Sierra Mike
12-04-2002, 09:55 PM
You know, it all depends on where you go...and who you go with.
NORTH AMERICA
American Airlines: I'll be honest, I never liked American all that much, but I had no alternative, since they bought out my #1 carrier of choice, TWA. (My reasons for flying TWA was that I could almost always expect to hop on a 747 flying international legs or a 767 for long-haul domestic...and I could upgrade to First Class for $100 each way at the ticket counter, space available.) However, since the changeover, I've racked up about 72,000 miles on my shiny new AAdvantage Card, so they must be doing something right.
But the big problem with American is their price structure; outside of United, they're the most expensive in the industry. 9/11 sure helped that a lot, though the effect was not immediate. In late September, I flew from JFK to LAX on American on an unrestricted coach ticket (which I instantly upgraded to biz class for $400, saving me about $300 off the published fare). Service was good and, surprise, surprise, the 757 I was on went wheels-up on schedule--a rarity when leaving any of the NYC airports. But now, an Economy class ticket (unrestricted; restricted tickets will not generate miles on American) costs $2,443.00. Now, that's steep. But even more egregious is the amount of a restricted, unchangeable, non-transferable fare: $1,290.11. Here's the published fares, according to www.aa.com, using 12/21/02-12/28/02 as the departure/arrival dates:
Coach, Restricted:
$1,290.11
Coach, Unrestricted:
$2,443.00
Business Class (not available on every flight):
$3,637.00
First Class (only worth it on a 767-200, -300, or ER):
$4,417.00
When I bought a Full-Fare Coach ticket--which I always did, so I can upgrade at a substantial cost, using either dollars or miles--I would pay on average around $298.00, as recently as March of this year. With an upgrade to Business Class using cash, total ticket price was just under $700.00--round-trip. American's service is actually very good, perhaps as good if not better than that of my beloved TWA (which still had the best first class cabins I can recall on a domestic carrier), but it sure as hell isn't worth the price increase they're sticking us with these days. However, here are some tricks for you to help defray the cost:
1) Get a AAdvantage Mastercard, offered by Citibank. You think I got those 72,000 miles from flying all the time? On American? Forget it! Get the damned card, and then do two things with it immediately:
2) Enter the AAdvantage Elite program. In order to qualify, you must fly 25,000 miles a year, from January 1 to December 31.
3) Buy Upgrades. Upgrades are available for about $55.00 each. The more you buy, the less you spend upgrading a ticket later; the upgrades are applied to the fare. And if you buy with the card, you get the miles AND the upgrades!
4) Join the Admiral's Club. Especially if you fly international, and have to report in around 3 hours ahead of time. It's a good place to relax, but the coffee sucks.
5) ALWAYS inquire about a fare upgrade to the next class of offered travel at the desk when checking in. American is pretty good about elevating you without charging you an arm and a leg, even now.
Northwest Airlines: I never paid Northwest any attention at all until I started blazing trails to Asia several times a year. American could take me as far as Japan, or to Hong Kong on a codeshare (Cathay Pacific, detailed later), but American's international prices have always been murder. I'm all for flying around the planet, but hey, I don't need to spend $8,000 to do it on a domestic carrier. But there are times when a domestic carrier is the only choice available, and for me, it's Northwest.
The gig with Northwest is that they're not huge like American, Delta, and the hopefully-gone-soon United, but they're bigger than US Scare and, depending on the given day, Continental. You will have to suffer through the rather ignominious fate of a lay-over in Detroit or, on occasion, St. Paul (or both, which I had to do once), but inflight service is exceptional up front. I've never flown coach on Northwest, so I can't comment on it. On most flights, Northwest's Business and First Class are the same (it's actually First Class, but on international flights, there are three distinct cabins.)
