What's your favourite Airline?

[PaulBoeing]

Personaly its Qantas for me. Besides being an aussie and that being my national airline there saftey is outstanding and there service is great.

And now there opening up to Chile (from sydney) so there expanding and growing which is good to see. Though i was dissapointed to see them drop out of Paris and other major places in past years.

What are your thoughts and who do you prefer?

[dumdumbrain]

BA long haul none of this silly GB or Ba Connnect stuff, oh n if the manager is reading Ryanair

Lee

[CargoMatatu]

Normally, SIA:ok:

But I just had a stunningly good ride to Atlanta with LUFTHANSA:D

[reynoldsno1]

I've always lliked Grace L. Ferguson Airlines (& Storm Door Company) ....

[Buster Hyman]

:sad:...Ansett...:sad:

:{:{:{:{:{

[galaxy flyer]

Eastern Airlines. :{:{:{:{:{:{

The American one that went on strike in 89!!

[Avitor]

They deserve it so out goes my neck, XL. :)

[er340790]

i. Singapore Airlines
ii. Qantas
iii. KLM

[Tigs2]

Singapore, Malaysian and Etihad

[Load Toad]

SQ, CX, KA and any airline that ever says 'Mr. LT do you mind being upgraded?'. Actually I like those airlines that say that the best and I recommend them to all my friends.
Being upgraded is a bit like getting a BJ off a fit bird when you aren't expecting it - nice.
OK it's not exactly the same but it's pleasurable and in that sense therefore it is the same.
Looking at it another way upgrades last longer so they must be better. Some upgrades can last for like 13 hours or so - I'm not sure a 13 hour BJ would be something I could stand - I'd try though - I'm like that - one of lifes triers.

[Mr_Hippo]

Over the years, people have told me that they won't fly their national carrier. When I worked in Saudi, I preferred flying Saudia to BA! My wife likes BA but not Thai, I like Thai and not BA. Could it be because we see other airlines and cultures as slightly more 'exotic'?
We normally fly BKK-MAN so
China - not very impressed BKK-AMS/ KLM AMS-MAN
Emirates - OK but Mrs Hippo did not like the 8 hour connection time.
Ethihad - Definitely fly them again
Gulf (when we worked in Oman) Thanks but no thanks

EasyJet (domestic routes) Where's the car hire desk?

[ZFT]

Best carrier is a personnel assessment and I doubt any 2 posters will agree but my 2 Bahts worth:-

TG – consistently good cabin crews
SQ – similar reasons
None spring to mid although just had a surprisingly excellent Atlantic sector on Air Canada.

[Rainboe]

Yes, the beer is rather gruesome, but to be fair, they don't ship it from Australia- it's brewed in Europe with European water and just their monicker on it. Trouble is it's just as bad down there!

Unfortunately it's a national characteristic of the most competetive sporting national culture there is. If an Aussie has a white piece of paper in his hand, he will say to you 'mine is whiter than yours!'. A Brit would scribble doodles on it. I don't know why it is like that, but it is. So any sporting wins are of undue importance, and sporting losses are a cause of national mourning. A bit immature, but that is how it is. So when the airline bent one at Bangkok that was not an economic repair, they just had to fix it and fly it once to prove that 'they had never lost an aeroplane', so immature people could keep rubbing it into everybodies faces as if it showed they were the best.

Sport down there is not nice- they rub it into your face constantly, the drinking associated with it leads to incredible vandalism and rowdiness. All in all, I prefer our attitude where win or lose (and we seem to do more than our share of that), the playing is the thing (except for soccer), and who cares if England lose again? Did you note the challenge that England may have won against the Aussies, but they won't win the tournament? Why not- they did 4 years ago? Remind me- I can't remember for the life of me who England beat in the final then?

[840]

The Qantas safety record only applies to jets though, doesn't it? They've had a number of hull losses of propeller-based aircraft.

I believe Aer Lingus and Finnair have the same record, but perhaps sensibly don't boast too heavily about it.

As for airlines, Cathay is probably the best I've been on, but I haven't flown widely outside Europe. BA is great in Club, but can be a bit of a pain in pleb class on short-haul. Worst experience has to be Transavia, which would have made me long for Ryanair.

