When you have an option which airline do you choose and why?

Joe,

It would help if you tell us what your choices are.

Generally speaking, I look for:

Non-stops

Leg room

Price

in that order - everything else is fluff

Just posted so I can make better choices next trip....I thought I could learn from more frequent flyers.

My order has been:

Price
Time

The last trip taught me to check on other flight times to final destination....make sure not to take the last one if possible.

I need to add leg room....being short myself it has never been a concern...but my kids are quite a bit more leggy.

Another question I had was about booking flights. I have always booked directly from the carrier due to fear of any trouble...thinking it was safer. Last month a woman in line before us had booked thru Expedia and was told they were unable to help her with her problem....Later, I asked the clerk about it and the reply was that it happens all the time...She said it was much better to book directly with the carrier...Agree?

I have had excelent experiences with Delta.....price, service, convenience, etc. I do believe however that where you are going from and where you are going to makes a big difference as to which airline is best. I most often am heading Orlando to Boston these days.

joebear - Yes, it's much better to book directly with the airlines. If any problems were to arise, it's much easier to deal with the airlines which you bought your tix from. If you buy your tix thru 3rd party sites, some have horrible customer service and can be very frustrating. For example, my SIL bought tix thru Cheaptickets because, yes, it was cheaper. The airlines changed the flight schedule several times and she was on the phone w/Cheaptickets every time there was a change, but the CS were less than helpful.

Anyway, I always prefer Nonstop flights if possible. Since I have status with American Airlines for the last few years, I have been flying them exclusively, as I get to earn 100% bonus miles.

I am partial to Lufthansa, but since I reside in CLT, I ride on USAir 90+% of the time. Lufthansa just provides great ontime service & I can sometimes get good deals on directs to MUC. They also cater to families w/small children as well.

My preference is Midwest for the all first class seating on their Signature Service flights. My husband likes the chocolate chip cookies they bake on the planse.

Non-stop is a primary consideration, and I like to balance total travel time and price.

BTW, on the flip side, I will not be flying US Airways!

Granted I'm not a frequent flier - having only flown 3 times in the last 12 years but I have been flying United and have never had a problem with them - good customer service and no delays on any of my flights. There are not a lot of options where I live, and United has always been the cheapest too.

I travel all the time, and try to fly Delta or United. I've had good luck with them. Internationally, I've really enjoyed United, Virgin, KLM, SAA. I've had really bad luck with Air France and Luftansa.

Any of the airlines are capable of fouling up your trip joebear.

As you mentioned, the last flight out is something I too try to avoid. Non-stops probably have less chance of losing your luggage. Flights with a short stop-over and plane change have a chance of losing your luggage even though you make the connection and are seated on time.

Jet Blue seems to be my preferred airline. US Air is probably my least favorite although I fly them often for convenience of schedule.

Jet Blue seems to give you a little more breathing room with seating.

I am no longer a frequent flyer but US Airways is still my first pick.

However, I think they all suck.

GoT - have you heard about the latest announcement from US Airways? Even though you're not a FF, the announcement still s*ucks big time.

Agree that any of them can screw up your trip big-time.

I look for an airline that will actually get me from point A to point B with the least possible aggravation. That used to be Delta, now it's Jet Blue and Southwest.

I choose mostly based on who flies direct, then on price and time. To some extent I'll also look at equipment, especially if it's a small aircraft (I find ERJs much roomier than CRJs, so I'm more likely to try for American or Continental than Delta or US Air). I usually end up on American or Delta, both of which are generally OK. My best customer service experiences have actually been on US Air (trying to make things right after screwing up), the problem is they seem to screw up a lot, so they're not at the top of my list. United holds my record for worst customer service (first the official United customer service rep basically gives everyone the finger when announcing the flight's canceled, then when a gate agent further down the concourse actually tries to help some passengers out, a supervisor comes over and yells at him for working 15 minutes past the end of his shift - unbelievable). I really liked Midwest Express for their seating (and Milwaukee's a much easier connection than O'hare), but they never seem to be going where I'm going. I like Continental because they fly almost everywhere direct from NY (Newark), seem to have newer equipment, and are a little more generous than others with extras (food, drinks, movies). Airtran is OK, especially when you can get a first class seat for what coach on another airline would cost. I didn't really enjoy the Southwest experience. I hated standing on lines and not knowing where I was going to sit.

But really, I think they're all pretty much the same at the end of the day. Sometimes you luck out and everything is fine, sometimes not. It doesn't really matter whose name is on the tail.

JetBlue and Southwest for different reasons.

JetBlue is the most comfortable for the best price. They would be leading the pack if they hadn't just raised their change fee from $30 to $100.

Southwest is my other choice only because their change fee is zero. I love it and I will always book them first and end up staying with it over 90% of the time.

1.cost 2.convenience 3.minimum of stops/plane changes. I try to stay with SW, even if I have to switch to another airline enroute to my destination, because as ncounty said, no fees for changes, and if their fees decrease from what you paid, they will issue you a credit with no hassles. The ABC boarding thing is not my favorite, but I've always been treated well on SW flights.

I live in an area where I have choices of 6 airports within 100 miles, including JFK, LGA and EWR. I can choose between American, United, Southwest, Delta, US Air, and JetBlue for getting where I want to go.

I typically choose Jetblue, for several reasons:

1) They have a convenient non-stop to my destination.

2) They have legroom and munchies and all the water I want.

3) Their frequent flyer program means that I get 1 free round trip for every 4 trips I take (plus a couple of points for my Amex credit card.)

4) Their prices are pretty good.

5) Their staff actually seems to like their work, and it shows!

My only gripe is that they don't go everywhere, but they're working on it!

I forgot to add the Rapid Rewards program to one of the reasons I fly SW.....GB, I have the same gripe about SW that you have about JB~wish they served more cities!!!

I fly Southwest for the price and their website is user friendly. You can fly one way for a good fare. It is also easy to change your flight and if you cancel they will credit your SW account (which you can use on another reservation). They are also usually on time. What I dislike about SW is you feel like cattle being shuffled onto the flight. And its hit or miss with the flight crew.

Recently flew Continental on an international flight and had a good experience. I'll probably switch over to them if the price is right.