What is the best Airline and where is the Best Airport

[Bathurst]

A lot has been said about this topic, so I want to know what airline is the best in each region.

Skytrax has Emirates on the First Place.
I doubt this and want to see what the members think about this.

I setup a special form for the members of this forum to see what you think is the best airline.

I hope to get more than 10,000 votes so if anybody knows what the best is how to do this please let me know.

Also you may forward this link to friends who know something about airtravel or to your PR department of your Airline company where you work for.

I will keep you informed about the positions.

The link is:

Vote for the Best Nr 1 Airline and Airport (http://www.tilcom.com/alasta/survey.html)

[Bathurst]

It goes ok but expected to have much more votes from this forum

[holden]

Sorry to dampen your spirits but I would say that there are very few good airlines left.
The major players face two encroaching fronts:
i)terrorism;customer service suddenly doesnt count for much when you're talking survival.A passenger who boards late or who gets up when he/she shouldnt is no longer a case for diplomatic persuasion or accomodation,and thats quite understandable.
ii)Economics-the success of the budget carriers has forced the traditional airlines to rethink or face the inevitable.

The one airline which continues to shine in spite of everything is SWA;this is down to its CEO and his iconoclastic vision.
Other airlines that show a ray of hope include AA,Delta,a number of the FAR EAST majors(cabin crew excellence as opposed to management-pilot relationship),Qantas and Lufthansa(engineering and maintenance excellence). The rest are trying under very difficult conditions.

As for airports...KDFW and KORD(ATC excellence)...Munich (design and infrastructure).

[rsoman]

Depends on what you intned by "Best"!
If you get sick after more than two hours at a stretch in the air,
nothing can beat Indian Airlines who operates some flights which gives you a sightseeing tour of sorts of transit airports if you are (un) lucky).
For eg, their weekly flight from Kuwait to Madras in India via Ras Al Khaimah , Calict and Trichy. Very highly recommended for those first time flyers who never want their flight to end!Ofcourse you get some food on every sector so you wont go hungry!And of course you dont have to change planes and your baggae has more chance of arriving with you, since it doesnt leave the aircraft once stowed.

And for all those claustrophobics who hate crowded airports nothing can beat the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Acres of space and dozens of gates but hardly any airlines to use them. You dont get a luxury of a gate being used for just two flights a day in many airports don't you!

Cheers

RSO

[flch10000]

Was in Bulgaria 1998.

Our 737-300 (Balkan Bulgarian "Airlines") was cancelled due to so called bad WX (even though a BA 737-EFIS managed to make the trip at approximately the same time, and also back to EGLL). Suspect the Balkan MEL wasn't up to scratch.

Ended up 4 hours later (with no announcement in the meantime) on a Cold Failed-the-MOT type Bus from Sofia to the second major "city" Varna.

There, we entered a transit lounge, some of the PAX had been there *3* days!!!!! (Makes you even forgive EasyCrap) - with no end in site, and they had been bussed around 3 Bulgarian Airports in that time (Sofia, Varna, Bourgas).

Nothing infuriates a Bulgarian as much as addressing them in Russian (they all know it no matter how they pretend) - so as I speak Russian I demanded what the hell they were going to do about it... maybe not a good idea.

Ended up waiting 18 hours in a cramped cold 50's style transit lounge with 150 or so other PAX until finally we managed to cadge a lift to London on the 727-from-hell (aka TU-154M).

Come back Easy.. all is forgiven.

[Bathurst]

Nice the votes are coming in

[kaikohe76]

Hi Folks,
My sixpenny worth,

Best Airport from pax point of view for me is Changi / Singapore. I have always found very easy to use from the pax point of view. Only slight downer is that often on transiting from one flight to another, the two gates are often separated by quite a long walk.

Worst Airport, for me is without doubt 'LA' and I make this statement based on my experiences well prior to last September and the terrible events then. I found the staff at all levels at LA and the general treatment I received, disgusting, arrogant, agressive, and generally very unhelpful.

