In flight experience: Virgin Atlantic

I do not know how United Airlines manages to make their seats so
hideously uncomfortable, but they are indeed masters of making even
simple things complex and horrid.

It was therefore a nice change to have an economy seat that was at
least comfortable on my bum. While I am never happy to fly economy,
the in-flight experience on Virgin Atlantic was a big change.

The seat bottoms were more comfortable and they have about one more
inch of pitch than United. The in-flight entertainment is a larger
screen than I expected and all of the movies, games, audio and TV were
free. The headphones were even slightly better (though still cheapies)
than what you would receive on other airlines. The audio quality was
good and clear. My only major problem was my system freaked out and
went to a command line and would not reboot. I rang for an attendant
and she immediately reset my system. The game / remote controller was
a bit touchy and took a bit to get use to. I could see some non-techie
travelers getting frustrated with it.

The amenities during the flight were very nice. Food was of decent
quality and alcoholic drinks are free on all international flights. A
kit was handed out that provided you with a eye mask and socks.

An upgrade to Premium Economy is really much closer to being in
Business class. The seats are bigger and wider - it isn't just about a
few extra inches of legroom on this airline. Beverages, including
sparkling wine are served before take-off. The food is a bit better

and the amenity kit includes earplugs. I was seated in a bulkhead

 and the flight attendant brought us footrests after take-off.

Finally, the Virgin staff are lovely people. Very helpful, very
friendly. They seem to like their jobs, enjoy working with people and
want to help make your flight pleasant. In a time where most airlines
seem staffed with bitter, jaded individuals, this attitude was a
welcome change.

Virgin Atlantic: You can do better with your systems

I have frequently discussed how much I love Virgin America and how
much I loathe United Airlines even though I am a Premier Executive
flyer with them. On a recent trip to London I decided to fly Virgin
Atlantic. One month before I had flown United to London and as usual,
it was horrid. Their seats are super uncomfortable and despite having
status I was trapped in horrible coach seats both directions.
Appalling.

In another post I discuss the in-flight experience with Virgin
Atlantic. This post is about their systems. Compared to the ease of
use of the America line, Virgin Atlantic has a way to go. Check-in
online is not intuitive. When asked about your checked luggage, it
shows you a graph of your allowed bags and then asks you how many
EXTRA bags you need. Once you decipher this, you check-in but cannot
pick your seat until after you have checked in.

I changed my seat after check-in and received a confirmation saying if
I had changed my seat, it would not be reflected in this confirmation
message. Really? How incredibly backwards.

Next issue: upgrades. They are available but not through online
check-in nor at the check-in kiosk at the airport. When I inquired at
the bag drop counter (which had a very long line at both airports) I
was able to upgrade to Premium Economy. The agent there assigned my
seat then directed me to ANOTHER line to actually make the payment and
get my boarding pass.

And this is why I was knocking people over as I hurried to my gate in
Heathrow, despite getting there early.

I expected better from Virgin Atlantic given how smooth systems are
for Virgin America.

Mobile Boarding Pass: United

I have something nice to say about United Airlines. I know, I know, a certain very hot location may have just frozen over.

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I gave the mobile boarding pass a try. I have a Blackberry Storm with a cracked screen - probably NOT the ideal candidate for such a thing. However, it all went well. At the SFO airport security line, I was mostly worried about losing my signal and not being able to pull up the barcode again. At the kiosk, I was asked to hold the phone to a scanner. First take - nothing happened. I tried again and I received a green light. Yeah!

At the gate I had a moment of panic when I lost cellular connectivity and couldn't re-open the saved web page. There may be a way to save the barcode page as a file on the phone - if not, maybe I should read the FAQ on United and learn what happens if I can't! Again at the gate the first scan didn't work so I zoomed in on the barcode and tried again - GREEN LIGHT! YEAH!

Overall, it was fairly easy to use. I'm trying it again on the way home.

Oh my gosh! I can't complain: US Airways

Please, please don't allow US Airways to merge with an airline as crappy as United or American. I flew USAir for the first time in ages and was HAPPY. That wasn't a sarcastic happy, that was happy HAPPY.

After Mexicana Airlines totally failed on our flights to Mazatlan, I booked tickeds with USAir out of Oakland International (OAK). Last minute tickets = same price as the early booking I had with Mexicana. OK, off to a good start USAir!