[TightSlot]

Good to see a return to the topic - What's your favourite Airline? in case some had forgotten...

[No_Speed_Restriction]

El Al - because the world can learn alot about security and screening from the professionals.

[Flip Flop Flyer]

EL AL? EL AL? Surely, Sir, you are pulling our collective legs here? I've had the distinct displeasure of flying EL AL to and from TLV once. That one time will also be the last.

By far some of the worst service I have ever experienced onboard a full service carrier, delivered by very rude stewardesses and pontificated by a cabin full of screaming children with parents not seemingly giving a toss. Add to that conversations so loud the engines could barely be heard and, as the final insult, a crappy Boeing 737 to get us to and from.

As for the security, yes, it's fine in TLV. Especially when you've got a security pre-clearance and is being escorted by the operations manager of a handling agent. Took a grand total of 21 minutes from entry into departures until safely past the last (4th?) security check.

On the outbound trip, however, I was grilled by some over-ambitious Mossad drop-out for more than an hour. Eventually lost my cool and told him could stuff himself, his airline and his country - I had had it. Was saved last second by some manager type, who just happend to know the very senior IAI bod I was meeting with.

Best airline? Doesn't exist I'm afraid. LH has been good, and awful. Same with BA. All US carriers are consisitenly crap, so that's easy. KL have been very good, and less good. GF was fantastic in F, and borderline crap in C. SK - very nice intercontinenal in C, crap in any class for intra-Europe flights. SQ? Nice, but I fail to see what all the fuss is about - they're not that different from most other quality carriers. EK was ok, and nothing more. And so on and so forth. I'm quitely confident QF would score equally poor and bad, depending on the day.

I've never flown QF, and until such time as continenal drift moves that desolate continent closer to my home shores, or the airline industry abolishes it's no-smoking policy (whichever comes first, I'm not bovvered) I'm afraid that Australia shall remain the sole continent on this here planet I shall not visit.

[Nick Riviera]

'I've always lliked Grace L. Ferguson Airlines (& Storm Door Company) ....'

Particularly to Hawaii.:ok:

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:
Just a trifle surprised that there has been no mention of this recently defunct airline and its associated magazine.
http://www.hootersmagazine.com/
The company used to operate 737s until fairly recently. Although the in flight service was not quite as throbbingly thrilling as some might have hoped for, the promise of post flight assignations more than made up for the absence of airborne activity.
The world's best airline will, of course, be the one that provides first class luxury services throughout, from departure address to arrival co-ordinates, The aircraft itself, apart from the usual accoutrements, will have no telephone capabilities, will not serve beer and will not show sports channels as part of its in flight entertainment. It will generally attempt to keep the riff - raff, moneyed or otherwise from travelling and hence at bay. This prohibition would extend especially to those whose habit it is to call others, 'mate' and whose grammatical and syntactical confabulations would cause even a masturbating marsupial to squeeze shut its eyes in pain.;

[10secondsurvey]

Favourite Airlines

UK domestic:BMI

USA Domestic: JetBlue and Alaskan

International: Virgin Atlantic

International: Air NewZealand



For long haul travel, Air New Zealand are exceptional. In economy more legroom than most. The premium economy is better than most, and they have the same flat beds as Virgin in club/business/upper.

I like JetBlue because of the legroom in economy, and the staff are usually pretty good.

Alaskan have never failed to provide exceptionally good cabin staff.

Virgin Atlantic is not as good as it used to be, but across the atlantic they are probably better than BA. I previously favoured premium economy on Virgin over BA, but sadly the new prem seats have really reduced the legroom, so BA might win on that score. Sad to say, the last time I flew prem econ with BA, the cabin crew out and back just couldn't give a sh*t, and pulled faces every time a pax happened to ask for something unusual. You get good crews and bad crews, but BA over the last year and a half have really gone downhill.

That's just my opinion.