I last used LA having flown out from the UK to New Zealand, buried my father and returned back to the UK, all in the space of four days. On the way back while transiting through LA, I had a minor problem, but instead of receiving any helor understanding at all, I was treated with total distain and contempt. LA sucks as far as I am concerned and as Air NZ continue to use it as a transit stop, this is why I refuse to fly with them when going back home.

[Ignition Override]

I might agree with the above, from a pilot standpoint, concerning LAX not being the best, but have not been thru there (or the insane CIVET Arrival with multiple runway changes and unbelievable punching on FMC+gear down at 10,000') in over three years. I had the impression, even on limited layovers that people in LA generally hate each other, or maybe just fear another murderous race riot.

On a more pleasant topic, from a passenger standpoint, Amsterdam's Schipol Airport has a really nice staff with good morale, and an excellent mix of shops/restaurants, we went thru about nine times on KLM and its Cityhopper, Eurowings, Austrian etc network. I would be embarassed if passengers and KLM crews here at our only southern hub, were to ask me where I'm based: morale is usually low or non-existent at several businesses. Even many US airliines are unable to quantify morale in their "cost accounting" procedures. And the Dutch often speak much better English than many of the 'staff' here in the US.

Anyway, the folks who designed Schipol (same designers of the superb new terminal at NY's JFK) were intelligent-they built sofas or pairs of chairs where tired people can lie down and rest, not just sit upright in hard plastic buckets. My wife visited the medical facility upstairs:the nurse and doctor were efficient and helpful. In the US, without an emergency, we might have waited an hour for doctor, but we have the AMA.

Hasta la pasta.

[West Coast]

I will take LAX over alot of other US airports. The Civet takes being flown about 2 to 3 times and its a piece of cake. DFW in the summer sucks. SFO controllers need to learn to sequence. WX in SEA sucks. SLC is mired in mollasses. PHX is good till the first drop of rain. DEN in the summer on a flaps 8 takeoff is an eye opener. ORD controllers are awesome, but its along way from the ocean. SAN is my favorite, even with the parking structure, perhaps its because its home.

[FOMere2eternity]

Maybe you could add a 'worst airlines' poll and send em that - might help em look at where they're failing ? Presuming they give a ****.

By far the worst I've seen is Air Canada, where pax are purely an annoyance, obstructing their plan to make as much money as possible. I don't think I know anyone with anything good to say about them, who hasn't had a bag go missing or a totally apathetic staff member mess them about. At least you almost expect it with the budget crowd !

I'm told Lufthansa cut the mustard with pax care on long haul, but don't have personal experience.

[BRUpax]

Sorry to be the party pooper but these type of polls don’t really paint a useful picture unless all the voters have had the opportunity of flying on ALL of the world’s scheduled carriers and through ALL of the world’s airports. Anything less proves absolutely NOTHING.

[lekkerste]

I.O. From a pilot perspective have to agree with you on LA arrivals. Done the Civet/Mitts plenty of times. Shambolic and verging on dangerous. I think the most runway changes I can remember is 4. All below 10,000'. It's definitely become a lot calmer since 9/11 though.

[gofer]

Though many will agree with you, that its not totally 'fair', from a mathematical POV it actually doesn't matter much, the votes, thanks to the mass of voters, will actually end up in the right buckets. :mad:

And before anybody starts about why do we then end up with the politicians we have ... that depends on the rules for candidates and the fact that most of those who present themselves are not perhaps those you would really like to run the place properly (whatever the country). ;)

:cool: :eek: :p

[Bathurst]

I think Virgin Atlantic and Lauda air are the two best airlines currently on this planet

[brockenspectre]

From an SLF perspective I find it hard to say which is my favourite airline. The most efficient airline was Swissair, as it was, - if you are flying Biz (as I had to for work) - your bags come off first!! Most pleasant? well that is difficult - I have found all cabin crew and those flight deck crew who have let me visit virtually all to be pleasant, helpful and professional. Only time I wasn't too admiring of CC was an Iberia flight (Madrid to Stockholm) where there were three of us in Biz and because the crew had very little to do they chose to do nothing and were very irritated when I asked for something to drink! The happiest? A BA flight from Moscow after my first (and solo) business trip there to find a pal in the lefthand seat at the pointy end... to hear Brit voices and know I was once more on Brit soil was great!