The numbers, using the JFK/LAX route:
Economy/Coach:
$811.50
Business Class:
$1,928.55
First Class:
$1,928.55
So you can see from the fares here, if you can stand changing planes in Detroit, Northwest is the clear winner. NWA's WorldPerks program is pretty standard, and their Elite Class is in three flavors: WoldPerks Elite (which I have), WoldPerks Elite Silver, and WorldPerks Elite Gold. The distinctions between classes are pretty vanilla, but the best thing about the program is that you get unlimited First Class upgrades, and a 50% mileage bonus to boot. So a run to Tokyo will net you about 10,000 miles, even though the trip from JFK is only about 6,400. It's worth it. And for a major carrier, their prices can't be beat.
Good news with Northwest is that they keep their costs low, and the service doesn't seem to suffer all that much. You will doubtless be flying a DC-9/MD-80 on the short legs of the trip, but a much bigger and better-equipped jet on the longer stretches. Take advantage of their premium class rates, and definitely consider the WorldPerks program. If I could figure out how to roll my miles from the AAdvantage program to the WorldPerks program, I'd do it. Also, the WorldClubs are better than American's Admiral Clubs...and the coffee's better, too. Even in Detroit.
Delta Airlines: I hate Delta. They always lose my luggage. I'll never, ever fly them again, ever since the time in December 2000 when I tried to make it to Corpus Christi to spend Christmas with my beleagured little Mom. I never made the connection, because it had already left the gate...but somehow, my luggage did. I'll never figure that one out. I was marooned in Hotlanta, while my suitcase was in Corpus Christi. Delta is responsible for the first and only time I've ever had a psychotic meltdown dealing with airline personnel. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!
Continental Airlines: For price, Continental is not too damned bad...but I've always had problems with delays, especially since you have to change over at Houston. Again using our hypothetical JFK/LAX run, here are the breakdowns:
Economy/Coach:
$832.00
BusinessFirst:
$2,739.00
Now look...Continental uses the same mixed cabin scheme that Northwest does on their domestic flights, but why is it almost a thousand dollars more? Am I being charged more to stop in Houston? I don't get it. Now true, Continental does fly more places than Northwest. And there is the added bonus of not having to stop in stinky Detroit...but is it worth another grand to avoid Motown? Not to me, though sometimes you can get a treat by stopping in Cleveland instead. To be honest, the only destination I use Continental for is Corpus Christi. I stop in Houston, change to a puddle jumper even I could fly, and I'm wheels-down in CC by the Sea an hour and ten minutes later. But Continental's service sucks. It has always sucked. It will forever continue to suck. They suck so bad I don't even have a frequent flyer account with them--but I do have one with US Air. In order for that to happen, they must really, really, super suck. Plus their BusinessFirst seats suck. And they fly you in an ERJ or 737 on the first leg of the trip, and maybe give you a 767-400 on the LAX side.
But get this--flying the reverse route (LAX/JFK) will cost you $3,286.00, and you still have to stop in Houston. What the hell is all that about?
US Air: They're so ridiculously expensive now, forget about it. I only flew them on the La Guardia/DC run, or on the LGA/Rochester run. Plus, they'll likely be gone soon...and given that a coach ticket to Los Angeles from La Guardia costs $2,117.00, they deserve it. For $2,117.00, I can get a seat on a corporate jet. Why not go that route, instead of risking your life on an Airbus that has a 50/50 chance of frying its French-made electronics harnesses halfway through the trip?
Fast and Dirty Getaways:
On the East Coast, JetBlue. OK, OK, so they fly Airbusses, but look, not every one of them will wind up in a cornfield. JetBlue will actually take you from New York to Long Beach, California for $302.50 on a single-class aircraft that, really, isn't all that bad.
Southwest is a touch better, leaving Islip/Long Island for LAX at $269-299. Again, mono-class airplanes, but hey, if they can get you where you need to go and you're not sitting next to a 400-pound guy with bad body odor, you're all set.
Next up: International flights.
Bon apetit.
SM
(PS: Always buy unrestricted if you can...so if something happens, the airlines don't rape you with fees. And if you're in a frequent flyer program, try your best to fly at least one upgraded flight segment...the payoff in miles makes it more worthwhile.)
