Not a Big Truck

As promised, in addition to the list of the best airline in America, I feel like I should also come up with a list of candidates for the worst airline in America.  As I did with “best airline” I’d like to not argue that one particular airline is the worst, but rather consider a handful of airlines which may be considered the worst depending on one’s particular preferences and travel patterns. 

That said, there is one airline that makes the strongest case for worst airline in America, so I think USAir deserves special recognition. Where to begin in justifying this?  Let’s start with no free drinks (not even water), and throw in a side of giving the finger to frequent fliers by eliminating elite bonus miles, award co-pays, and notoriously bad service.  While operations are improving from the low hit in Philadelphia last year, it’s no surprise that the merger of the worst and second worse airlines in the country, produced the worst airline in America.

In no particular order, here are the other airlines that I think can make the case for the worst airline in America:

United - While the hard product in flight is strong, the service remains lacking.  While crews can vary in quality, airport personnel are over-worked at best and hostile at worst, and overseas call centers struggle to handle basic transactions.  Reports of expanded Star Alliance award filtering, devaluations to their generally strong Mileage Plus program, and elimination of meals on some trans-Atlantic flights, could reduce their standing further.

Continental - Not a bad airline wheels up to wheels down but when it comes time to redeem those hard earned miles, frequent fliers will find out why it’s called “NonePass” award availability is a well-known joke, international upgrade options are expensive (regardless of status) and SkyTeam clearly got third pick of partners amongst the major alliances (especially noticeable amongst Asian partners).  Recent changes are also worrisome notably capacity controls on non-saver awards, elimination of free same-day standby.  The Switch to Star Alliance will be a nice improvement, assuming consistent award availability and price levels, but the impact of this change remains to be seen.

Northwest - A worst of both worlds airline with the disadvantages of SkyTeam plus an extremely poor domestic product.  Old aircraft, no in-flight entertainment, minimal coach service and poor quality domestic first/international business service.

Southwest - Though operationally strong it’s still the airline of the “cattle call” - no advanced seat assignment - and passengers that seem to find a way to get kicked off the flight more often than on other airlines. Rapid Rewards has started to provide elite benefits (A-List, free companion tickets for 100+ segments), but now restricts award availability and still can’t get you to Canada for free, let alone Cancun or Casablanca

So, now that best and worst lists are out there, I’ll continue to update the blog with aviation-related posts as news breaks.

As notabigtruck.com’s resident aviation enthusiast, I feel like I should kick off what promise to be many inspiring, airline-related posts with a discussion of what the best airline in America is. Rather than argue that one particular airline is the best, I will consider a handful of airlines which may be considered the best depending on one’s particular preferences and travel patterns. In no particular order, here are the airlines that I think can make the case for the best airline in America:

JetBlue- The best coach product amongst airlines on this list: Direct TV, generous leg room (and additional leg room available for purchase), decent snacks, and even amenity kits on domestic red-eyes

United-  For elites especially, United can be a great option with its Economy Plus section and 1Ks get Systemwide upgrades for international flights while many other airlines require burning miles, copays, etc. (though United does have fare class requirements).  General members will find some minor perks that distinguish United from other legacies, including relatively plentiful audio and video programming, full cans of soda, and, my personal favorite: live ATC, at the pilots discretion, on all mainline flights. New business and first class hard-product is the best amongst U.S.-based airlines, whether soft-product improvements will follow remains to be seen.

Delta- The only legacy carrier that has tried to compete directly with JetBlue’s product, Delta has begun installing PTVs on many aircraft, offers more generous snacks than most legacies, and traces of its legendary Southern hospitality can still be found.

Continental- Still serves “meals” at mealtime and has the newest fleet amongst legacy carriers. Also, semi-competent management has maintained decent labor relations which, by my observations, has led to fewer “horror” stories from Continental travelers than other airlines (but don’t worry, they’re still out there). Also, BusinessFirst by many accounts is the best Business Class product amongst U.S. carriers (though watch out for United’s new seats) 

Northwest - Although their product is decidedly second tier (except international A330 service, which is surprisingly decent), for elite fliers who travel domestically, upgrade rates on NW will likely be higher, due to a relatively high number of first class seats in the fleet (though why anyone would pay for First Class on Northwest is beyond me). For some, this will make it the best airline in America.

Alaska - Alaska’s product used to be head and shoulders above the rest. Now the best I can say is that they tend to cut back a bit slower than the competition. Customer service, both on the ground and in flight is still better than many other airlines, but the most compelling reason to rank Alaska the “best airline in America” is their mileage program. For simply earning and redeeming miles, there’s simply no better option. Sure, it used to be better, but the list of partners is long and award levels are mostly fair. Also, change fee waivers for MVP Gold is a huge benefit, and requires flying only 40 or 50k miles/year.

Southwest - It’s not my cup of tea, but for those who travel between the right markets, Southwest can be a great option. Customer service is, by all accounts, better than the legacies, change fees are fair and understandable, and no fees for the first or second checked bag. Also, the recent creation of the “A list” program, plus free companion tickets for very frequent fliers, has given them some “street cred” amongst business travellers. Although I’d rather go to Paris, France than Paris, Texas with my miles, given the recent devaluations of the legacy product, Southwest now has a stronger than ever claim to being the best airline in America.

Notable omissions:

Midwest - Signature service is unquestionably the most comfortable seating arrangement amongst U.S. airlines. However, there operation is much smaller than those on the list and their announced transition to a mix of signature and saver service on many routes is disappointing. I’ll confess, I’ve never flown them but have heard mostly good things about them so if you want to call them the best airline in America, I can’t and won’t disagree.

American - I don’t dislike American, but I’m not sure what they offer that could be considered that much better than what’s offered by other airlines.

AirTran- I’m not as familiar with AirTran as I should be, but don’t see what they offer (other than a compelling alternative to DL out of ATL) that could make them the best airline in America.

Virgin America - Still too small, but I expect great things from them.

Stay tuned, the worst airline in America is coming soon (and many of the candidates will be the same)!