Post: #126

(07-29-2018 11:27 PM)Mentavious Wrote:  

(07-28-2018 11:39 PM)Crash_Bandicoot Wrote:  

(07-28-2018 11:08 PM)Mentavious Wrote:  

(07-28-2018 09:19 PM)Crash_Bandicoot Wrote:  I don't really understand why so many people complain about leg space, service, etc. on airlines.

Big deal, we have limited leg space for a few hours. I could care less if the food is shitty - it's something to eat. I'm okay with sub-par service and comfortability for a few hours

I find it ironic how we are literally flying thousands of feet in the air, at rapid speeds - an idea that was not even existent a few hundred years ago when humans only could travel by foot/train - and yet people have the guts to complain about things like spotty wi-fi, subpar food, and not enough leg space

I don’t understand this comment at all

You must be short
You must not fly a lot
Is this how you live your life? Not caring about customer service and quality of food?

Flying is suppose to be a pleasant experience. Every year US legacy airlines are finding ways to nickel and dime us, cram more seats into an airplane, and generally not care about how they treat a paying customer.

1) I'm more than 6 feet. Heck, I'm probably taller than you.
2) I fly more than you
3) I live my life in style, but I don't complain like a faggot like you do. If you can't stand one shitty meal in your life, you must be a complete snob
4) "Flying is supposed to be a pleasant experience?". Are you some European? Some French/Dutch snob?

I've noticed that Europeans always want high quality without judging the amount of work or cost/revenue breakdown that went into high inventions like flying. Especially the French and the Western European. You guys have no fucking idea how taxes work in the USA and the volatility of oil prices, especially when it comes to imports/exports, FX volatility, and so on. You are are great at complaining, but when it comes to real logic and math, you guys love sitting on the bench and drinking your tea. Trust me, I know, I lived in the EU for many years.

I personally have experience in the financials of the flying industry and I laugh when I read about posts like yours (I'm American). I would love for you to break down for me what you have about flying specifically. Be real specific. I will respond with specifics too. The problem is that all you travelers think you have all your shit figured out when you really don't know anything about oil costs, flight costs, etc.

Your original post was a complaint to begin with. It’s like calling a person a faggot while they themselves are a faggot as well.

You claim to fly more than I do but you’re okay with the decreasing standards in the airline industry? We can talk about business and numbers all day but as a consumer I want the product to not get worse year after year. This has to do specifically with US legacy carriers.

I definitely did go on a rant there haha - didn't mean to sound arrogant, my bad

What I'm ultimately trying to say is that for US airlines, there are an enormous amount of regulations, high taxes, and competition from low-cost airlines.

Many airlines companies are already running on very low profit margins (and some even negative) because of those factors, so they tend to shove in as many people as possible on a plane nowadays. The true revenue generators are the business class passengers.

When US carriers have to compete with the international carriers, such as the Chinese, Malaysian and Latin American airlines, who have incredibly low prices because they don't give a fuck about service (and also have less regulations to deal with), they have to figure out ways to cut costs and make revenue. It's ultimately a business.

I would love to be able to stretch my legs on an airplane. Don't get me wrong. Back in the day there weren't as many low-cost budget airlines to compete with and that's why airlines were able to offer more leg space and other amenities. So there are economic reasons why leg space has gone down.

I don't expect things to get better, especially with the number of international and budget airlines increasing and the number of options consumers have. Oh yeah, and not to mention, all the people who try gaming the system with airlines miles, credit card scams, etc. also add stress to airlines

Post: #127

Singapore Airlines for the win. Curious to see if there are any haters. Second place goes to A380s with 2 seat economy on the upper deck window seats and big storage bins. Certain rows give 2 bins.

Avianca customer service sucks. Asiania is a flying pizza oven. BA business class doesn’t impress much. I’m always in a geopolitical war with a Slav of my same large build for the armrest on Aeroflot. Never fails.

Will be testing a few others in this next year. Premium economy Singapore and American to/from Asia. Norwegian, LOT and WOW economy.

Post: #128

I don't really have any that I love or hate. It really just depends on who is sitting next to me and if I happen to get a whole row to myself, that's a huge bonus.

The only airline I won't fly is Ryan Air. I don't care how cheap it is, I'm not dealing with their bullshit and I refuse to deal with their bullshit. Knowing me, I would probably screw something up and just end up paying more money for that flight with fees than I would if I had just booked with another airline.

Post: #129

Qatar and Emirates are both fantastic even if flying economy.
Qatar Q-Suite is the best business class product I've ever experienced by a long shot. Was disappointed with short haul Singapore Airlines biz - no lie flat beds.