NORTH AMERICA
American Airlines: I'll be honest, I never liked American all that much, but I had no alternative, since they bought out my #1 carrier of choice, TWA. (My reasons for flying TWA was that I could almost always expect to hop on a 747 flying international legs or a 767 for long-haul domestic...and I could upgrade to First Class for $100 each way at the ticket counter, space available.) However, since the changeover, I've racked up about 72,000 miles on my shiny new AAdvantage Card, so they must be doing something right.
But the big problem with American is their price structure; outside of United, they're the most expensive in the industry. 9/11 sure helped that a lot, though the effect was not immediate. In late September, I flew from JFK to LAX on American on an unrestricted coach ticket (which I instantly upgraded to biz class for $400, saving me about $300 off the published fare). Service was good and, surprise, surprise, the 757 I was on went wheels-up on schedule--a rarity when leaving any of the NYC airports. But now, an Economy class ticket (unrestricted; restricted tickets will not generate miles on American) costs $2,443.00. Now, that's steep. But even more egregious is the amount of a restricted, unchangeable, non-transferable fare: $1,290.11. Here's the published fares, according to www.aa.com, using 12/21/02-12/28/02 as the departure/arrival dates:
Coach, Restricted:
$1,290.11
Coach, Unrestricted:
$2,443.00
Business Class (not available on every flight):
$3,637.00
First Class (only worth it on a 767-200, -300, or ER):
$4,417.00
When I bought a Full-Fare Coach ticket--which I always did, so I can upgrade at a substantial cost, using either dollars or miles--I would pay on average around $298.00, as recently as March of this year. With an upgrade to Business Class using cash, total ticket price was just under $700.00--round-trip. American's service is actually very good, perhaps as good if not better than that of my beloved TWA (which still had the best first class cabins I can recall on a domestic carrier), but it sure as hell isn't worth the price increase they're sticking us with these days. However, here are some tricks for you to help defray the cost:
1) Get a AAdvantage Mastercard, offered by Citibank. You think I got those 72,000 miles from flying all the time? On American? Forget it! Get the damned card, and then do two things with it immediately:
2) Enter the AAdvantage Elite program. In order to qualify, you must fly 25,000 miles a year, from January 1 to December 31.
3) Buy Upgrades. Upgrades are available for about $55.00 each. The more you buy, the less you spend upgrading a ticket later; the upgrades are applied to the fare. And if you buy with the card, you get the miles AND the upgrades!
4) Join the Admiral's Club. Especially if you fly international, and have to report in around 3 hours ahead of time. It's a good place to relax, but the coffee sucks.
5) ALWAYS inquire about a fare upgrade to the next class of offered travel at the desk when checking in. American is pretty good about elevating you without charging you an arm and a leg, even now.
Northwest Airlines: I never paid Northwest any attention at all until I started blazing trails to Asia several times a year. American could take me as far as Japan, or to Hong Kong on a codeshare (Cathay Pacific, detailed later), but American's international prices have always been murder. I'm all for flying around the planet, but hey, I don't need to spend $8,000 to do it on a domestic carrier. But there are times when a domestic carrier is the only choice available, and for me, it's Northwest.
The gig with Northwest is that they're not huge like American, Delta, and the hopefully-gone-soon United, but they're bigger than US Scare and, depending on the given day, Continental. You will have to suffer through the rather ignominious fate of a lay-over in Detroit or, on occasion, St. Paul (or both, which I had to do once), but inflight service is exceptional up front. I've never flown coach on Northwest, so I can't comment on it. On most flights, Northwest's Business and First Class are the same (it's actually First Class, but on international flights, there are three distinct cabins.)