[Pax Vobiscum]

I find myself largely in agreement with 10secondsurvey, with the caveat that I've never flown with JetBlue. That having been said, my decision process in selecting a flight is:
1. Is there a direct flight?
2. Which airport is used (e.g. always prefer Linate for Milan)
3. COST!
4. Service frequency - if I miss this one can I easily get another.
4. Airline preference (i.e. personal or anecdotal experience with reliability, punctuality and service standards).
There might be a 0. Safety, but this is only relevant in the third world (and even then it's very hard to make an informed choice).

So preference for my favourite airline(s) rarely plays a part in this process.

[Eliason]

Domestic - Europe: VO -Tyrolean (though they fly under the brand name Austrian Arrows now :sad: :{ )

International: EK - Emirates (though the seat pitch in economy can be pretty bad the service is usually really good)

[gdiphil]

Come on boys and girls, am I the only one who remembers BOAC? They are still the best I've flown on. Having reminisced over that my current favourite is Asiana Airlines. I've just done a return to Sydney and back and I rate them the best in the sky in economy. Plenty of legroom, excellent food, excellent service, and the aircraft were clean. Yes I mean clean, all four aircraft I travelled on were clean. The loos were clean, de-odourised, and yes, clean! They were constantly being cleaned by the cabin crew throughout each of the four sectors there and back. The only time I've ever seen that was travelling first on Thai. The standard of service beats SQ, TG, and all other carriers I've ever travelled on. They will get my business again.

[13Alpha]

For me:

UK Domestic (full fare): BA from LGW or LCY
Domestic (lo-cost): Virgin Blue. In the UK, easyJet.
European: KLM
International: Malaysian
Puddle-jumpers: Aurigny

BA at their best are the best in any category - but at their worst they are awful. The Houston-Detroit leg of a LHR flight particularly sticks in my mind :rolleyes:

13Alpha

[Alex 009]

QANTAS anyday of the week

[vinayak]

air india... anyone?

domestic : kingfisher/jet

international : lufthansa/air india...

[Middle Seat]

I think whoever said there's no such thing as a best airline have got it right, but we all have preferences

USA Domestic: Alaska (not Alaskan - pet peeve) and Horizon (wines and microbrews still complimentary!)
European: SAS
Asian: Cathay Pacific and Singapore

[Donkey497]

Back on topic.........

UK Domestic Full fare : BMI
UK Domestic LoCo: EasyJet

European Full Fare : LuftHansa
European LoCo : Ryanair

Transatlantic Scheduled : Delta
Transatlantic LoCo / Charter : FlyGlobespan

US Domestic : Delta Connection
Canadian Domestic : AC Jazz

Long Haul Far East : Singapore Airlines


Donkey

[EC-YKA]

Spain domestic: Spanair
Canada domestic : AC Jazz
Germany domestic: Lufthansa
Europe:
Lufthansa Eco
Air Berlin (they've done some good work on their service within the last years
Longhaul:
Air Canada First Executive
Lufthansa Business (We've tried their Longhaul Eco back from YVR last winter and never felt so uncomfortable - in service means - before. If that's their way to convince people to pay the extra penny for business - it worked just fine. ;-)

[Coquelet]

Ryanair, of course !

[Monkeytoo]

In Business Class..............Etihad :D - best business class seats I have ever had. Then Singapore Air and Cathay Pacific about level pegging - will NEVER get on another Emirates flight again - rubbish :=

[Avman]

Favourite locos:

USA : JetBlue
Europe : Air Berlin

Legacy carrier Long Haul: No favourites because I tend to fly KLM because they're convenient and I'm an FF with them. They have cheaper C Class fares for advanced bookings and I find the service and comfort acceptable for that price.

Having said that, I always find these kind of threads very subjective. It could only be of any significance if we all flew on every carrier in the world!

[Lynx206]

I just flew Cathay SYD - LHR - SYD.

The only sector that was anywhere near acccpetable was SYD - HKG with the new business seating. The remainder of sectors were flow with old seat barely acceptable for premium economy. Most of us fly business to be able to work when we get to the other end so spending a night (well 24 hours LHR - SYD) in the 'Z' seats is very counter productive.

I wouldn't mind if I knew what I was in for but Cathay advertise flat beds so to pay the same fare as BA and QF and more than Emirates is very disappointing.

