Why Continental can blow me... Options

[Hartmann]

I have been switching back and forth between AA and Continental (CO) for work so that I can gain status on both of them (I have status on AA but I want Executive Platinum), so I decided to take CO for a vacation to Boston. My girlfriend and I were flying out of IAH at 7:40am so we arrived at 6am and got in line, which was out the door because of Spring Break.

We waited in line for about 30 minutes till a lady a came up to me, asked if I had checked-in online (I had) and asked if I had my confirmation number (I didn't have a printer so I said "No"). She told me to go to the Continental.com bag drop, we did.

We get over there and wait 45 minutes because they were having trouble with some people's bags and finally got to the kiosk, where it asked me for my confirmation number. I called over a CO employee and told her that I didn't have the number and in a rude tone she tells me that's all we can use in that line. I explain to her how we were sent over from the other line even though I didn't have a confirmation number. She goes on to tell me to get my confirmation # or go to the other line. I call a friend who logs into my e-mail account, gets my confirmation # and helps me out, or at least I thought. After the bickering and waiting and finally getting the # into the machine, the window for us to use the kiosk to check bags had expired (30 minutes before flight). The CO employee that had been rude has the gall to laugh at us... I almost lost it but didn't want to get arrested.

She directs us to the line we had come from even though there were people behind the counter who could have helped us and got us on our way.

We head back to the other line and wait, me knowing at this point it would be a miracle for us to make our flight. Then after waiting 10 minutes, the employee who was rude, comes over, opens our line and directs about 10 people, including us back to where we just came from to check our bags.... None of the people had their confirmation numbers but the people behind the counters helped them. They finally helped us but we had missed our flight. CO put us on standby for the next flight (which was oversold) and then finally confirmed us for the flight after that. Basically we sat in an airport for 10 hours.

I went to customer service and complained, a lot. They gave me a $5 voucher (each) for a drink or set of headphones on the flight... unbelievable.

Then to top it all off, during this process they had deleted our reservation, rebooked it, but did it incorrectly, putting my girlfriend and I on separate flights. They fixed that finally but didn't have us sitting together. At least the folks at BOS were nicer and got us seats together.

Just a bad experience.

[Mommy]

wow. thats awful. i would seriously write a letter to consumer affairs or something.

[Seeker]

never used continental, and now i never will

[Testm0nkey]

never had a problem with continental

but fly to and from IAH a lot in the past and that airport is always fucked. they added a ton of more terminals and runways so im sure increased the confusion inside and number of retarded airport employees

[Aaron]

That is pretty fucked up, dude.

I flew Continental quite a bit when I was younger - pre-9/11 - and never had any real problems. Though, over the last eight years or so, most of my air travel has been through Southwest.

[GOB]

this is the best type of revenge you can give them. i'll definitely tell other people about this story specifically if i hear about another rude continental employee.

on that note, farmer's insurance can blow me. i should wear two gigantic buttons at all times, one that says the previous statement, and another that says "ask me about my other button"

[jonathan83]

you should've gotten a hella lot more than $5. that's f#$%ed yo

[Hartmann]

I have sent them a few letters and will be calling them tomorrow.

I just found out that after my flight next week I will be a Elite Gold with them (to give you an idea how much I fly them, I got that, 25,000 miles in right at two months). What does this mean? I am spending a lot of times on their airplanes, they can treat me with some respect.

All future flights after next week will be on American, until they give me some sort of compensation or at least say they are sorry.

Now I know I should have printed the boarding pass out or at least written down the number, but it was the rudeness that stuck with me.

IAH has never posed a huge problem for me as I usually travel during business hours and with other business travelers but it was a complete mess. They were telling people who had flights in E terminal to check-in at C. Why? I have no idea.

