Best U.S. Airline?

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I've got about 5 million frequent flyer miles during my career, almost all of them butt-in-seat (in other words, not from credit card usage). Of the big three -- DL, UA, AA+US -- I'd have to agree that at this point in time, DL is best. But it does change over time. AA and DL were generally considered the best 1980-1995, but then DL went down hard. Flying DL 1995-2005 could be a miserable experience, and then they turned things around. AA fell apart in 2000 and hasn't recovered yet. As for UA or US, don't get me started... airlines of last resort.

A few things to remember. When you book on DL, UA, or AA+US, you might actually fly on a commuter affiliate that doesn't get anywhere near the same customer satisfaction scores as their respective main line. The smaller carriers like VX can focus their operations better, but as they grow their customer satisfaction scores tend to regress toward the mean. WN has found this. So far, B6 has managed to stay ahead of the curve. And finally, there are airlines that have figured out how to sustain modest profitability (DL) and airlines that lose money like grains of sand (VX). Whether VX survives, their pending IPO notwithstanding, is anyone's guess. And none of these airlines matches standards of, say, JL or CX overseas.
 
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I've got about 5 million frequent flyer miles during my career, almost all of them butt-in-seat (in other words, not from credit card usage). Of the big three -- DL, UA, AA+US -- I'd have to agree that at this point in time, DL is best. But it does change over time. AA and DL were generally considered the best 1980-1995, but then DL went down hard. Flying DL 1995-2005 could be a miserable experience, and then they turned things around. AA fell apart in 2000 and hasn't recovered yet. As for UA or US, don't get me started... airlines of last resort.

A few things to remember. When you book on DL, UA, or AA+US, you might actually fly on a commuter affiliate that doesn't get anywhere near the same customer satisfaction scores as their respective main line. The smaller carriers like VX can focus their operations better, but as they grow their customer satisfaction scores tend to regress toward the mean. WN has found this. So far, B6 has managed to stay ahead of the curve. And finally, there are airlines that have figured out how to sustain modest profitability (DL) and airlines that lose money like grains of sand (VX). Whether VX survives, their pending IPO notwithstanding, is anyone's guess. And none of these airlines matches standards of, say, JL or CX overseas.
I would tend to agree with your observations....

as for comparing US carrier's with some of the Asian one's....well the cultural differences as far as the flight attendant's and perhaps customary service personnel mean that the US will probably never match up, but as for pilot's, I would match ours against anyone's.....
 
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I would tend to agree with your observations....

as for comparing US carrier's with some of the Asian one's....well the cultural differences as far as the flight attendant's and perhaps customary service personnel mean that the US will probably never match up, but as for pilot's, I would match ours against anyone's.....
Agreed as well. It seems like anyone that gets big loses reputation. Same with the bus industry.

But yeah, I thought Hawaiian would've been in there.
 
I've haven't flown as much as some of you, but here are some quick reviews of the airlines I've flown...

Air Asia - Like Ryanair but in Asia

Air Canada - Enjoyed the service but the loyalty program is gutted

America West - Nothing but bad experiences, no reason to be loyal, lives on as US

American Airlines - Poor service but great loyalty program (pre-merger)

Cathay Pacific - Good service and best hub airport, but terrible legroom

Continental - Probably the best service among (former) domestic legacies (now UA)

Delta Airlines - Good service but older aircraft and a terrible loyalty program

Easyjet - Ugly planes, nickels and dimes, mediocre service, but better than Ryan

Frontier Airlines - Rather confusing with new rules/restrictions every few months

Japan Airlines - Good service, questionable safety history, poor loyalty program

Lufthansa - One of the best carriers in Europe but nothing special compared to Asia

Northwest Airlines - Mediocre service, older aircraft, poor labor relations, now DL

Republic Airlines - Terrible in virtually every way, especially the "service," good riddance

Singapore Airlines - Good service, passable legroom, decent loyalty program

Southwest Airlines - Easy to work with, simple to understand, no nasty surprises

Thai Airways - Like spinning a roulette wheel - no telling what you'll get

United Airlines - Lousy service, had a great loyalty program once upon a time

US Airways - Still "America Worst" in many ways, loyalty changes coming

Somewhere in that mix is the perfect airline. For instance, some of the best service I've received on Japan Airlines was from Thai nationals. Even though Thair Airways itself struggles to maintain top tier service standards. Middle Eastern airlines have some of the best amenities and newest aircraft but treat their employees terribly. US Airlines have developed some of the worst service standards but also created some of the best loyalty programs while also working under some of the most stringent safety regulations. If you could combine the best virtues of several different cultures you could some up with something truly groundbreaking. Or we could just do what Europe did and start focusing on better passenger trains while the regional airline market eventually devolved into a dozen variations of Ryanair.

IMHO, Virgin American by a long shot.
I live in the 7th largest city in the country but there's no Virgin America. I guess we're just not hip enough for 'em.

American Customer Service is an oxymoron.
Maybe in the case of US airlines, airports, trains, bus lines, and taxies. On the other hand I've stayed at several hotels in the US with excellent service standards. Hopefully over time services like Trip Advisor will continue to push US service standards higher as people who have seen good service elsewhere start holding our domestic services to a higher standard.
 
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Come to think of it, wouldn't Turkish or El Al be the best of the bunch because they combine East and West? But Turkish has a bad safety record.