To rub salt into the wound, the inflight entertainment system broke down on two of the sectors and the airline didn't even bother to provide ANR headsets.

I am sure there are reasonable explanations but at the end of the day it was an expensive way to learn not to fly CX until they have fixed their seating.

[SpamFritters]

I have to say... QANTAS!
After going on 9 flights in the space of three weeks with QF I have to say them as they were ace... and seemingly more leg room than most.
Also I was lucky enough (and charming enough...) to get to go in the cockpit to chat to the four pilots at singapore... (made my whole trip that did!)

On the UK side of things would have to be Virgin Atlantic although I feel the service has slipped a lot in the last few years of flying with them.:ok:

[JB007]

Excalibur Airways!!!

[Atishoo]

1) BA for me long haul is best.
2) Monarch
3) Cyprus Airways

Worst (got plenty of those!)

Thomsonfly (ackkkk)
Easy (are okayyyyyyyyy)
Ryanair (crap)

Dont like any of em much if its bumpy even Concorde in its day i would have hated !!

[Atishoo]

oh i forgot 2 more crappy ones....

Air France
Iberia

[EC-YKA]

... been on my first Ryanair flights in December, never thought I would go that "lowco". To be honest: will not be my favourite - but for a low cost I found it quite ok. And I was quite impressed by there C/C concerns for safety as I had a lady beside me who only spoke german, and the C/C was very attentive and concerned if she had understood the safety proceedures. Against my odds, I felt quite comfortable on my 2 Ryanair flights so far - maybe because of only about 60 people aboard on each flight ;-)

On longhaul, I'm going to try another longhaul charter extreme: Air Transat Club from FRA to YYC and back from YVR to MUC this summer - I'll be sure posting my opinion here ... watch for it in August ;-)

[Donkey497]

You should be OK with Transat. I've done a few transatlantic crossings with them in the past & they're pretty good. Apart from a couple of rabidly Quebecois cabin crew you shouldn't have any problems. Service is normally on a par with legacy carrier standard.

[isi3000]

Virgin Atlantic number one! BA second :)

[TheWestCoast]

Frontier. Only flown with them a couple times, but it's always a happy plane.

I fly US, AA, DL, CO, and occasionally NW the rest of the time and they have good days and bad, but the ladies and gentlemen of F9 understand customer service and seem to be happy to come to work, and that sets them apart from the crowd.

I'm just thankful I don't have to mess with Southwest much.

[jet_air]

Kingfisher !:ok:

[TFAME]

XL for me any time . Great , hardworking crew but still have the time to chat and help you enjoy your flight.

[Rush2112]

Singapore Airlines. Even though the lounges are not as good as they used to be, and the changes to the PPS Club are disadvantageous to most of us, the on-board service and general quality make it the only choice if in SE Asia.

[Habster]

International carrier: Qantas
Low cost: Virgin Blue, JetBlue

[selfloadingcargo]

Had a great flight with Jet Airways LHR to Mumbai. Wasn't expecting it to be good, so all the better. Great staff, good food, excellent seats (Biz class)

[GwynM]

A few stick in the mind:
Druk Air the best, but limited destinations
I liked Aurigney last Easter
Virgin Blue (or whatever it was called 6 years ago) had a really good atmosphere
BA WT+ to Africa, but hate them on domestic LHR-ABZ as 50% of flights are delayed by 30 minutes or more

Gulf Air is OK cattle class if you're not expecting business class service

Most hated is Royal Nepal Airlines (OK, it was 13 years ago) with their advanced sleep deprivation techniques, probably honed for use in Guantanamo Bay

Easy jet do what they say, you save money and it's not as comfortable as BA or BMI, but you don't have to go to LHR, so that's a plus in my books

[TCU]

I guess it all depends where to.

Over the pond to and from blighty, BA.

To distant Asian horizons, always liked SIA, but have just flown Qatar for the first time LHR-DOH-KUL and back in Business...now if those seats were true flat beds, they would be untouchable.

