Having the benefit of traveling for my job, I fly commercially a lot. I typically try and choose a good combination of cheap and direct, which means I end up flying a bunch of different airlines. I know, I know, I should probably stick with one in particular to build up points, gain status, yada yada. But I don’t… which means I have decent input on the different nuances of many airlines.
I recently boarded a flight on JetBlue where the flight attendant was proudly touting that JetBlue had free movies, snacks, and wifi, but no free wine. “But wine is the best part!” I piped up. I managed to gain a smile and chuckle from most of the people within earshot. 😉 One thing that has changed recently with their airline, is that they have a fare (cheapest) that doesn’t even include a carry-on bag. The next step up, which does include a carry-on, is not that much more expensive, but that is definitely something to look out for when booking JetBlue. They do have free tv, movies, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and wifi which is nice.
Just this morning I had a conversation about Delta with a fellow colleague. She was excited that she had recently reached their “gold” status. She chose to stick with Delta, even when not the most convenient, because she likes their customer service and business format. I will tell you, I do always enjoy flying Delta. If I ever end up picking one airline to stick with, it will probably be them. Even back in the economy class, it just always ends up being a positive experience. The planes seem cleaner, the flight attendants are smiley, but not gimmicky as on some other airlines. They also provide free entertainment, which is always nice. Delta is a great airline for business travelers. I think if you have small kids, you might enjoy one of the other airlines, such as Southwest where more jokes are to be had by the staff.
Speaking of Southwest, how about their baggage policy?! They are the only airline I know of that allow FREE checked bags…. Two of them! I also really like that you can switch your flight for FREE, multiple times if needed. I’ll be honest, I hate the cattle call to get on the plane, and the fact that you do not have assigned seats. But the free bags and ability to switch your flight might outweigh the feeling of picking a seat in the lunch room in middle school. Southwest also tends to have outgoing flight attendants, always ready to crack a joke and who genuinely seem like they like their job. If traveling with a family, it might be beneficial to pay the extra couple bucks to be the first in line to board so you can be sure to get seats together.
American Airlines tends to be a group I travel with frequently. They seem to be a middle ground between upscale Delta and budget-friendly Spirit. They do still have a first class, so something to work towards if you decide to become a loyal customer. Other than that, they are pretty blah… and I don’t mean that in a bad way, just nothing really stands out about them enough for me to remember to write here.
Of the budget airlines (Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant), Frontier is probably my favorite. That might be because I grew up flying to family vacations on the plane with a furry animal on the tale, or because they always seem very clean, even though cheap. These budget airlines are tricky though because they only fly very particular routes on specific days. I think Spirit probably has the biggest selection of flights. Watch out on these airlines because they are all very particular about what size carry on and personal item you have.
United. United united united. I feel like it is the bad child of the airline industry right now. You all have seen more about this airline than you want to, I’m sure. I will point out, though, that I took United over to Europe recently. I had a whole row to myself (bad press related? Maybe), and get this, FREE WINE! At least on international trips… one way in which United trumps JetBlue and several other airlines. Let me tell you, that trip was funnnnnn! 🙂
And with that, I’m going to wrap up this super long post. Questions? Comments? Things I didn’t touch on? Just let me know and I’ll add it in!
Thanks for reading!
Stay smart,
<3 PG