Airline satisfaction

The Journal has the annual Middle Seat ranking. So glad we are Alaska folks, and now we get Virgin, too!

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-airlines-of-2016-1484149294?mod=e2fb

(P.S. Major domestic carriers with extensive continent-wide service.)

 

One has to be a subscriber to read the article

 

There are folks who don't subscribe to the WSJ?!?

Alaska top, American bottom. I'm sure the entire breakdown and listing can be accessed via other sites/means.

 

Copy and paste the headline in the google search bar, then click the first or second result.

 

Must be the same people who use landlines.

 

American ranked below Spirit.

That's gotta leave a mark.

 

A family member emailed me last night: "I don't have your dad's correct email address, obviously. He's not responding. What is it?"

To which I replied, "1-760-XXX-XXXX. Oh, and it's a landline."

He now uses mom's laptop as a paperweight, I believe.

 

One thing I like about Alaska -- well, one of many -- is that when they do screw up they own up to it. They had problems on a few routes over Christmas owing to a sub-contracted regional carrier. We got where we were going, just several hours late. But we were told of the delay hours and hours before departure, so we just stayed home and chilled, and we were given a nice compensation voucher for our "troubles." And the luggage-arrival guarantee might be a great thing but on most every flight in our usual routes the stuff hits the carousel about when we do, so never have had to invoke it. (Then again, we avoid LAX if at all possible.)

And don't get me going on the stellar service and options going to the islands!!

 

I have wanted to try either airline Alaska or Virgin to fly from Boston to Vegas.
But anytime I have looked, Virgin goes to San Francisco or LA and then to Vegas.
Alaska is either Portland, OR, LA or San Francisco and then to Vegas.
Maybe someday.

 

Most of us are route sensitive. I'd like to fly Alaska everywhere, but going east it has limitations. Virgin certainly is going to help that. But most of our personal flights are north/south (domestic, Canada and Mexico), and to Hawaii, so we're golden. (No effectively decent way for us to fly to Vegas, regardless.)

 

I am one of those folks who fell in love with Virgin and got spoiled flying FC non stop between JFK and Vegas. Ahhhh. Flew enough after matching status with Jet Blue Mosaic that I earned Gold Elevate status and have it through 2017. I was bummed actually about it be acquired by Alaska but am getting over it, primarily because of the partner airlines that Alaska has, one of which I may use to travel to South Africa this summer.

I received an email today from Alaska saying that I am now MVP Gold with Alaska and once I activate a new MVP account I'll either have a $100 voucher for any Alaska flight or 10,000 bonus points.

 

Thanks!

(Far be it from me to try to jump over a paywall!)

 

I usually fly JetBlue, Virgin America would be my second choice, Delta next. I usually get extra legroom seats and in general I like the the JetBlue seats and space. I've been lucky that I haven't had that many long delays over the years, I only fly about 4 - round trips a year.

 

The only places Alaska flies from OMA are Portland and Seattle, so it would be very seldom that I would fly them.

Most of my flying lately has been Southwest. I can't really complain too much. You know what you're getting when you fly them.

Delta isn't too bad but I was kinda surprised to see them that far toward the top. The only places they fly directly from here which I fly semi-regularly are NYC (LGA) and ATL, and they're probably what I would think of if you asked me to name a good full-service airline. They swallowed up the old Northwest so technically they've expanded out of here.

Untied [sic] is, well, there. I avoid them when I can. Ditto with American but currently if you wanna fly nonstop to LAX, this is it.

The one I keep hearing complaints about lately is Frontier, although I seldom fly them. Mostly complaints about delays and indifferent service. My big b*tch about Frontier is that they swallowed up my former favorite airline, Midwest Express, and demoted OMA from a hub to a very blurry "focus city" and cut all kinds of service.

We don't have "service" from Spirit (yet?). Is that a big plus or a big minus?

 

I guess I'm the only one who likes Southwest. I will take their "goofy" boarding system to enjoy

1)No fee for checked bags
2)No fee for itinerary changes
3)Low fares (almost) everywhere

 

SWA is well-regarded, and certainly from comments here for years, a VMB crowd favorite.

But if the airline doesn't service your market and routes, it's simply not an option; doesn't automatically mean it is disliked. Life was way different when we lived in SoCal -- San Diego, LAX, John Wayne, Long Beach, Ontario. It would be different if we lived in the Bay Area having SJC, SFO and OAK as options (actually, SJC gets a lot of our business, but it ain't exactly close at hand.)

 

I think their boarding process is the best thing about them, I can almost always sit in the 1st 3-4 rows, with the others I'm guaranteed to be in the back. The no fee change policy is great too by the way.

 

From Nashville? Southwest. Nonstop. Hassle-free.

 

Even if you factor in baggage and seat assignments on the budget flights, they still come out $300.00+ less per couple than Southwest.

 

Lots of people like southwest. Their ratings are actually remarkably high for a discount airline that does a bunch of short hops.

I like southwest now that they finally do direct DTW-LAS. No checked bag fee is handy on golf trips.

But being so regional does hold them back. Had a cancellation last Jan when the tarmac was completely clear by departure time, because they have a massive domino effect once they start cancelling/rerouting. Also don't like their "no hotel if flight cancelled for weather and no flight out until next day" policy.

Other than that, I'm a fan.