To the dark continent, SAA, but even they are sadly not the airline they used to be, especially now the 74's have gone

Try to avoid:
US Airlines - A mystery so many remain in business
Lufthansa - A lesson in how to cover every available surface in GREY
Ryanair - I'll use my PA-28 if I want to fly to a field

[scrunchthecat]

Domestic US - Continental
US-Europe - Continental
US-Asia - Continental & ANA

I fly frequently for work (usually in the summer), and must fly on the cheap.

USAir is the worst in the US, I think. I live in Philly and often fly out of Newark to prevent them from handling my luggage. I like Continental because they have direct flights to the places that I want to go. I book early at low prices and then snag the aisle seats (emergency exit seats 24 hours before online) I can usually get a 777 to Asia or Europe, although this summer CO flew 757s to/from Belfast. It was not as bad as I thought it would be.

I've had mediocre experiences on other US airlines. The only thing I like about United is Channel 9.

[kiwipilot02]

EMIRATES number 1,great entertainment system means you never get bored great staff, excellent food and service, immaculate cabin.

Singapore number 2 great service and food, entertainment system lets them down, every 777 I have been on has had problems with broken or crashing systems.But if they can't find you a seat with one that works they normally give you a us$75 duty free voucher.

[rog747]

overall fav is BA

i have flown all BA classes over the last years and frankly i can never fault them, consistent product,
professional, ontime usually, if things go wrong they generally know how to handle it well and look after you, and its crews have always been great to me.

charter
would be GB airways but sadly they will disappear soon sigh :(
there are now no nice charter airlines left except maybe astraeus but they need to be consistent with where they are at...

premium economy
virgins new seat is excellent, huge improvement and for shorter longhaul flights it wins over paying for business class,
and i hate sitting sideways in upper class and the UCS is way too narrow and awful as a day seat, but it is fine as a bed at night.

business class seat
i sat in the mock up of SQ new business seat and wow!!!
thats the gold standard to follow

low cost?
erm
are you mad?
once on EZY and bmibaby was enuff for me yuk

[Final 3 Greens]

I don't have any favourite airlines, none of them provide a consistently excellent service.

The less worse ones are

Lufthansa
Emirates

I would add on BA, except the simpering 'thank you for all your hard work' annoucement to the cabiin crew at the end of longer sectors makes me feel like vomiting, especially as a number seem to race off for rest ASAP.

BA CC strikes and/or threatended strikes have caused me a lot of disruption in recent years.

[rog747]

re the above poster its not just BA
i flew VS last week and the CSM also ''thanked the crew for their hard work,''

i really also find it not ness, its their job,

i'll thank them myself if i think i have been well looked after (which i do)

why has this announcement deemed to be needed nowadays?
its ghastly. it makes me cringe.

i had to remind a crew member to arm her door after she forgot (upper deck 747-400) as was chatting away to her other colleague who at the same moment had seen too she had forgotten... she was mortified

[Final 3 Greens]

Rog747

Agree with you - VS not on above list as I find the service very inconsistent - its either very good or awful.

[rog747]

hi final3greens
quote
Rog747

Agree with you - VS not on above list as I find the service very inconsistent - its either very good or awful.

true! whereas BA i find ok all the time, no if's, no buts LOL!!

oh and i almost forgot my SECRET fav airline was PALMAIR in bournemouth,
i flew on them to PMI on a 146 and also a bac1-11 and their 737-200
they lease a/c from EAAC

they are amazing, they a little secret and are excellent but sssshhh dont tell anyone!
;)

[Teal]

In Oz:

Domestic - Virgin Blue
International - Singapore, Cathay, Air New Zealand

Qantas would be way down. :rolleyes:

[Aardvaark]

For international flights, I try to fly Asiana when I can - great service, clean aircraft, good meals and Star Alliance points

[GwynM]

Rog747
I work on the basis that 50% of BA flights will be 30 minute late or more on the LHR-ABZ-LHR route. When they work, they're great, but about 5% go very wrong (more than 2 hours delay) and the worst was arriving at ABZ for a mid afternoon flight, and taking off at about 10pm (they cancelled my flight, transferred me to the next one, cancelled the next two, so the 5.30ish left at 10pm), then after not having a stand to go to, bussed us to T1, and then we couldn't get into the arrivals area because doors were locked, so about half a flight was stuck for 10 minutes at the top of some escallators in a cramped coridor!).

