Best Airline for the Money?
Decatur Metro | May 13, 2013
Is there even a difference anymore?
Photo courtesy of Kuster & Wildhaber Photography via Flickr
Is there even a difference anymore?
Photo courtesy of Kuster & Wildhaber Photography via Flickr
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AirTran when you include a cheap business class and a generous frequent flyer program. Of course SouthWest is killing it off as quickly as possible which is too bad.
These days coach looks the same no matter which airline you fly, just degrees of just how uncomfortable one can be in a tight space for an extended period of time.
Now if you are willing to pay for it, First Class travel is better than ever if you are flying overseas. Some of the foreign airlines have incredible First Class cabins.
Of course flying around in a Gulfstream G5 (as pictured) would be nice but $$ (netjets anyone?)
Ha! Is that what that is?
Southwest proved itself to me on my last trip. First, it was way less expensive than other options with similar flight times. Second, no bag fees is especially important when you’re talking about a luggage heavy trip like snow skiing (and a committed over-packer like me). And, third, the no charge for rebooking was crucial when I realized immediately after clicking the purchase button that I had the wrong month. D’oh! But, thanks to Southwest’s policy, I was able to immediately change it to the correct date with no charges added and no begging. Compare that to Delta who refused to allow a change for a friend in similar circumstances (within 20 min. she realized a conflict that would make getting to the airport in time very difficult) even though the flight change would actually be for a less expensive ticket and she was willing to pay the old price, just not the extra change fee.
Sure, the open seating is a bit weird. Especially when flying with a friend booked separately so can’t line up together. We just had to send the person with the lowest number to scare away the folks who might want to sit next to them.
Very strange that your friend had that experience with Delta. Did she book it online? It’s their corporate policy to give you 24 hours to reschedule. I just did that very thing less than a month ago and it didn’t cost me a thing. Delta certainly has their share of problems, but I haven’t found that to be one of them.
I’ve got no problem with Southwest (actually like the fact that there’s no rush for the door because everyone is already lined up in pre-determined order). I have found that there are times when Southwest is not the cheapest. You just always have to check. Also, Southwest fares aren’t found in a lot of the online search engines so you have to make a special trip to their site. I’m going to miss AirTran’s cheap business class upgrades. Those were very nice. Overall, I usually go with Delta just because they go just about anywhere I need to go, non-stop. They also have a pay-with-miles option which is a great way to use built-up frequent flier miles. For the most part, major airlines are really similar in coach as mentioned earlier but I have to say that I’m SO happy to be out of the northeast and no longer beholden to USAirways.
I’ve never heard about the 24-hour policy, but it clearly wasn’t shared with my friend. She booked on-line and then called customer support when she realized the problem.
Your point about checking Southwest is good – they aren’t on the main sources I check for pricing so I try to remember to check them. Also, I found it was good to check back from time to time as I was doing the will-the-rates-come-down game of chicken before booking. The first time I checked Southwest was not really cheaper, but as it got closer, I found more flights and less expensive fares. I’m not sure if that’s a factor of their expanding presence in Atlanta or how they do their fares, but that’s the way it was in Dec./Jan. as I was looking for Feb. tix. The nice thing, though, was that once I saw a good fare, I could snatch it up without the worry that something better would come along. I figured that if something better came along, I could always put a hold on the Southwest tix and use that fare towards a future trip since their policy allows you to change without charge as long as you use the fare within a year. As it was, no fares came close, particularly when bag fees were added in.
Delta should be the hometown favorites, but in my limited experience their customer service stinks. Southwest’s bags fly free helps push them up in the “for the money” department.
I have found Southwest expensive with few direct flights to Dallas. I miss AirTran.
I miss those $59 each way AirTran sales!
Southwest currently offers no direct flights to Dallas due to the awful Wright Amendment which thankfully ends next year. After Southwest acquired AirTran they had to discontinue theirs as well.
Southwest will be doing away with many if the stopover flights in October 2014, once the Wright amendment expires.
Virgin America is terrific. If you’re flying internationally, it’s hard to beat Emirates.