Had a shit experience with Cathay Pacific business where they wouldn't let me choose my seat, then they put me right next to the front bathroom for a 12hr flight. Had the smell waft over when the door opened + and noise of it slamming shut constantly, so didn't get much sleep. Claimed they were meant to have informed me of this at checkin, which of course didn't happen. Food was average compared to Qatar.

For budget EU carriers easyjet has been fine for me.
Will second that wizzair priority is a bit shit and you essentially just stand in a bus for longer.
S7 forgot to heat my meal on the way to Moscow and the flight attendant didn't seem to care

Dniproavia was hilarious, 1-2 seat config from SOF -> KBP. Cabin ceiling was so low that the Ukranian flight attendant (in heels of course) couldn't stand up straight... neither could I. The whole plane full of slavs burst into applause on landing (noticed this seems to be a thing when landing in FSU). Probably my most enjoyable and memorable flight, the entire experience was quite out of the ordinary!

Post: #130

Just flew VivaAerobus to Mexico from the USA. Everyone was pretty nice and the planes were decent and seemed safe for a low cost carrier. They have a lot of confusing regulations though. If you book viva basic for a few dollars more you get to skip the line and check a bag. They charge for anything you carry on over 7 kilos regardless of the class ticket you book.

Post: #131

(07-30-2018 12:42 AM)HustleNomad Wrote:  The whole plane full of slavs burst into applause on landing (noticed this seems to be a thing when landing in FSU).

It happens quite often on South American flights as well.

Post: #132

I've traveled a lot. The worst has to be Red Wings (a Russian budget airline). Worse than Air Bolivia, Cubana, Lot and various otehr budget latin american and eastern european airlines.

Post: #133

When did Frontier become a shit airline? I flew on them a couple times when I was on a job from 2008 to 2011. They were nice.

Now they are nickel and diming everything. They charge for a carry-on bag. It was almost impossible to make a change.

Post: #134

(07-31-2018 11:03 PM)puckerman Wrote:  When did Frontier become a shit airline? I flew on them a couple times when I was on a job from 2008 to 2011. They were nice.

Now they are nickel and diming everything. They charge for a carry-on bag. It was almost impossible to make a change.

They have adopted the Spirit Airlines / budget airline / entice you with the initial sweet deal but nickel & dime you on every little amenity business model.

Post: #135

I hate American but I'm fine with Delta.

Post: #136

(07-31-2018 11:07 PM)jordypip23 Wrote:  

(07-31-2018 11:03 PM)puckerman Wrote:  When did Frontier become a shit airline? I flew on them a couple times when I was on a job from 2008 to 2011. They were nice.

Now they are nickel and diming everything. They charge for a carry-on bag. It was almost impossible to make a change.

They have adopted the Spirit Airlines / budget airline / entice you with the initial sweet deal but nickel & dime you on every little amenity business model.

Pretty much all the airlines in the U.S. try to nickel and dime you. Charges from baggage fees to in-flight meals and wi-fi.

Post: #137

For long hauls to Asia: Singapore Air. Quality all around, from the seats to the food to the pretty attendants. The one complaint I have about Singapore is that they don't offer a one-stop option from flying from Los Angeles to Bangkok (which is my route). They route me to Tokyo or Seoul, but instead of going straight to Bangkok, they always go to Changi first and give me a multiple hour layover. But if there's one airport in the world where long layovers are actually enjoyable it's at Changi.

For long hauls to Europe. Lufthansa. Similar to Singapore for quality, but they offer direct flights from Europe to LA.

Close runner up: Bangkok Airways. This is my Thai bias showing, but BKK Airways has always been a great experience.

I used to like Virgin Air for domestic US flights, but haven't flown with them since their merger with Alaska.

Worst: American Airlines. Complete shit and I avoid like the plague. United is a close second.

Post: #138

Singapore Air and Thai Air are both awesome, Thai Air has better service in flight but Singapore Air has the added bonus of doing layovers in Changi which is awesome(especially if you like Scotch).

Not a fan of Emirates Air or Air India. Or basically any American airline but that goes without saying.

Post: #139

(08-05-2018 07:32 PM)Dodgy Wrote:  Worst: American Airlines. Complete shit and I avoid like the plague.

Quote:Some Airlines Love Your Luggage More Than Others

Historically speaking, regional carriers SkyWest, ExpressJet, and Envoy Air are the worst offenders. Among the bigger players, Delta has mishandled the least amount of luggage since 2012, followed closely by Spirit, JetBlue, and United. If you’re flying American, resist that gate-check tag; of all the major airlines analyzed, this one gets the lowest marks.

https://www.budgettravel.com/article/lost-luggage

Post: #140

I liked cheap airlines... The I watched several mayday episodes where cheap airlines often skimp on maintenance because they don't generate enough from their cheap tickets... So now I prefer airlines that are in the middle of the spectrum.