If only Easyjet had a mid afternoon flight from ABZ instead of after 8pm!:*

[BelArgUSA]

Well, my favorite airlines, is because their names...
There is...
xxx
THY - Türk Hava Yollari, translates as They Hate You...
TAP - Transportes Aeros Português as Take Another Plane.
SAS - Scandinavian Air System or Sex And Smorgasbord
PIA - Please Inform Allah - I expect a "fatwah" over that one...
ONA - was "Oh Never Again"...
xxx
I look forward for the merge of Continental and Aer Lingus...
Heard the name will be C*nnilingus. Must be because cabin staff new duties.
xxx
Too bad SABENA is history. They deserved to be -
Such A Bloody Experience Never Again... but as they spoke French, also was
Sans Accident Bien Entendu Nous Arriverons.
xxx
BOAC of course was "Better On A Camel", or... "Bring Over American Cash"...
But in these days, the exchange rate was better.
xxx
I have to say, of them all, my nº 1 is LUFTHANSA...
Let Us F**k The Hostess And Not Say Anything.
xxx
:eek:
Happy contrails

[GwynM]

Mongolia, MIAT - Maybe It'll Arrive Tomorrow?

[27mm]

My own personal favourite was Saudia (Sudden Arrivals, Unannounced Departures, Inshallah Airways). I miss the prayer of supplication prior to take-off, the refreshing cardamom tea and hot towels. I don't miss having to wear wellies to use the on-board loos.

[LegallyBlonde]

QANTAS - especially when you've been away from home too long and are homesick, nothing like seeing that kangaroo and hearing a friendly accent.
Going back to the 'other home' (Eire) - Aer Lingus.
Trans-Atlantic -BA - (because they can still serve a decent cuppa).

[JClassPAX]

Here here!
Quantas is awesome, best overall for me!

[BAOREY]

For me its a straight fight between BA and SQ and nothing really comes close to the feeling that they give me when travelling and that is irrespective of class.

I do fly a tremendous amount with Etihad and they have a pretty good product but it lacks substance. In addition to that they have no idea how to deal with high mileage frequent flyers, to them you are cattle just like everyone else. I do not expect special treatment but they lack the touch and sensitivity of my two favourites.

One to avoid for me is Qatar airways, every part of the travel process is fraught with problems due to incompetent staff on the ground. no issues with cabin crew at all though

Easy jet always works for me as well so i fly them when on short haul in Europe which is once in a blue moon

[joelnthailand]

SQ is certainly no better than any other airline.
The flight attendents are incapable of handling any request out of the ordinary.

I have to vomit every time some one repeating the same dribble... oh SQ they are so wonderful... blah blah blah.

Besides that - their safety record is suspect.

[AdamC]

Long haul: Virgin Atlantic
Short haul/Europe: Dare I say it.... Ryanair.

The main reason is because the fares are so attractive, I usually pay no more than £15-20 return.. Lately I've been paying £1.02 return!

Yes, Ryanair isn't the best airline, far from it - But at least I can get from A to B cheap!!

[BAOREY]

Everyone has their own opinion and BA/SQ is mine. I fly well over 100 sectors per annum and mostly on intercontinental routes and stand by that opinion, anyone ithough is perfectly welcome to disagree but vomiting is probably a going a tad to far.

Life would be so boring if we all agreed

[crud12001]

Can't beat SQ.The friendliest attentive airline ever.Plus the seats,food and entertainment system are hard to beat!

[Salusa]

I am a longtime SQ fan, but I have to say something in favour for Emirates.

Flying the regular route both ways from LHR to CGK (Economy) SQ is efficient and a pleasure to travel with, but Emirates are fun :)

I love SQ, but it is a bit robotic.

If I am in a rush I will go SQ, otherwise EK gets my vote purely for the friendly cabin crew experience :D

[A320 galleybitch]

None of you have obviously flown with Jetstar!!!

Its my favorite airline, plus the cabin crew were voted best in OZ and NZ, not to mention best Low Cost Carrier.

[Mr Quite Happy]

My 2 pennies:

Best overall airline is Singapore.