Checking in online: This was a bit slow, but I am willing to accept it might have been my Internet connection since I was having trouble with other sites. I switched to Safari (vs. Mozilla) and it was better but still not great. Their luggage fees pretty much suck ($23 for the first bag online or $25 at the airport) but that is comparable to most other airlines. They do hold back seats at the front of the plane so for a few extra bucks you can grab an aisle or window at check-in time.

At the airport: Oakland is so low-key compared to SFO, which is a good thing. We dropped off our luggage in no time and were able to get through security pretty fast. Of course, it was 5:00am, but you know...

The staff: In general, everyone was friendly! Shocking. I mean, how dare they like their jobs?? ;-)

On the plane: Leather(ette) seats which seemed to have a tad bit more legroom than most airlines. Food and drink are available for purchase with a credit / debit card. They had Stirrings brand drinks - yummy - which was a point in their favor. Our flights were all under two hours, so there was no entertainment but I was OK with this. I never plan on there being good (or working) entertainment on board. 

After landing: Smooth, no issues. No one was locked in the plane afterwards for hours (that we know of) and our luggage appeared in one piece with the obligatory TSA notice that it had been riffled through.

Thumbs up US Airways! My expectations may be pretty low these days, but you did well!

Mexicana Airlines: #Fail

I'm sitting here enjoying the smooth jazz sounds of Orbitz's on hold music. In all my years of using their online service, I've only had a problem with Orbitz once - and today is not that day.

No, my trouble is with Mexicana Air. I should have learned my lesson last year, but when I see cheap, efficient flights, I get all googly-eyed and buy them. Last year we had a trip to Cabo planned and a week before we left - all hell broke loose. "Swine flu" wrecked havoc on flights in and out of Mexico City and I spent hours and hours on the phone with Mexicana and Orbitz trying to find a solution. We ended up flying a red-eye out of SFO and enjoying an 8 hour layover in Guadalajara. The word "refund" was not in the vocabulary for Mexicana.

Once again, a week before our flight, I receive a lovely flight update: two layovers now, one with a six hour stop. Insane and wholly and completely unacceptable. Orbitz is working to get a refund for me. I'm sitting here thinking it will be a cold day in hell, but who knows? I might get lucky (for once) with this crappy airline.

So yes, I should have learned my lesson last year, but I assumed the swine flu was a once-in-a-lifetime weird timing thing and it would be OK this year. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

UPDATE: After over 100 minutes on the phone, Orbitz came through for me! The airline is processing the refund after Orbitz got a supervisor involved. Yeah Orbitz!

United Airlines Online Chat Session (FAIL)

The name of the traveler has been changed to protect the innocence, but this is an actual chat session from a friend of mine:

A United representative will be with you in a moment.
You have been connected to Amira H.
Amira H: Welcome to United.com Chat.
Amira H: How may I help you with your travel from Denver?
Customer: hi. i got this error when trying to change my seat
Customer: There was an error in processing your request. Please see the message below for instructions.
We are not able to reserve your seats at this time. Please try again later or reserve your seats at check-in.
Amira H: I am sorry for the trouble.
Amira H: May I have your confirmation number?
Customer: one sec - I have to see if I can find it
Customer: xxxxxx
Amira H: Sure.
Amira H: Could you verify the name of the passenger on the reservation?
Customer: Joe H. Smith
Amira H: Thank you.
Amira H: You will not be able change your seat, because it shows that you have already checked-in.
Customer: I am trying to change the seat for the return trip tomorrow morning. I've already taken today's flight
Customer: I have not checked in for tomorrow's flight
Amira H: Let me check.
Amira H: You will be assigned the seats at the airport.
Customer: that's not what I wanted to happen
Customer: and that's not what the error message said
Amira H: I am sorry for the trouble.
Customer: why is the system not letting me change tonight?
Amira H: You have already checked-in for that reason.
Customer: I did not check in yet. I have no boarding pass.
Amira H: It shows that on your reservation.
Customer: I can't control what your reservation shows. I can just tell you that I DID NOT check in for the SJC-DEN leg of my flight. I did check in for the DEN-SJC leg and printed out a boarding pass. If someone has checked in for the return flight, then your system has been compromised.
Amira H: I am sorry.
Amira H: The seats are under the airport control.
Customer: That is a different answer than you gave previously? Or is it somehow related? The flight isn't for another 20 hours? Is that typically how things work now?
Amira H: You will be assigned the seats at the airport, because the seats are under the airport control.
Customer: So, I am not currently checked in?
Amira H: You are currently checked-in for the flight UA 245.
Customer: That flight ended 4 hours ago.
Customer: as I mentioned
Customer: I am specifically enquiring about the SJC-DEN return trip. Tomorrow.
Amira H: I know but still it shows on your reservation.
Customer: You are driving me crazy. Can I have another agent?
Amira H: I am not driving you crazy.
Customer: How do you know?
Amira H: For your return flight seats will assigned to you at the airport.
Customer: You have said that 3 times. I understand. I'm asking why it is that I can't change seats now. You first told me that it was because I had already checked in for the flight. Then you said that it was because the flight was under airport control 20 hours before the flight.
Amira H: The seats are not available.
Customer: so, that's the 3rd answer you've given to this question.
Amira H: I gave you the information, you are not ready to listen.
Customer: You have not been helpful. Goodnight.