Best service I've had on a US airline was AA before bankruptcy. Best service I've had in the US anytime recently was a small man driving a Greyhound bus. I'm sure many airline pilots would deliver better service than the FA's.
 
The best airline I ever flew was El Al.
Agreed but the FAs were a little to authoritative IMO! They have Really Good Security too unlike our Security Theater by the TSA Minions! And am I the only one who's flown on Alaska Airlines, my # 1 Domestic Choice??
I'm really not a fan of authoritarian flight attendants. I feel like I get enough of that from US airlines. Flying El Al is a more complicated choice than most airline decisions that goes beyond the routing, scheduling, and service levels which guide most travel decisions. Although El Al is often lauded for their enhanced security they operate in a manner which I believe to be inconsistent with our constitution. In some ways they've simply moved the attack vector from the aircraft itself to other areas like check-in desks. To be clear I also have issues with other middle eastern airlines which operate in a manner I find to be inconsistent with my value system. Until recently Alaska Airlines didn't serve my local airport. They also used to provide unsolicited bible versus with their catering. Now that those issues have been rectified I look forward to flying Alaska Airlines sometime in the future. Connecting in US airports has become enough of a nuisance that having a nonstop flight to Seattle is a very welcome addition.
 
I imagine that most peoples objection to their practices are cultural. I find them comforting.
I agree, I prefer authority over weakness and lack of authority.
It didn't use to bother me as much in the past. Back before disobeying a bossy flight attendant risked a jail sentence. Thankfully there's a humongous middle ground between weak and authoritarian. Although you may not know it if you only flew US airlines. Some people who seem to hate their jobs and their employers seem to feel legally invited to take out their frustrations on their customers. I do what I can to be easy going with flight attendants. Unlike train attendants today's flight attendant seems to be a poorly paid and largely thankless job. That being said when they start making up rules about when and where you're allowed to use your camera or when you're allowed to get up or which electronics you're allowed to use or when you're allowed to visit the restroom it gets rather annoying. I used to assume that's just how it was everywhere, but flying other airlines has shown me that not every airline feels the need to be aloof and condescending.
 
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The best airline I ever flew was El Al.
Agreed but the FAs were a little to authoritative IMO! They have Really Good Security too unlike our Security Theater by the TSA Minions!

And am I the only one who's flown on Alaska Airlines, my # 1 Domestic Choice??
I've flown Alaska before. I was not enamored by them as in my opinion (and I fly a lot) their mishandling of an issue caused a delay that resulted in missing a connection to Europe, an extended stay in Seattle (though I like Seattle very much I did not want that two day extended stay) and an arrival three days late. However, Alaska did give us a voucher so we'll try them again when we go to Seattle for Labor Day.
 
I've haven't flown as much as some of you, but here are some quick reviews of the airlines I've flown...

Air Asia - Like Ryanair but in Asia

Somewhere in that mix is the perfect airline. For instance, some of the best service I've received on Japan Airlines was from Thai nationals. Even though Thair Airways itself struggles to maintain top tier service standards. Middle Eastern airlines have some of the best amenities and newest aircraft but treat their employees terribly. US Airlines have developed some of the worst service standards but also created some of the best loyalty programs while also working under some of the most stringent safety regulations. If you could combine the best virtues of several different cultures you could some up with something truly groundbreaking. Or we could just do what Europe did and start focusing on better passenger trains while the regional airline market eventually devolved into a dozen variations of Ryanair.
I've flown Air Asia and Wizz Air and didn't have any issue with how they operated nor was charged any extra fees but I went with low expectations, packed very lightly and made sure I was near the front of the line at the cattle call. Then again the LCCT at Kuala Lumpur International Airport was hands down the worst airport terminal I've ever flown out of.
 
Canadian Pacific Airlines

They emulated the fine service offered in the dining car on the Canadian and on the transatlantic Empress liners also operated by the same company.

The upper deck first class lounge on their ‘747s was outfitted to resemble an old style railroad parlour car.

After a couple of mergers……they are now part of Air Canada. Although AC’s Business Class product is great……economy will get you a coke and pretzels! But Customer Service for both business and economy is still excellant!

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I agree about CP! The single best FC Flights I ever had were on CP Air between San Francisco and Vancouver which was a Regular Route for me when my late wife lived in Vancouver!

And tp49, hopefully Alaska Airlines just had one of those flustercluck days when things went haywire in Seattle!All of my flights have been great with them (I'm a million mile flyer from the Olden Golden Days of Travel) and most folks I know here in Austin really enjoy the Seattle and Alaska flights whether in FC or Coach!
 
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Canadian Pacific will always be in my memory as the host of my first flight in a B747....The flight was just from Montreal to Toronto (it continued on to Vancouver). I booked seat 1-A in First Class, with the mistaken hope that with the curvature of the fuselage, I could get a slice of a forward view, by pressing my face against the first window.

That was in around 1970 or so, when the Jumbo first went into service, and that was the shortest and cheapest F Class I could find at the time... :)
 
CP or Canadian at the end was an excellent airline. They forced AC to keep up, and it was no coincidence that AC became a less attractive airline after CP went under. The CP-AA alliance was just too little, too late for CP.
 
I don't know if anyone will start a company like CP Air again and set themselves above the current airline standard in North America which is pretty darn low when it comes to service and comfort.
 
For the people willing to pay, there's NetJets and XOJet and FlexJet and Flight Options and etc.
 
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