Best airline for 1st class travel is probably Lufthansa, this only applies when using FRA or MUN with their 1st class terminals - simply excellent.

Best short haul carrier for me is a budget operation, Air Berlin. Superior to full cost and other budget airlines.

Most upgrades - Lufthansa. Particularly good when flying out of Frankfurt because they seem to upgrade any LH card holder from C/D to F when the plane is full of American businessmen because they're all UA card holders.

[BurglarsDog]

As a frequent economy long haul pax (UK - Oz 3-4 times pa - is this frequent?) Etihad gets my vote . As already posted elsewhere I am impressed with their Guest airmiles system. Express check in and security screening, business class lounge access and priority luggage when travelling economy keeps my patronage. What more do you want? Food is fine and IFE has worked to date. Can anyone beat that after only 30000 miles or so?

BurglarsDog :ok:

[Michael SWS]

My airline of choice is always BA.

But the finest flight I ever took was Sydney to Johannesburg in Qantas business class. Everything about it was simply perfect.

I'd never consider using a low cost airline. These days, BA is often not a lot more expensive than Easyjet (and is frequently cheaper, particularly at short notice), and I like the comfort of knowing that BA won't cancel a flight and abandon me at some remote location for days on end, as Ryanair might.

[Mr Quite Happy]

As a frequent economy long haul pax (UK - Oz 3-4 times pa - is this frequent?)
No, 3-4 times a month is. A good judge on if you are a frequent flyer is when your seat on the plane still has the crumbs from your last trip. You know both shifts of the cabin crew. The pilot comes out before take off to let you know that you left your tax free shopping on the last flight and he's got it up front for you..


I'd never consider using a low cost airline. These days, BA is often not a lot more expensive than Easyjet (and is frequently cheaper, particularly at short notice),
Hmmm, do you think BA are to thank for that, or EJ?

and I like the comfort of knowing that BA won't cancel a flight and abandon me at some remote location for days on end, as Ryanair might.
Now did this happen to a friend of a friend of a friend?

I'm picking the argument because low cost does what it says on the tin, nothing more, nothing less. If you are trying to get to a funeral I wouldn't advise it, but if it is a simple journey I see little reason to choose BA. Particularly, if you can avoid the hell that is LHR or LGW.

[Michael SWS]

I don't think anyone is in any doubt that the low-cost airlines have forced the established carriers to lower their prices to match. I do thank Easyjet, Ryanair and those that came before for that. But the simple fact is that if BA is offering a product significantly better than that of Easyjet for a similar price then I will use it. I don't consider either Heathrow or Gatwick to be "hell" - or, at least, no more so than Luton or Stansted. Getting to them is certainly a lot easier (and, in the case of Heathrow, cheaper). If you've checked in online and are carrying only cabin baggage then almost every airport is a breeze.

I don't know anyone personally who's been left stranded by Ryanair (although maybe that's because I don't know anyone who flies regularly with them). But it does happen - just look at the Skytrax forum - and the mere possibility of it happening puts me off using them, no matter how cheap they are. The measure of a good airline is how they handle matters when things go wrong.

[El Lobo Solo]

Thai.

But i admit I haven't had the chance to sample Singapore yet.

[Doobs]

My preferred airline: Monarch - Excellent friendly service and my gf
is a No1 for them!
Secondly: Air Asia - Efficient, friendly and cheap

[priapism]

Ansett was the best ever - but I like Cathay Pacific. Nothing sensational but consistently good and on time. I think reliable is the best word. A320 galley bitch - you don't happen to work for jetstar do you? Let me burst your bubble.
As a very regular SLF Virgin Blue crap all over Jetstar. I will gladly pay more dollars to travel with them when flying domestically in oz.

[Mr Quite Happy]

Monarch!

You said Monarch?

Wow...

They must have improved since the one time I flew them...

[Shack37]

They must have improved since the one time I flew them...

One trip is hardly a basis for a balanced judgement. All airlines/CC have good and bad days. Can't comment on Monarch as I've not flown them but I've had excellent and awful flights on various carriers, sometimes on two legs of the same trip, just with a change of CC.