P.S. I base my judgement on flights with BA, Virgin, SAS, Lufthansa, Lauda Air, Austrian Airlines, SwissAir, Air France, Iberia, El Al, JMC, CondorFlug and (as it was) Airtours to long- and short-haul destinations.

As for favourite airport? hmmmmmm that is difficult..I am most familiar with LHR and LGW and that adds to the ease with which I can scooch through terminals and shopping. Airports are so different - for space but nothing to do, San Diego, for great shopping and good environment, Copenhagen..really dunno!

Great food-for-thought thread!!

:D

[TikkiRo]

British European for me as a disabled pax who's had enough of mistreatment on BA and BMI domestic flights. Longhaul probably BA though - but haven't used a lot of other carriers.

TR:)

[Far canal]

MAS are good. CX can be good - but not always

Best airport is Hong Kong. Easily the most efficient I have ever used. Bags are often on the conveyor before I get to it.

[wub]

I have to agree with kaikohe76 on best and worst airports. Changi is superb, apart from the distances. They will even take you on a free city tour if you have more than five hours to spare.

Bangkok is on a par with Changi but Singapore has the edge.

LAX - yeughh! What a dismal place to be stuck, surly staff, poor lighting, lousy shopping, I could go on.

I once waited in front of an American Eagle desk at Vegas McCarron, whilst the clerk hummed and typed and check bits of paper for ten minutes without ever looking at me, before saying "I'm not ignoring you sir" He did a really good impression of someone who was!

Best Airline IMHO is Singapore Airlines, very attentive and punctual

Worst Airline, Hawaiian Air. Spent an overnight flight from Honolulu to LAX with nothing but a cup of water and a cheese roll for service.

[Southwest737]

I have flown Southwest, Delta, AA, TWA, America West, and United (I think). By far, the best Ontime service is Southwest. best service is..Southwest, Cheapest...Southwest. Obviously Southwest is my favorite Airline I fly, and I try to Fly it all the time, if Southwest operates to where I want to go. Delta is #2, AA/TWA #3, United #4 and last..America West #5. America West had severe turbelence everytime I flew them, and their service was horrible. Over all, Southwest!!!

[Bathurst]

I just had a flight to Detroit and inspected the new Northwest Gateway. Absolutly the best in Amerika. A well done job for Northwest

[ETOPS773]

Always liked Virgin Atlantic,but Lufthansa have always impressed me too.

as for airports..Gatwick (EGKK) isn`t too bad.
Orlando international (KMCO) quite nice aswell.

[World Traveller]

Never flown Southwest, so can I go with their European cousins easyJet please. Had a brand new 737-700 last week, very friendly crew, fare of less than £20, multilingual captain (with a Manchester accent) and on-time departure/arrival - on a French domestic sector. Air Lib Express have got a lot to learn!

Best full service airline Virgin Atlantic though being a prostitute to OnePass it is great they codeshare with Continental.

BA are still there or thereabouts, but the All Day Deli concept is rubbish.

As for airports - DTW old terminal was slated but I never had a problem with it. I guess most hub/major airports are OK if you are a frequent pax and get used to them, layout, idiosyncracies, etc.

WT
<just a punter>

[goback]

I have to agree about LAX being the worst airport (at least in my own limited experience). There really are no redeeming features about the physical environment. For the best airport, that is difficult. I quite enjoy SYD, Changi is great. I like the groovy 50's/60's architecture of Dulles main building, although the buses are a pain. SFO is a disaster zone (at least when I was there three weeks ago). OAK is pretty depressing. Narita, when I was there years ago, was pretty bad.
For airlines, that is difficult since they all can vary quite a bit in my own experience. I have had some excellent service on American between LAX-IAD, which was a pleasant surprise. Ansett were always pretty good. Personally I find the 'peppy' attitude of some of the low cost airlines a bit grating, but maybe that's just me. I think I will leave this question to more experienced flyers than myself.