[Testm0nkey]

IAH stretches from will clayton all the way to 1960 now. its crazy

[DaveFireDancer19]

yeah ive never had an issue with continental that wasnt their fault (aka weather, the entire airport was fucked...)...IAH is always nuts...especially during business hours...but like i said...everything was always smooth

infact continentals people have always been much nicer than southwests...and most of the time continental is cheaper as well...the last time i flew american they were nasty to me...

sorry you had some issues with a few employees....shoulda brought your info. (although i sometimes forget it and its never been a problem...hmph) I doubt youll get compensation though....i was stuck in the airport for 12 hours trying to get to lubbock of all places...they (i think this was continental...i cant remember) didnt tell anyone the flight was canceled so i just sat there waiting...very frustrating, i understand...then they woudlnt book me for another flight for two days...i got ZERO compensation for my troubles...all that is after sitting in the airplane in new orleans for 4 hours, but honestly....weather was the culprit and EVERYBODYS shit was fucked up..not just continentals....i think most airline employees dont know how to handle shit like that...

in short, i think it just depends on the employee, not the airline...some employees just suck ass and have no manners or people skills...you cant just judge an airline by one incident....thats my opinion atleast...now if continental peopel were aLWAYS like that...then thatd be an issue...but they arent.

[schwab]

i havent had a problem with continental or american. I mostly fly american though

US airways on teh other hand, I have. I have never been on one single flight of theirs that was on time

[impala454]

southwest > all others

[schwab]

southwest > all others

SW is good, but not great...they are good for short flights and that is about it

[impala454]

they're sure as hell better than AA or CO. better prices, way better service, and more comfortable imo. they don't jack you around and connect you through the dumbest places like the others do.

[Hartmann]

I have my qualms with all airlines. I am going to be flying heavy United here soon and will be on Emirates before the end of the year (WOO HOO!!) so I'll rate those as well.

WN (Southwest) is great for short hops and direct flights, but they do not fly into some key areas (BOS, DC, etc.). Also, on their long flights, no food is served, just peanuts.

CO serves a decent meal (minus the pizza) on their long flights and good drink service (had three from BOS-IAH). Their hub system leaves something to be desired, as does their aircraft choice for transcon flights (757 from EWR-LGW, you gotta be kidding). Also, they are good on time flights.

AA is a very efficient airline. They only serve snacks (sometimes food) on their longer US flights which is annoying but they are affordable and have a good hub system. They are also usually on time.

USAir sucks. If you can avoid them, do it. They stranded 100,000+ people this past week and they are hardly ever on time (totally with you on that). Their main hubs are PHL (Philly) and CLT (Charlotte) and CLT is awful. There are always 20-30 aircraft in line in front of yours.

Delta (DL) is down there with USAir for me. They're late, ATL sucks, and they lose bags constantly. Their planes are old and dirty and depending on your connection in ATL you get to sit next to some very interesting (sarcasm) people.

[impala454]

I personally think eating a meal on a plane is over-rated (unless of course you have a 15 hr flight or something). you won't find a whole lot of flights within the US that are longer than about 7-8 hours. and I gotta say I have never eaten something on a plane that I thought was even remotely appetizing. if I have a long flight, I'll usually just grab something in the airport or when I get home.

And yeah SW doesn't fly into boston, but everything over there is so close together it doesn't really matter. from where i live in houston it'd take longer to get to bush iah than you would to get from providence (where sw does fly) to boston. even shorter between baltimore and DC. they're practically a DFW metroplex copy they're so close together.

[Hartmann]

I personally think eating a meal on a plane is over-rated (unless of course you have a 15 hr flight or something). you won't find a whole lot of flights within the US that are longer than about 7-8 hours. and I gotta say I have never eaten something on a plane that I thought was even remotely appetizing. if I have a long flight, I'll usually just grab something in the airport or when I get home.

And yeah SW doesn't fly into boston, but everything over there is so close together it doesn't really matter. from where i live in houston it'd take longer to get to bush iah than you would to get from providence (where sw does fly) to boston. even shorter between baltimore and DC. they're practically a DFW metroplex copy they're so close together.