-----------
My favorite part?
Customer: You are driving me crazy. Can I have another agent?
Amira H: I am not driving you crazy.

You go get 'em United Customer Service - "Come fly the friendly skies" and all that. 

Regional and Global Airlines: Air China Fail

I know I rant about airlines often - so often I'm starting to feel like some sort of hater. I don't think it is too much to ask to be treated like a person and not a sardine being squeezed into a tin can and hurtled through the air for long distances. And some airlines really GET it and they get my business (Virgin, Continental, Delta - here's a big wink to you guys). As for the rest of you...

There are a couple of regional airlines I want to try: Singapore Airlines and Korean Air. I have heard rave reviews about them and I'm looking for an excuse to travel on them. I was also hoping to try Japan Airlines (JAL) but they recently filed for bankruptcy - not sure what their future holds but I hope they survive.

Now - about Air China. While in China on business, I traveled Air China from Beijing to Chengdu. Fortunately for me, on my first flight I was traveling with someone who spoke Mandarin. I arrived at the airport only to be told I didn't have a ticket. Excuse me? I had my American Express business travel schedule on my cell phone and had AMX travel on the phone in a heartbeat (who were unable to help me). Something about a missing eTicket number... finally after my co-worker chatted with them for a bit, I was provided a boarding pass and was able to get on the plane.

I swear the seats are even smaller on Air China than they are on US airlines. With less legroom (how is that even possible?). It was not a comfortable flight and the service was average, at best. No amenities on the plane I was traveling on either (no TV, radio, etc).

The mistake with my ticket - it could happen. Once is a mistake. However, on my way back I connected through Shanghai to SFO and I had the same problem. I was told I didn't have a ticket. I did have a ticket. After much arguing I was given a boarding pass which security seemed very suspicious of and examined in detail many times. At this point I just wanted to get to Shanghai and connect to my United flight (I was looking forward to flying United at this point, it was that bad) and get home to SFO.

Finally, I board the plane heading to Shanghai - airport code PVG. This is VERY important. Every piece of paper I had, every sign I saw, said we were headed to PVG airport. This is the airport with most international airlines and from where my United flight was departing. I landed in Shanghai and after searching for the United ticket counter, I asked information. They were completely puzzled why I was asking for United Airlines when I was in Shanghai airport - code SHA.

Talk about absolute panic at this point! I was traveling alone and had no idea what to do. I called American Express who helpfully told me United had no flights out of that airport (ever) and I had to get to PVG. I had two hours till my connecting flight took off and I started hauling ass. I had a hard time being understood at the taxi stand and only had a limited amount of cash on hand. Another gentleman at the taxi stand stepped in (thank goodness for the kindness of strangers) and told the driver what I needed. Luck was with me - Shanghai traffic was light on that Sunday afternoon. The taxi driver drove like a maniac and got me to the other airport in about 45 minutes. I gave him all my available cash which resulted in a healthy tip for him. At the time, I had Premiere status with United and was able through check-in and security and still have 15 minutes to chill in the Red Carpet Club.

Whew! Disaster avoided. However, I still have no explanation for why I ended up at the wrong airport. I went back and re-checked all my documents and everything said PVG - same flight number, same time, everything. No idea.

For the record, this spring there will be a connector subway will be completed between the two airports. Gee. Just in time for the 2010 World Expo. Could have really used that a year ago.

Lesson for you: avoid Air China. Period.

Happy Travels to your correct destination!

Travel stories from hell: Italy

The other day I was reminded of our adventures going to Italy back in 2004. I was trying to save money and booked plane tickets that had two layovers. Our flights were SFO -> JFK -> Paris De Galle -> Bologna, Italy.

STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!

