainment, such as a book or knitting or an mp3 player with noise-cancelling headset. If your choice of entertainment is battery powered, use seatGURU to find which planes have power available (those that do, often have it only in some seats), and get an adapter so you can plug in.

I write this as someone who cannot sleep on planes. Sleep is actually the best way to go if you can do it.

I've only flown Northwest and KLM transatlantic, and if you can get a flight on an A330, go for it. NW flies its nonstops from Detroit to Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Rome on A330s. London should be an A330 soon. It's a great plan with a great entertainment system.
Also, if you have to make an in-Europe connection, the NWA/KLM hub is Amsterdam - a far superior connecting airport to Heathrow or DeGaulle.

Hi. We just returned from Europe. Took NWA from LAX to AMS, 8 hour layover and flew on to Rome. We had a big movie screen in the front on the way over, but the individual screens on the way back which were great. We used the layover in AMS to good use - just enough time for a canal tour, lunch and Anne Frank's house. Flights were great, will fly NWA again. Much better than Delta!

I would take United for the miles in my Mileage Plus account and the extra legroom in Economy Plus. If not United i wouyld do Lufthansa because of their professional service and ontime departure record. I just used Lufthansa on my trip to Spain and they delivered all flights ontime with decent service. OK, the flight attendants can be a little cold but you can get that anywhere. The only downfall is that Lufthansa does not have personal TV's at every seat, just the old central movie screen. I do like the A340 jets they fly over United 777's

Got a great deal on NWA last year, but they managed to screw up my luggage each way! Major hassle, and I am still mad at them, but I actually enjoyed the flights. Nice attendants, decent food, pretty comfortable. The luggage thing would make me hesitate flying them again, though.

I've flown UAL from San Francisco to Paris and it was just ok for the comfort. Of course, I flew coach, and space was tight as usual. However, British Air felt even tighter last time I flew to London on them. The seat we had on UAL had a metal box on the floor taking up some of the precious carryon space. So that was not great.

I just flew from DFW to SFO on American. Couldn't believe my luck as the plane was a 767. So I would not mind flying on this particular aircraft to Paris if possible. Yes, the legroom was pretty good for coach. And up in first class absolutely spacious seemed like at least a few feet of space to stretch out.

Delta is the WORST. Most uncomfortable cabins, worst service/attitudes, Atlanta airport a nightmare. I have flown Continental, United and American also. I do like American's extra leg room. I was very pleased with my recent Continental flight. No complaints about United.

I had forgotten how bad Delta was until a flight into London and out of Rome in March. How quickly my memory was jogged. UGH!!

The movies offered on our BA flight to Paris were great. For this nervous flyer, they are a blessing. I could never fly that distance w/o some sort of distraction. I do read, but watching a movie or two makes the time go by so much faster. I think many airlines are beginning to outfit their long-haulers with the screens.

I base my decision on logistics: flight times, non-stops, check ease of connections &amp; airport timing (not too short or too long for transfers, and in/out of the same airport i.e, not into Heathrow out of Gatwick). In short... really study the fine print, especially if you are booking yourself online.

I prefer British Air to any of those you mentioned.

I fly United almost exclusively and I the few times I have had problems, they have remedied the problem to my satisfaction. I would go with United over Continental, Delta, and Northworst (all of which I've had repeated horrible experiences with). I haven't flown American internationally recently.

Marilee,
We have a layover of 7 hours in AMS next month. We were wondering if it was possible to go into the city for a little while?
We arrive at noon from the US. We have a connecting flight to FLorence on another airline (Meridiana)at 7pm.
What did you do with your luggage? How long did it take to get into the city and back? (Each way).
We would love to take advantage of the layover, but nervous about arriving late to the airport.
THANKS!!