[al446]

Short haul usually Jet2 or EZY - MAN, LPL & LBA all about same distance from me. Yet to try FRA but will next month.

Only done long haul once, KLM GLA-AMS-YVR. GLA-AMS was OK but the long haul was horrendous in MD-11. Meal was horrible, had to ask CC what the mush in front of me was and was told sweet & sour chicken, tried for 5 mins to convince it but the tasteless mush could not be persuaded so gave up. At least it was humanitarian, no chicken suffered in the preparation. When it was given back to CC she said "Is airline food" Should have said "Is airline food for non-discriminatory and starving cattle"
Tried IFE, got h/phones to comfortable level then after 2 -3 mins they blasted out full volume, repeat several times and give up so tried reading. Overhead light refused to come on so tried sleep, just getting there when light came on. A quick look overhead saw the whole console like a disco, lights slow dancing and no hands going up to operate. Trip back was as bad and KLM did not even reply to complaint.

Have flown Alitalia and they were good but maybe their level of service is what sends them bust.

[MrSoft]

I am starting to get a big soft spot for Qatar. If you have the good fortune to be in business, it is very very impressive. Transitting through new Doha terminal is quite something, and the fares are competitive. Transit pax are personally driven to their next flight. Up the steps you go, to find the plane has already boarded in econ, doors shut, off it goes, wow. Also the food, usually, is unbelievably good.

I love BA as well but econ, premium econ, and NCW are lagging behind. 2-4-2 Club layout in the middle of a 777 feels like a zoo.

Favourite short haul, is Air Southwest, who just seem to be a great bunch of people. Ditto KLM Cityhopper out of Leeds Bradford, what a great bunch - that makes a difference for me.

[Mr Quite Happy]

One trip is hardly a basis for a balanced judgement. All airlines/CC have good and bad days. Can't comment on Monarch as I've not flown them but I've had excellent and awful flights on various carriers, sometimes on two legs of the same trip, just with a change of CC.

Ermm, dude,

Monarch return to Mali via Bahrain. My wife, 5'4" had her legs touching the seat in front of her, I am 6'2". The back 6 rows were smoking and generally full of non smokers who filled the aisle space. The flight was 6+6hrs there with a one hour stop over in Bahrain. Food was awful, plane was packed. Any plane I've been on as more room except possibly a cesna, I do not need to fly with them again to know that they do not deserve to be in a conversation with SIN, BA, Quantas, Thai, Emirates etc..

They're a charter airline for gods sake!

(econ, bus, first)

Singapore Airlines 32" 58" 78"
British Airways 31" 73" 78"
Thai Airways 34" 50" 85"
Emirates 32"-33" 47"-60" to 86"
Monarch - premium cabin - "Wider seat with extra legroom - 34 inch seat pitch" satys their website, no mention of what that legroom may be, I presume just enough to allow a 34" seat pitch... (no stats available)

Mentioning Monarch as a favourite airline, unless its radically changed, to me, means that the poster wondered onto this website by mistake.

[Shack37]

I think I see your point now. Maybe one trip was enough after all. How did you get the trays down to eat or was it so bad you just didn't bother?

[Mr Quite Happy]

trays down

I'm 6'2" - not fat!

[Xeque]

Singapore Airlines
EVA Air
Thai Inter


I like them because they fly BKK/UK and return direct and their fares are a lot less than other carriers. The aircraft are fairly new and clean. Crews are safe and proficient and the standard of cabin service is excellent. As with all economy classes they could all do with a couple of extra inches seat pitch and better on board regulations to stop passengers filling up the available leg room with baggage that should be in the overhead lockers.
I haven't flown BA for a while and if the threats about fingerprinting at T5 Heathrow prove true then I won't be flying with them in future. The security cr@p at Heathrow is bad enough without piling more cr@p on top.
Airlines in the past where I've flown full or partial sectors on the flight deck:-

British Airways
Cathay Pacific
Middle East Airlines
Air Lanka
Brymon (as was)

and the ultimate flight experience of all...
an arrested deck landing and (after a day spent on board) a catapult take-of USS Harry S. Truman on station in the Arabian Gulf.