Our flight from SFO took off two hours late due to a passenger having to be removed due to "illness" or something. Our nice layover at JFK (listed as one of my most hated airports, btw) was gone - we had to rush through changing terminals, moving from domestic to international and shove our way through security. There were a number of people on our SFO plane connecting to the same plane, so the plane was held. . . .which meant it was late taking off!

At last, we landed in Paris de Gaulle - this was not too long after a section of the roof collapsed in the airport. Things were chaotic and somehow along the way, we were able to get on our plane to Bologna without our passport being stamped to show we had landed in the European Union. We didn't realize it at the time but let me tell you - the guy in Italy noticed when we went to leave.

Finally, after 24 hours of travel, we land in Bologna in the middle of the afternoon in August. It was hot and humid. We got our car from Hertz and got all of about 5km out of the airport and had a flat tire. At this point, tempers are long gone and we are both hot, tired and pissed. My husband replaced the flat tire (thank goodness he is adept at these things) and we drove back to the airport. We arrived at the Hertz counter looking like something out of a bad sitcom. The guy at the counter took one look at us and without a word gave us a brand new (as in hardly any miles on it) car. Smart choice on his part.

The last part of the saga was the hotel. I had booked a room at a Best Western near the airport knowing we wouldn't want to drive the two hours into Tuscany after all that flying. We finally find the hotel (after several wrong turns) and ... it looked like a refugee camp. Rugs and clothing hanging out over the balconies. It was a horrible, horrible dump. We high-tailed it out of there and drove around till we found a Holiday Inn. It was clean, had kicking A/C and rooms available. 

With a start like this, you'd think the trip never got better - but it did. We had a great time in Tuscany and while I would never recommend traveling to Italy in August, we made the most of it. 

Happy Travels!

All about airlines: Aging planes are safe?

In two recent articles, a very different view was had of the airline industry. The first article on cnn.com states that many of the airlines in the US have aging planes was painted as an "ok" thing, because airlines are careful about maintenance schedules and following all safety and security measures.

Not a week later (I am not joking here) another report came out about the FAA fining US airlines due to them skipping routine maintenance and violating safety protocols.

In my day job, we have a saying that "perception is reality". If folks perceive you as a good worker, a smart marketeer, a great account executive - then you are. Doesn't matter what is reality. And the opposite is true - if there is a perception problem around you, you are doomed.

I've been on some nasty planes. United airlines has some of the foulest planes I've ever been on. Dirty, missing pieces, still with ashtrays in the armrests. Latches that don't work, old CRT TV's that have a green tinge to the display. Headset jacks that crackle and pop (if they work). When I fly an airline like Virgin, I see clean planes, new features, modern equipment. So what perception am I left for each airline? I am not a fan of United and there have been times I've looked around at the plane and wondered if the inside is that bad, what does the engine look like? When you add the bonus of surly staff,  perception really goes down the toilet. My perception with Virgin is that they must be in good shape because what I see is above average and pleasant and the staff are pleasant and even have a sense of humor sometimes (shocking). 

Perception is not fair. But, it does shape the reality the passengers believe and airlines need to wake up and realize having a dumpy plane interior effects how their passengers feel about their experience and the airline. And quit skimping on maintenance. I mean - really!

I (mostly) heart Virgin America

Even though I'm an Elevate member and we jumped on the VX bandwagon as SOON as they opened up shop in SFO, we haven't been on a Virgin America flight in almost a year. We have always had good luck with VX and even when things go wrong, they have been quick to fix it. And pleasant while they do it - versus snarky and bitchy like *some* airlines.

Things have changed a bit, and while I still love VX, they are now a couple of things I can complain about. Luggage (first bag) is $20 unless you are in First Class. An upgrade to first from main cabin was $60 a ticket for a flight from SFO to Las Vegas. I don't remember the upgrades being this much in the past - if memory serves, it was more like $30. However, if you factor in the free luggage check, that brings the first class upgrade to really about $40. Still not thrilling, in my opinion. We gave it go on the way out and the check-in system failed me. I upgraded, picked seats next to each other, then when I checked in I found we had been separated. Given their stellar customer service in the past, I figured I'd just call and sort it out.

Whoa - big fail coming!! I was given pleasant tone of voice, but a no-can-do attitude. No moving of seats, sorry, nothing can be done. O-K. Please put me back in main cabin again. Again: big fail. I was informed I would have to pay the difference in what I originally paid for the ticket and the ticket price currently. WHAT?? Are you SERIOUS??