You haven't sat in BOS traffic. It looks close, but it's at least a 1-2 hour car drive. You can fly to Manchester but it's the same situation. Once you are out of BOS proper, there's nothing till you get to Providence, then you gotta deal with that traffic. For people who live there, it's worth it. For those of us renting cars, it's a waste. A note on that option on Southwest.com, they just started putting that option up there, they used to list RI and NH under their own states but they're trying to get more power up there without buying space at Logan. If you're in downtown Boston you can't beat a 5 minute train ride to the airport for $1.

Like I said, CO food is actually pretty good. I had a salad and a chicken sandwich on my last flight, and I was impressed. Eating a meal before your flight isn't always an option and CO does provide decent food. This is especially helpful for those flights that takeoff before or after a meal "time" and land before or after a meal "time". CO food is much better than grabbing McD's and holding it on the plane till your body's clock tells you you're hungry.

[Hartmann]

Oh, I will be trying out CO's F class it looks like in the next few weeks, so we'll see how that goes.

AA's F has nice amenities, so I'm interested to see how CO stacks up (heard good things).

[woody]

http://www.consumerist.com/

[Spectatrix]

The best airline that I've ever been on was Midwest Express (now just "Midwest Airlines"), but I haven't flown with them in over a decade.

[Hartmann]

The best airline that I've ever been on was Midwest Express (now just "Midwest Airlines"), but I haven't flown with them in over a decade.

mmmm warm chocolate chip cookies baked in-flight...

oh, and 2x2 seating.

[GOB]

southwest flies to washington reagan and dulles

[Hartmann]

southwest flies to washington reagan and dulles

Negative. Both Reagan and Dulles are served by ATA (also known as "We crash planes" Airlines)

[GOB]

i know southwest flies into at least one of them, because i was about to book a trip to visit a company in dc, but they were being bitches about paying for it.

southwest only has like 3 locations through ata right now, and i'm pretty sure my dad said they're including hawaii later this year

[Hartmann]

i know southwest flies into at least one of them, because i was about to book a trip to visit a company in dc, but they were being bitches about paying for it.

southwest only has like 3 locations through ata right now, and i'm pretty sure my dad said they're including hawaii later this year

They fly into BWI and they have off and on flights to Dulles. However, it should be noted that the Dulles flights can be served by ATA during the connection at Midway without notice.

[Spectatrix]

mmmm warm chocolate chip cookies baked in-flight...

oh, and 2x2 seating.

I think they started the cookie thing after I stopped flying with them (I flew with them because my dad lived in Wisconsin at the time), but they always had great service and pretty damn good meals.

[Mommy]

Anybody have any experience with Jet Blue yet?

[woody]

nope, shit keeps getting canceled......

[Mommy]

yeah, i heard they were having problems with cancelling flights

[Hartmann]

Anybody have any experience with Jet Blue yet?

I like the TV on the longer flights but they are more suited to LAX-JFK type flights. All one class. Think Southwest with slightly more legroom and TV.

[jonathan83]

um, all USA airlines are shit compared to most other countries, imo.

British Airways = way more classy

and all the Asian airlines I've flown in have SUPER nice flight attendants who are young and beautiful, as opposed to rude 50 year old women who just want to get home (my experience on my AA flight back home from Korea).

Every one of the Asian airlines I've flown in has given meals everytime, and it's very good food (except Japanese JAL was just decent, and Russian S7 didnt serve anything that I can remember and it was a 7 hour flight...that's Russians for you).

These great airlines I'm talking about... Asiana, Korean Air, Thai Airways, China South.

Especially Thai... even sitting in economy feels like 1st class.

[FORSAKENR320]

um, all USA airlines are shit compared to most other countries, imo.

British Airways = way more classy

and all the Asian airlines I've flown in have SUPER nice flight attendants who are young and beautiful, as opposed to rude 50 year old women who just want to get home (my experience on my AA flight back home from Korea).

Every one of the Asian airlines I've flown in has given meals everytime, and it's very good food (except Japanese JAL was just decent, and Russian S7 didnt serve anything that I can remember and it was a 7 hour flight...that's Russians for you).