The numbers, using the JFK/LAX route:
Economy/Coach:
$811.50
Business Class:
$1,928.55
First Class:
$1,928.55
So you can see from the fares here, if you can stand changing planes in Detroit, Northwest is the clear winner. NWA's WorldPerks program is pretty standard, and their Elite Class is in three flavors: WoldPerks Elite (which I have), WoldPerks Elite Silver, and WorldPerks Elite Gold. The distinctions between classes are pretty vanilla, but the best thing about the program is that you get unlimited First Class upgrades, and a 50% mileage bonus to boot. So a run to Tokyo will net you about 10,000 miles, even though the trip from JFK is only about 6,400. It's worth it. And for a major carrier, their prices can't be beat.
Good news with Northwest is that they keep their costs low, and the service doesn't seem to suffer all that much. You will doubtless be flying a DC-9/MD-80 on the short legs of the trip, but a much bigger and better-equipped jet on the longer stretches. Take advantage of their premium class rates, and definitely consider the WorldPerks program. If I could figure out how to roll my miles from the AAdvantage program to the WorldPerks program, I'd do it. Also, the WorldClubs are better than American's Admiral Clubs...and the coffee's better, too. Even in Detroit.
Delta Airlines: I hate Delta. They always lose my luggage. I'll never, ever fly them again, ever since the time in December 2000 when I tried to make it to Corpus Christi to spend Christmas with my beleagured little Mom. I never made the connection, because it had already left the gate...but somehow, my luggage did. I'll never figure that one out. I was marooned in Hotlanta, while my suitcase was in Corpus Christi. Delta is responsible for the first and only time I've ever had a psychotic meltdown dealing with airline personnel. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!
Continental Airlines: For price, Continental is not too damned bad...but I've always had problems with delays, especially since you have to change over at Houston. Again using our hypothetical JFK/LAX run, here are the breakdowns:
Economy/Coach:
$832.00
BusinessFirst:
$2,739.00
Now look...Continental uses the same mixed cabin scheme that Northwest does on their domestic flights, but why is it almost a thousand dollars more? Am I being charged more to stop in Houston? I don't get it. Now true, Continental does fly more places than Northwest. And there is the added bonus of not having to stop in stinky Detroit...but is it worth another grand to avoid Motown? Not to me, though sometimes you can get a treat by stopping in Cleveland instead. To be honest, the only destination I use Continental for is Corpus Christi. I stop in Houston, change to a puddle jumper even I could fly, and I'm wheels-down in CC by the Sea an hour and ten minutes later. But Continental's service sucks. It has always sucked. It will forever continue to suck. They suck so bad I don't even have a frequent flyer account with them--but I do have one with US Air. In order for that to happen, they must really, really, super suck. Plus their BusinessFirst seats suck. And they fly you in an ERJ or 737 on the first leg of the trip, and maybe give you a 767-400 on the LAX side.
But get this--flying the reverse route (LAX/JFK) will cost you $3,286.00, and you still have to stop in Houston. What the hell is all that about?
US Air: They're so ridiculously expensive now, forget about it. I only flew them on the La Guardia/DC run, or on the LGA/Rochester run. Plus, they'll likely be gone soon...and given that a coach ticket to Los Angeles from La Guardia costs $2,117.00, they deserve it. For $2,117.00, I can get a seat on a corporate jet. Why not go that route, instead of risking your life on an Airbus that has a 50/50 chance of frying its French-made electronics harnesses halfway through the trip?
Fast and Dirty Getaways:
On the East Coast, JetBlue. OK, OK, so they fly Airbusses, but look, not every one of them will wind up in a cornfield. JetBlue will actually take you from New York to Long Beach, California for $302.50 on a single-class aircraft that, really, isn't all that bad.
Southwest is a touch better, leaving Islip/Long Island for LAX at $269-299. Again, mono-class airplanes, but hey, if they can get you where you need to go and you're not sitting next to a 400-pound guy with bad body odor, you're all set.
Next up: International flights.
Bon apetit.
SM
(PS: Always buy unrestricted if you can...so if something happens, the airlines don't rape you with fees. And if you're in a frequent flyer program, try your best to fly at least one upgraded flight segment...the payoff in miles makes it more worthwhile.)