Needless to say, this really pissed me off. So I decided I would deal with it at the airport. We get there early and when we finally wandered over to the gate, the plane was already boarding. Our tickets said boarding time of 11:40am, but at 11:35am they were already onto group C for boarding. Uh.....

We get on the plane and ask the two ladies sitting in 2C and 2D if one of them would like a window seat so my husband and I could sit together. Attitude. Major attitude (this is clearly not a VX problem). C'mon ladies! It is First Class! You have ass-loads of room no matter where you sit. Do you really need to cop so much attitude? I even asked NICELY. The lady in 2D grudgingly agreed to move and I thanked her sincerely - but for real? Was it that much hardship? I get it in economy and main cabin - if you want an aisle, you need an aisle. Window seats are cramped and don't get me started on middle seats. But in First Class does it really matter that much?

And now, I'm sitting here enjoying my free champagne and Chex Mix, with a nice footrest, a pillow and blanket. Free headphones and Wi-Fi access for $5.95 on this flight. Our flight staff have been pretty darn funny this morning and when the lead goofed up the announcements he just owned up to it and had a sense of humor.

So, Virgin use to be an A+ in my book and right now I'd put them at a B+. Check-in was still easy, staff are pleasant and have a sense of humor. The planes totally rock and are clean and NEW. But they are growing up and having to cope with the economy and have made changes (like baggage fees - grrrr) and changes in fares and upgrades. However, in a world where most airlines score, at best, a D+ in my book, they still stand out above other airlines!

Happy Travels!

All About Airlines: American Airlines

In a time long, long ago, in a world where airlines didn't suck as much as today, there was an airline called "TWA". TWA had a novel concept of "more legroom" and had select seats where you could get an extra couple of inches so your knees did not get crushed when the jackass in front of you ratcheted their seat all the way back. Even better, on coast-to-coast flights, they had a major hub in St. Louis where you pretty much stopped "on the way" instead of having to go north to Chicago or south to Dallas.

Then, TWA was purchased by American Airlines and the suckiness began. First they pretty much killed the "More Room" campaign within the first couple of years. And they phased out the St. Louis hub, causing you to have to suffer Dallas (DFW) or Chicago (ugh - snow, always it seems!). Gee! Thanks AA!

And now. . . $20 per bag for checked luggage - no freebies. No DirectTV on the plane, no real satellite radio. No extra legroom, no politeness, no kindness. Just all crappiness all the time. To be fair, their staff are getting better but when you are at rock bottom, you've got a long way to go. The exception is the one flight attendant on our way to Dallas who was pretty funny and seemed to love his job. Dude - I am happy for you and hope you find a company to work for who appreciates that.

Oh - they have Wi-Fi on the planes. This helped me write this blog lambasting them. Revenge is sweet.

All about Airlines: Part II - Hell Freezes Over: I can't complain (much) about Continental Airlines!

I haven't flown Continental in many years, and even then it was one of those "must I??" situations. However, they provide direct flights from SFO to Cleveland and on a recent trip to Columbus, this was much better than flying American with a 3-hour layover in Dallas. Even driving from Cleveland to C-bus, our travel time was shorter.

Check-in online was straight forward. No upgrades were available and the flight was packed, but overall no real issues. Baggage drop-off in SFO was fast (as in hardly any line - yeah!) but here comes my one major complaint: $18-20 a bag. No free checked bags. It seems it is $18 online if you pay before you get to the airport, $20 at the airport. This of course leads to all those people trying to stuff their wheelies into the overhead bins on the airplane so be warned - you'd better be able to get your stuff under the seat in front of you, be part of the elite first boarding groups or able to take down other people who are trying to steal your overhead space.

Flight attendants were pleasant and the staff we encountered were overall NOT surly. Shocking, isn't it? The planes were pretty clean (unlike SOME airlines - I'm talking about you United!) and one of our planes had DirectTV at each seat. Seats are average - nothing special there.

Here is the kicker: food. On our 4-5 hour flights, we were given real food. For free. I'm not making this stuff up, I swear. Breakfast was cereal and raisins and a muffin, lunch was a turkey hotdog in a croissant (gobble-gobble in a blanket?) with some salad and a Kit-Kat (which I ate first). I know this sounds lame, but I forgot food and was starving and that turkey hotdog was totally awesome at that moment.

Congrats to Continental Airlines for exceeding my (low) expectations for an airline!!