[P22]

Bathurst

Will you be selling our e-mail addresses to the airlines? I assume that, if you do so, we will be hit with never-ending spam?

[sickBocks]

I am not a happy-bunny when going near any small Greek airport. They are all okay when handling 1 or 2 flights but as the Tour Operators/Airlines/whoever seem to shift every charter a/c on the G-reg there on a nominated day of the week they tend to get overcrowded. I remember using Zakinthos a couple of years back - luckily I was on the second flight leaving within the hour - those on third had to queue up outside the terminal in the heat - must have been quite unpleasant.

Moan moan whinge whinge.

However I do like SIN and FRA - nice and user-friendly.

sB

[Xenia]

...But believe they had a wonderful time in Zakinthos :cool: ... well, besides the queue :D :D :D

[Flip Flop Flyer]

Did someone seriously mention FRA as a good airport? I admire your sense of masochism :p

In Europe I have still to find an airport that can beat CPH, Schiphol is the closest. Especially after the recent building frenzy, CPH has so much to offer a 2 hour layover goes like a breeze. Light, airy, easy to navigate, best shopping outside Dubai.

Middle east winner is clearly DXB, no contest what so ever.

Far East, Changi also a clear winner. But KUL is right behind, mainly since it's so empty :)

USA, hopeless. Ugly, worn down, dark, claustrophobic, impossible to navigate. Been through JFK, LAX and ORD; they all suck. Bit like Frankfurt really.

And for the best airline? Not yet invented I'm afraid. SAS is good, LH is good, SQ is good, EK is very good, BA can be good, AF is dodgy, KL can go either ways, DL stinks, AA is even worse, KE should be avoided at all cost ....

[wub]

BA is rapidly becoming the worst airline in the world.

I have flown EDI - GTK on three occasions in the last three weeks and the total delays have amounted to over eight hours. That's a working day of my life wasted at airports. Then on board you get handed a stale sandwich and get coffee in a paper cup.

They also call you from the Exec Lounge up to an hour before the aircraft actually boards, I guess to stop you drinking too much wine :mad:

[bealine]

Sorry wub - Please see my New Topic regarding LGW delays.......unfortunately, we're in that sort of spiral stage at the moment:

1. Can't afford the staff - we're losing money!
Sell more seats - reduce staff

2. Not enough staff - can't get flights away on time
Lose customers - lower the fares to attract lost customers back

3. Not making money - reduce staff levels further

4. Not enough staff, can't get flights away on time, lengthy check-in queues.

5. Losing customers - give away free tickets to win lost customers back

6. No More Airline!!!


wub - please grit your teeth and don't walk away from BA! We need your business to prevent us getting all the way to stage 6!!!

[wub]

Thanks Bealine, I've read the other thread and see the problem. I flew LHR - EDI yesterday and it was much better. The meal was good and the flight was on schedule.

The next big test is in 2 weeks when I fly EDI - HKG - SYD
I'll let you know how it goes :cool:

[Elvis21]

Not sure about the best but the crappest airport on the planet is Osaka. Boring boring boring

[canberra]

my best flight on a civvy airliner was yyt to lhr. as i was travelling overnight on duty i had to go club class( i wanted to travel economy but mod regs say you have to go club class or equivalent). there were no 1st class pax so i got seat 1a, i could get used to that! and it was air canada. my all time favourite airline was bcal. dont know about anyone else but ive always found ba very snooty, bma and all the other british airlines are ok. as for airports i always find the smaller airports such as dundee lcy and blackpool are good.