These great airlines I'm talking about... Asiana, Korean Air, Thai Airways, China South.

Especially Thai... even sitting in economy feels like 1st class.

unless i get a giggling sexy asian chick wiggling in my lap the entire flight, i shall not be impressed

[Hartmann]

Asian Airlines (especially Cathay and Singapore Air) have gotten high marks... Emirates is up there as well.

BA is a gamble. You could get stuck to a dead woman, even if you're in first class.

[jonathan83]

i flew Business class in BA several years ago and it was like heaven.

btw you're right on Singapore Air. I've never flown them but i've got several friends who have and say it's one of the best.

[impala454]

You haven't sat in BOS traffic. It looks close, but it's at least a 1-2 hour car drive.

so you'd rather sit in an airport with bad airline service for 10 hrs? or have three extra connections which add 2-3 hrs onto your flight?

Like I said, CO food is actually pretty good. I had a salad and a chicken sandwich on my last flight, and I was impressed.

if that's the same chicken sandwich and salad i had on continental going to PA a few weeks ago, we must have completely separate tastes... the salad to me seemed like someone just sliced a chunk of iceberg off into a plastic tray. the chicken sandwich tasted like something that'd sat in a school room cafeteria for a few days.

Eating a meal before your flight isn't always an option

no it pretty much is always an option...

i dont mean to pick on ya, but you are telling us one airline is better than another because they serve some shitty food... i'll take an extra few hours off my trip, great service and a lower airfare over a crap sandwich any day.

[impala454]

i flew Business class in BA several years ago and it was like heaven.

hey what is the difference between business class and first class?

[Aaron]

My father is an amateur pilot who reads all sorts of pilot magazines and keeps up with the travel industry just for kicks... apparently, the Russian airlines are borderline-death traps?

[Hartmann]

hey what is the difference between business class and first class?

Not much anymore... Most first is now lie flat beds and a lot more person to FA contact. Business is very much suited to business travelers, power ports, laying beds (not all the way), etc. Better food in both.

[Hartmann]

so you'd rather sit in an airport with bad airline service for 10 hrs? or have three extra connections which add 2-3 hrs onto your flight?

I have never sat in BOS for 10 hours, even for international connections. 2-3 connections? You are looking at a good day in the airport with 2-3 connections with SW depending where you fly.

if that's the same chicken sandwich and salad i had on continental going to PA a few weeks ago, we must have completely separate tastes... the salad to me seemed like someone just sliced a chunk of iceberg off into a plastic tray. the chicken sandwich tasted like something that'd sat in a school room cafeteria for a few days.
no it pretty much is always an option...

The meals are touch and go. Sometimes you will get good ones, sometimes you will get bad ones. Continental owns Chelsea catering, so if you're at a hub your food is much better. I got an iceberg salad with veggies in it and a good dressing.

I am not saying it is the greatest food on the planet but it holds me over during my travel since I do not have time to go searching for food in the airports. Travel for me is billable time, so I don't sit in airport restaurants and bars, I get work done and if I am not working I am usually working out a delay or a connection problem. If I have time, I'll eat, but if I don't, airline food holds me over.

i dont mean to pick on ya, but you are telling us one airline is better than another because they serve some shitty food... i'll take an extra few hours off my trip, great service and a lower airfare over a crap sandwich any day.

I am not saying CO is better because of their food, not at all. The food is not a selling point, just an added bonus. Also, I hate the free seating policy on SW. I always get an aisle seat, usually on an exit row.

[griseyeux]

If a representative of Continental had been willing to give you oral sex in order to compensate for their grievous mistreatment....would you have accepted it? and would it have made you feel better about the airline's customer service?

[Hartmann]

If a representative of Continental had been willing to give you oral sex in order to compensate for their grievous mistreatment....would you have accepted it? and would it have made you feel better about the airline's customer service?

No. Well, maybe... Nah....

All I wanted was a "we're sorry", something I never received.

