(Update) Flying the (Friendly?) Skies

A few months ago, I posted a couple of blogs ‘The NEW Southwest Airlines Debacle” and “DELTA Ain’t Ready When You Are”. Since those postings, I have flown about every week and many things have changed; most for the best but……………….

Southwest was in the news recently for improperly maintaining their planes, although the issue centered on a tiny area of the aircraft. For local New Hampshire residents, Southwest is still the best value to most locations but shopping around and depending on itinerary, it is often less expensive to take the trek into Logan.

My opinion of Southwest has changed a bit and is more positive. The new seating policy is still a debacle with people cutting in line, standing in the wrong spot, etc. After all, who is going to look at their number and ask fellow passengers and force their way into the line? Well, some people do, but overall if you play it smart, get online 24 hours before your flight and check in, you can be assured of not winding up in a middle seat.

Here is a hint for getting on the plane first at Southwest. If you pay an extra $20 and book “Business Select” you are assured to be one of the first 10 or 15 on the plane; it is well worth the 20 bucks to do so. The flight attendants on Southwest can still get corny, the seats are still cramped together but it is hard to beat the price and most flights are on time….at least recently.

So what has changed with DELTA? Not much and they are on my short list of airlines to avoid. News this week backed up my suspicions that the planes were probably not well maintained as Delta and American cancelled flights in a CYA maintenance move, crippling travel and inconveniencing thousands of passengers.

Northwest (aka Northworst) has the oldest fleet of planes with over 100 DC-9’s that are 35 years old. I am amazed that they are still flying these planes. American Airlines flies the very old MD-80 series and have over 300 of them in service that are up to 25 years old. All of this makes one wonder just how safe we really are when we fly. The only positive for New Hampshire residents is that Delta hosts many flights out of Manchester.

What about US Air? US Air provides a mixed bag of service. My experience has been that they have many delays and the planes just do not seem that well maintained. If you climb aboard a 737-300 with US Air you will often find cloth seats, which in my estimation, means that the plane has many hours of flight under its belt. Chances are that plane is at least 10 and possibly up to 20 years old.

I have found Continental to be an acceptable alternative when traveling from Boston. The planes are generally cleaner and seem to be better maintained. The same can be said for United but you have to be careful when booking as the online travel services often book you on a “Sky Team” flight. You might get a US Airlines flight, thinking that you are going to be flying United.

Many of the code share partners flying under the major carrier banners are really better than their big brothers. For instance; Mesa Airlines, Freedom Airlines and Chautaqua Airlines are very clean, efficient and professional. Yes, they are very regional and are generally short flight carriers but their performance often crests that of the mainline companies.

What are the best airlines to fly? I am sure that everyone has their favorite but for easy and fast online booking, Jet Blue fits the bill as one of the best experience in flying. The planes are new, each seat has a TV and generally they are on time. No corny songs and poems; just solid service. Yes, they have had three incidents in the last three years, including the now infamous flight that sat on a runway for several hours...but....overall they have been excellent in my experience.

Skybus out of Columbus is an emerging airline with newer planes and some unbelievable rates; if your travel is planned in advance and if you are flexible. For New Hampshire residents, Airbus flies out of Portsmouth at Pease. The drawback is that the flights go through Columbus, so unless that is your destination, there are no non-stop flights from New Hampshire.

Air Tran is not a bad airline if you fly from Boston to a limited number of locations, many in the South. A bargain carrier similar to Southwest, the planes are relatively new and in good shape. Their sister airline, Frontier is also quite good BUT they fly into New York. Midwest travels to limited locations and is truly a smooth operation from Boston.

Just some of my thoughts on flying. I am sure there is a lot of agreement and some disagreement on the best airlines to fly. IN the end, it is only a way to get there. One thing for sure though; if you can help it, DON’T fly unless you have to.