Preferred Airline?

My most favorite airline is Southwest. There's at least a dozen flight from Chicago's Midway airport to Orlando each day, and about half of them are direct flights. I get to choose where I sit, and I can always maneuver so that I'm not sitting near kids or in front of them (the seat-kicking syndrome).

And they still do not charge for checked luggage.

Zz.

If you get to board in the first group, you almost have the entire plane to choose from. They do "pre-board" families between the first boarding group and the 2nd boarding group, so there's a risk that a child could sit behind you. But I always try to sit towards the back anyway, and most families tend to not go that far back. So I'm typically safe from seat-kicking or infant crying.

Yes. The Southwest Rapid Rewards program. They give you points for your flight, not miles. So you could fly a short distance and still get the same points.

I would like to fly JetBlue some time, but they still do not have a direct flight yet between Chicago and Orlando. Besides, they fly out of O'Hare, which is notorious for backup and delayed flights due to the heavy traffic. Midway is less hectic.

Zz.

For me, I would have to give a slight nod to Jet Blue over Southwest but those are the two that stand out head and shoulders above all the others,
Jet blue has the built in TV sets that help pass the time away during the flight and I really prefer the assigned seating over Southwest. On the times that we have flown with Southwest I have seen too often the "I want to be first" mentality where they actually sit on the floor in front of the boarding gate. Do they really think that they will run out of seats and have to be strapped to the wings .Jet Blue flies out of Logan airport, so they are about a 30 mile further drive that Southwest's Manchester NH terminal but worth it. And Jet Blue has better coffee (Dunkin Donuts) for those early morning flights.

What IS that?! And WHY do I suffer from it, too? It happens at Disney World as well, if you'll notice--normal people suddenly becoming rude and have to "protect their stake" of pretty much useless things (like the front of a line at a 3D movie--you're all going to pretty much have the same view, and being in front just means you have to move all the way to the end of the row!).

The psychology of this is amazing--and, like I said, contagious, because I find myself doing it too, half the time

(soapbox over--and I'm a Jetblue Girl!)

I am not so sure if this occurs anymore with the new queuing system that SW has. It used to be they board the whole group, so someone standing in line early gets to get in first. Now, with not only the boarding group, but also the "monoliths" marking the various numbers on the boarding tickets, not many people stand in line anymore unless there isn't enough seats available at the gate. That's certainly the case whenever I've flown between Chicago and Orlando. We normally wait until either the arriving plane is unloading people, or when they start calling for pre-boarding. There isn't any need anymore to rush to stand in line.

As for assigned seats, I think they did a survey of their customers a while back, and the majority of their frequent flyers do not want assigned seats. I certainly prefer not to have assigned seats and given the freedom to choose my seats when I get on. But then gain, I'm usually in the first or, at worse, the 2nd boarding group, and I very seldom get bad seats. So most of us frequent SW customers prefer not to have assigned seats.

Zz.

I happened to stop flying southwest right around the time the new system came in. Southwest is a very well run airline, but unfortunately out of Dallas they still have no direct flights to Orlando, so they're not feasible for that flight. Plus I'm always trying to get my Frequent Flyer status on AA so I tend to fly them.

The TV sets on Jet Blue however are hard to top.

Southwest - mostly because you don't have to pay extra for two checked bags and I need a LOT of stuff when I go to Disney!

I flew Jet Blue once and I loved it, but it isn't in my area.

US Air is by FAR my least favorite...both times I flew that airline, my bags got lost and I had to wait two-three days before getting them back...

was that on the way there or the way back? i'd be less angry if they messed up on the way back.

I don't know if It's where I live (Indianapolis) but whenever I go to book a Disney world flight AirTran is ALWAYS at least 200 bucks cheaper than anyone else. We usually pay about 400 bucks to fly to Orlando, all other airlines quote us between 550 to 800 bucks for the same flight times.

We are now looking for a flight to LAX (Disneyland trip 1) and things seem a little more competitive, however Airtran is still the cheapest option.

AirTran is generally one of the cheaper airlines around. Most people I've talked to have said there's a reason for that. Have you been satisfied with their service and on-time record marzyar?

I love Jetblue. I'll even pay a little more for them if needs be so I can get the TV to watch. It really helps pass the time. Plus their seats are roomier and more comfortable than other airlines. And they have better snacks.

Of the non-discount airlines, I love Continental. That is usually my
2nd choice behind Jetblue. I've always gotten good customer service
from them, and their flight times work really well for me.

I have not been able to try Southwest or Virgin (since they don't fly out of Vermont), though I've heard good things about both. However, I've also heard Southwest's boarding process described as a "cattlecar". Don't think I'd like that.

AirTran annoys me no end because every time I look at their flights, they want me to change planes twice--essentially traveling through 4 airports! I did that once, on my first trip to Vegas, and it was the longest day of my life. No way in heck am I doing that again. The more times you have to change planes, the greater the risk you'll miss one of them.

Of the big airlines, Continental is by far the best run in my opinion. I fly American all the time because I fly out of DFW and because I have status with them, but sometimes when I visit Houston I use Continental and I've always had good experiences. Plus I chat with a lot of the frequent flyer crazies and they are all very pro-Continental as well.

AirTran is generally one of the cheaper airlines around. Most people I've talked to have said there's a reason for that. Have you been satisfied with their service and on-time record marzyar?