You may be just the guys to help me.
Next April we plan a trip to visit Florida again. In the past we have always flown BA or Virgin. We prefer Virgin as they fly from Manchester which is closer to our home. Previously we have always managed to get two for the price of one tickets but since 9 11 they seem to be nonexisitent. I have juat checked out fares for next year with BA and Virgin and they are about 980GBP for two tickets (todays rate is 1.78 to the dollar) which is far more expensive than in the past. I was wondering about perhaps flying to NY with a US airline , staying a couple of days then continuing on to florida (Orlando, Miami, Tampa or Fort Myers, any would do) Is this idea feasible do you think? and what sort of flight length could we expect?
We have usually chosen a british airline as they have very short flight durations direct to the US and dont use 'gateways'. Should we go for the same airline thoughout or choose a different one for the transatlanic crossing and the internal flight?
I would welcome your comments.
CM

<b>Countrymouse</b>,

The idea of visiting New York is a good one. The fares between UK-NYC should be very reasonable. Much competition on that route and April is still good time to find some cheap fares.
The flight from New York to one of the Florida destination will be aroud 2.5 hours and it also should be reasonable. When looking for the domestic fares look at the usual suspects (<b>www.orbitz.com, www.expedia.com,etc</b>) and also look at some of these LCCs (<b>www.southwest.com or www.jetblue.com</b>) as they are not listed on any other travel sites. Once you check the above travel sites, go to the individual airline sites (<b>www.aa.com, www.ual.com, www.contionental.com, etc</b>). just to compare and save few $ as the airline sites don't charge a service fee like the travel sites. You do have to remember that sometimes the travel sites will have some fares that the airline site may not and vice-versa.
If for some reason you decide to skip New York and want tofly directt to Florida, American Airlines <b>www.AA.com</b> will have a direct flight from Manchester to Miami starting this fall. It's just another option and it may be cheaper.

Good luck!

Do consider British Airways.
Continental has occasional &quot;real bargains&quot; in BusinessFirst which is VG and highly regarded.
DAL, NW and United are down my list (DFW)
M

I fly in to the US frequently on either Qantas or United. United service to San Fransisco is great with a good lounge and showers waiting at the other end. In this last year I would rate UA performance better than Qantas but that is where it stops. If I fly then on to St Louis, New York or Boston I end up going through that horrible hub called Chicago. Therefore I would prefer to fly AA or use a connect to most places with UA through Denver. I find US airlines are pretty good domestically but I think the real issue for a foreign traveller in the USA is hub airport delays. My understanding is that AA service to South America and to Europe is generally better than what the others offer. For those sectors to Europe from USA I always go British Airways or Lufthansa depending whether I am on a One World Alliance or Star Alliance ticket. Generally I think BA flat business seats are great and better than what the opposition offers.

<b>Countrymouse</b>, if you decide to go straight to Florida, you might also want to look at bmi. They fly from Manchester to several North American destinations, including Washington DC. Because they are part of the Star Alliance with United, you could connect on to various locations in Florida on a single ticket.

We flew RT to the UK on bmi a month ago and were favorably impressed, particularly with the service. And for the particular time we were flying, they were the cheapest by a good margin.

I will give you my experience in business class:
American--Seats do not recline all the way, and so-so food. (1998)
Delta--Great seats and service (2002)
Northwest--If you are on one of the new airbuses it is awesome, seats totally recline and have a privacy &quot;egg&quot; thing around them (2003)
Continental--Great seats, excellent recline. better food than NW. (2002)

Also got one of those great fares, last Nov $1000 on NW and next month $1790. (Usually $7000-8000) per person.

Laura

Many thanks folks. Lots of good info.
AAFrequentFlyer : lots of good in depth info.
Mikemo : unfortunately BA only fly from Gatwick (London) so is not so convenient (the M25 is an absolute nightmare!) but thanks for taking the trouble to reply, much appreciated.
Sydney Steve : thaks good tips
msgo : thanks, I didnt know bmi flew those routes definately worth a look.
Laura D : thanks it seems from those fares that you can fly business class for the price of economy with BA or Virgin. definately be checking that out.
What are the flight durations with US airlines? Do any of them go direct or do they all use hubs?
CM

I would choose Lufthansa. Oops, that wasn't one of your choices. We flew Lufthansa to Italy, with a plane change in Frankfurt, Germany, and it was great.