CNN: All about Airline Fees

This is such a great chart that I just had to share it! Fees, fees and more fees. And since this published, I believe a few have gone up. Quality customer service folks - this is what it is all about (that was sarcasm if you didn't recognize it).

Traveling with Pets

Recently we started planning a long trip to visit family and we want to take our Shiba Inu with us. He's too big for cabin travel (27 pounds) and most certainly will not fit under the seat. Folks with a dog under 20 pounds have some GREAT options. Petfinder.com did a fantastic job summarizing these and the top 5 pet friendly airlines for the 2009 year.

I called Continental since fuzzbutt isn't going to fit under any seat, any where. They have a 24 hour desk and the lady I spoke with told me the pets are in cargo, but in an area separate from the luggage. This area has the same temperature and air-pressure as the main passenger cabin. It is kept dark, but no one is down there with the pets during travel. Pet are loaded last onto the plane and taken off first by dedicated staff (not the regular luggage handlers). In talking to friends, I joked that I might almost prefer to travel in the "pet cabin" versus the main cabin (dark and quiet)!

Rates aren't cheap - but we are booking our fuzzbutt and will see how it goes. Stay tuned!

For those who live in some key cities (Chicago, NYC, DC, etc), check out Pet Airways. They ONLY fly pets and seem to have a first class service. Be warned though: they do not land in most of the major airports in those areas. For example, in LA they do not fly in/out of LAX but rather "Hawthorne". No idea. . .

All About Airlines - Part I

AirTran:

Budget airline. Need I say more? Ok then – I will! My flights were re-scheduled at least half a dozen times in the weeks before my actual vacation. I originally choose AirTran because on a flight from SFO to MCO, they connected through Atlanta, resulting in shorter travel time. By the time it was all down, I was connecting through Milwaukee, my travel time had increased by hours, and I was arriving in MCO much later than I had planned.

They charge for any checked bags. Unless you upgrade to business class. Which brings me to my next rant: I paid for a business class upgrade and when I arrived at the airport, I was told my seat was “broken”. It didn’t have a life vest (which is so clearly needed on a flight across LAND) but OK – I don’t know the FAA regulations. What was I provided instead? A bulkhead seat in coach – not too bad. Except it wasn’t a bulkhead seat. It was a seat right behind a business class seat which could still recline. However, I was not able to put up my armrest. I suppose that make it a “bulkhead”?

My final nits here: no headsets (they were out of stock), no TV, seats are average (at best) and no food or drinks available for purchase. If you upgrade, you get free booze and extra potato chips. That’s it.

What do they do right? Their staff are super nice. I really hate trashing them because they have such nice staff. And their unaccompanied minor fees are lower than most airlines. They do have in-flight wi-fi access that works pretty well.

Virgin America:

I totally heart Virgin America. Nice planes, nice staff, free games, some free TV and movies, headsets. The seats are decent with probably average legroom. The fact that I can order cocktails and food on the screen in front of me and swipe me credit card makes me very, very happy. Flights are cheap, upgrades are available (and reasonable) and your first check bag is free. The staff are friendly and when there have been challenges, they have responded well and handled things in a professional and courteous manner. Their unaccompanied minors fees are high ($75 per child, per direction) but they really go out of their way to help make this a good experience for the kids and the grown-ups.

And they fly to Vegas. Mmm. . . Vegas.

Oooohh. . .they just added a main cabin “select” class with more legroom and free drinks and beverages and dedicated overhead space. Now I’m even more in love!

JetBlue:

What happened to this airline? They use to have cheap, direct flights to great places and from coast-to-coast. DirectTV in the flights, decent seats (leather or pleather, not icky cloth seats that are stinky) and nice staff. Now I can never find direct flights and their prices are 2-3 times more than other airlines.Totally sux!

United:

I absolutely hate United. Unfortunately for me, they fly where I travel with the fewest stops and shortest travel time. When traveling coast-to-coast, they often connect through Denver which reduces the travel time. They also have good flights to Asia from the West Coast and they have OK flights to Europe. Their prices are usually comparable to other crappy airlines and they have lots of flights going. However, they crush all that with horrible planes (old, outdated CRT tube TVs? Really?) audio ports rarely ever work, seats are horrid, staff are surly (on a good day) and customer service is total shit. And let’s not forget the baggage fees for any checked luggage.

If you have status with the airline, much of this changes. Free upgrades to Economy Plus, first checked bag is free and their customer service starts to resemble something like customer service - but it is still not stellar by any stretch of the imagination.