[Ace Rimmer]

Hmm Airlines

Intra European: Used to be bmi but now I'd say VLM or Crossair (sorry Swiss)

Atlantic : VS no contest

Mid and Far East : M-rats worth the change in DXB

US Domestic: SW

Airports

Europe: LCY, MUC and OSL (just for being such a beautiful building)

Mid East: DXB

Far East: SIN

US: MCO (by miles) but a distant 2nd is IAH

[strake]

1. Most internal USA flights were dreadful from the moment you arrived at the check-in prior to 9/11. Now....obey all instructions no matter how ridiculous. Do not even think about querying anything. Constantly thank every member of staff (airport or airline) even if they are abusing you. If flying from Miami, learn Spanish. Accept that the guy/gal who was serving you Big-Macs last week is now a "qualified security agent" who has the right to have you hauled off to prison for further questioning.
2. Emirates service was actually pretty impressive when I flew from Cyprus to Delhi via Dubai.
3. Dubai airport is pretty OK
4. BA is...well...BA
5. Best airport is Southend..especially at ******* Flying Club where the service is exceptional. :)

[IT555]

what ..???

[GlueBall]

In Europe I like FRA; go downstairs to watch a "blue" movie, catch a train or go to the grocery store, stay at the Sheraton, hang out on the large observation deck...everything all under one roof, including rental cars....
Airline: BA long haul.

[seacue]

As you might guess, I like DCA. Sort of an "all glass" new terminal building with good views, short walks, indoor connx to Metrorail, rental cars, and parking. Lots of shops and food, some fairly good. Best for orig & dest use.

Also a "special" approach when landing on Rnwy 19. http://users.erols.com/rcarpen/dca021110.jpg This approach (including the 30-deg turn 1 nm from threshold) is used by hundreds of arrivals each day when the wind is from the south.

[Remmington]

"and the winner is TURKISH AIRLINES"

[TAM PAX]

LOL Is someone taking the **** ????


Turkish Airlines and turkey= best airline/airport????

I bet some Turk has been voting for hours, thats the funniest thing i have seen all year !!!!!

[mikecr2]

The best airline to go to work for is the one who hires you!
The best airport to fly to is the one from which you duty out!

[Xenia]

:cool: That was a very good one mikecr2!!! I agree 100% with you :D :D :D

[Brother]

Best Airlines

QF, BA and CX

Best Airports

Melbourne and HKG especially the first class lounge in HKG, restaurant, long bar and spas are fantastic.

Brother

[gpuk]

I've flown longhaul with BA, MAS, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Cathy Pacific. The best is easily singapore for their meals, service, punctuality and leg room.

As for aiports, the new KL airport is fantastic as is schipol and changi. MAN isn't half bad either :o)

[MrSydney]

Best Airlines: Singapore and Air New Zealand
Worst Airlines: United
Best Airport: Changi
Worst Airport:LAX, Bombay ( a dump) and T3 at LHR

[GwynM]

Virgin Blue seem to be doing well in Oz.

3 flights in a few days, cheaper than Quantas by ~A$50 each time (at short notice), took off on time and landed on time. Cabin staff got a bit bored on one flight with no catering etc to do, so did a free face painting service for kids. Brand new 737-800s. Check in fast and efficient.

One or two things Easyjet could learn (and 100s for BA)

[NotWithoutMyGPS]

Best Airline (LH) - Virgin Atlantic. Friendly, free with the old electric soup and nice to look at.

Best Airline (SH) - British Midland. Flew with them over 100 times in 2000 / 2001 and they even used to give a few of us bags of miniatures as we disembarked. Top people, every time.

Worst Airline - BA. Snooty and proof that the Tepmperance Movement is still alive and well at the back of the bus.

Best Airport (for business) Cologne and (honest) Stansted.

Worst Airport - Mumbai, Plovdiv and a special mention to Jo'burg - 3 weeks ago my laptop was taken AFTER I'd checked my baggage in. Bag was, of course, locked. Was flying FAJNB to LHR so unless "Thiefrow" is on again then JNB gets my vote

[AOG007]

Best Airline - BA, never had a bad flight. Always on schedule when I have travelled.

Best Airport - DXB, blight clean and roomy. Shame about the long walk through the tunnel, but you can't have everything.

Worst Airline - Continental, worst service ever! But they were on schedule, so can't moan about that.

Worst Airport - LHR, as the major gateway to the UK, it's not a good welcome to visitors. And it just reminds us of how good it was where we just left! Hope T5 makes it a little better.