Post: #141

(07-28-2018 09:05 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

(07-28-2018 07:38 AM)Mikestar Wrote:  Jetblue: For a budget American airline I expected much worse, instead everything was great for the price. Legroom is good and so is service but the stewardesses were so fat they bumped into my shoulder every time.

That is a growing pet peeve of mine on U.S. airlines. I always sit on an aisle seat because I like to get up and stretch. All these oversize stewardesses with wide hips smash into everyone as they walk down the aisle. It is absolutely absurd that airlines hire people with this body type to walk down narrow aisles. The U.S. has become a PC cesspool devoid of common sense.

What's even worse is when the flight gets bumpy, they smash into you.

Post: #142

I agree about United- they’re awful. Aside from coffee or a coke, nothing is free, and there isn’t anything particularly special about their service or reliability (in fact, if I had to guess I would say it’s probably slightly worse than average). They are like a discount, no-frills carrier but without the no-frills price. They also have been in the news recently for treating their customers and their pets horribly as I’m sure we all know.

I have recently made several trips to Mexico City, and knowing that I would be flying fairly regularly I invested in a travel credit card, a United Visa. I put all of my purchases on it, and was making about 4 trips a year (and one or two to other destinations) yet the miles took forever to accrue. I was nowhere near a free trip (which would have been blacked out on most desirable dates anyway). At one point I exchanged 10,000 Miles for TSA Pre-Check (which is just a slightly faster line and you don’t have to take off your belt or something- no big deal really), and on my last trip they wouldn’t even honor it, pulling me off of the pre-check line for regular security for some reason (and it wasn’t due to crowds since the regular line was more crowded than the pre-check). When I called to complain they more or less told me to fuck off (one operator even said there was no record of my ore-check purchase, essentially accusing me of making it up).

The only advantage I received from that card and the $95 annual fee were a few free passes to their stupid lounge (which is nicer than the terminal, but barely). Meanwhile, on my last trip I flew Aeromexico- they were polite, on time, and they gave out free food (not a gourmet meal, but croissant, cheese, preserves, a drink, and desert), in addition to coffee and drinks.

Aside from that, the only ‘discount’ airline I’ve flown has been Fronteir, which really was no frills. There were no employees behind the counter at the airport (this was in San Francisco in the middle of the day), no food, and they rejected my carry on in order to get the $25 or $50 checked bag fee, which they got but then lost a customer forever. That’s the problem with the discount airlines- you think you are saving money but in the end they nail you with fees. I have heard good things about JetBlue but haven’t flown them yet.

Post: #143

Cant stand easyjet.

Post: #144

Singapore, Emirates and Qatar are instant winners. Great service and discipline. Some absolute stunners on there as well.

All the American airlines and BA are awful. Poor service by old, overweight, miserable cunts who look at you as if I asked for a blowjob.

Post: #145

(07-30-2018 12:24 AM)Crash_Bandicoot Wrote:  So there are economic reasons why leg space has gone down.

Less value and yet I'm paying more for the major airlines? Fuck economic reasons of charging me more and then reducing my benefits, BA is notorious for that crap which is why my favoured airline is Emirates in J at a minimum although I will fly SAS within Europe for my *A benefits.

Post: #146

The problem with the airline industry in the US is that they perfected the art of charging by demand. It’s hard to get real cheap tickets because they jack up the prices in real time when they can.

In Europe it’s not so sophisticated. Prices do not shoot up from €30 to €300 but stay within a nice range. Once you’ve flown with Wizz and Ryanair a few times, you know the drill in terms of extra fees, which are easily avoided.

Plus, most staff on American Airlines (no AA but all of them) seem fucking cynical and I do not know why. They seem like flying zombies and do not respond favorably to my amazing looks and winning smile.

Post: #147

I don't hate or like any specific airline.

I just love kiwi.com and that's basically all. Without this website, I would, most of the time, not find what I am looking for.

(Don't want to sound like I am doing advertising though - but as I am location independent, working 100% online, I would really be fucked if this kind of website did not exist. Use them to find the best prices but don't book with them, book directly within the airline websites)

Post: #148

kiwi.com is indeed has a decent UX.
Another useful site to check flight routes globally is https://www.flightconnections.com

Post: #149

Shout out for Qatar and Singapore Airlines. New planes and decent food/drink menus. Etihad were also OK but the lay over in the Abu Dhabi airport is a bit underwhelming and they stung me with extra baggage fees.

Delta airlines flying internationally was great New York - Newcastle(UK). Super quiet flight and most of the cabin seemed to have their own row of 3 to stretch out in.

Worst hands down is BA. Fucking expensive compared with other carriers for no foreseeable advantage (only booked cause of avios). Flights are always booked at capacity and most of their planes are all old as fuck.

Post: #150

I flew on Volaris for the first time recently. It was fine. We arrived quite early. It helped that it was Wednesday.