[jonathan83]

My father is an amateur pilot who reads all sorts of pilot magazines and keeps up with the travel industry just for kicks... apparently, the Russian airlines are borderline-death traps?

well there are always news stories of deadly crashes.

about a month before my trip to Russia last July, there was a Russian plane that crashed on landing in the same airport I was flying into, and 168 people died or something. I was pretty nervous.

When it came to the actual flight, we made an emergeny landing somewhere in either Mongolia or Russia (no idea because nobody spoke English) in some abandoned DIRT FIELD. there was one old abandoned shack (no way it was a control tower) that was falling apart, and there was just dirt around us in every direction i could see. we stayed there 2 hours or so and never knew what was going on... real fishy stuff and i'd probably not do it again. they have a horrible record with deadly crashes.

[schwab]

I have my qualms with all airlines. I am going to be flying heavy United here soon and will be on Emirates before the end of the year (WOO HOO!!) so I'll rate those as well.

Asian Airlines (especially Cathay and Singapore Air) have gotten high marks... Emirates is up there as well.

Having flown emirates for all of my life, I gotta say they are overrated. They used to be the best when they were some of the firsts with teh TVs but it hasnt been all that great in the past couple of years. Their seats are too small, their stewardests can be bitches and all the normal problems.

What will you be flying them for?

Oh yeah, and they try too hard to have gourmet food, that it ends up just not being appetizing. Either way, its way better than US airways.

As far as singapore, when I flew them, I really enjoyed it, they had SNES in every seat...but taht was a couple years ago.

Never fly egypt air, I dont think I need to go into that.

Garuda, in Indonesia, is another sketchy one, but wasnt all that bad

[Hartmann]

Having flown emirates for all of my life, I gotta say they are overrated. They used to be the best when they were some of the firsts with teh TVs but it hasnt been all that great in the past couple of years. Their seats are too small, their stewardests can be bitches and all the normal problems.

What will you be flying them for?

Oh yeah, and they try too hard to have gourmet food, that it ends up just not being appetizing. Either way, its way better than US airways.

As far as singapore, when I flew them, I really enjoyed it, they had SNES in every seat...but taht was a couple years ago.

Never fly egypt air, I dont think I need to go into that.

Garuda, in Indonesia, is another sketchy one, but wasnt all that bad

I get Business on Emirates so I'm hoping for good service. I have to fly to Dubai to do some work in Saudi. I will be staying the weekends in Dubai and working in Qatar and Saudi.

The direct flight out of IAH to DXB will be great, but until then I have to go to Gatwick first. We had a few guys in the office say that they (Emirates) have a new IFE (in-flight entertainment) system and that it's pretty sweet.

Oh, did you guys know you can make seat-to-seat calls with the in-flight systems?

[schwab]

heh nice, if you need some bars or such in dubai you can ask me....

[impala454]

I have never sat in BOS for 10 hours, even for international connections.

well i meant continental (as in your OP talking about bad service).

2-3 connections? You are looking at a good day in the airport with 2-3 connections with SW depending where you fly.

well what i mean is, it seems like the other airlines tend to make connections that are downright stupid. on continental, I flew down to Houston (from Lubbock) before flying to Philly. On AA, they had us connect through DFW to go to vegas. That's 2 hours in the air added to the flight, not to mention downtime in DFW. I didn't have a choice on that trip, as someone else had booked our trip.

just doin a quick lookup on aa.com for lubbock to vegas:
AA has a few options (all go through DFW)- $276 for a 9hr flight, $287 for a 5hr flight, $461 for a 4hr flight, and even a $900 flight (not sure how the hell that one came up).
SW has a flight for $274, 2 hrs non stop
CO has a flight for $464 ~5.5 hrs with 1 stop (in houston!?)

here's another one, lubbock to chicago:
SW = $438, 1 stop, ~5 hrs
CO = $638, 2 stops, ~8 hrs
AA = couldnt even find a flight...

now I totally understand if they don't fly to a specific city you need to go to, but I can see where you'd need to eventually eat on the plane if your trip took three hours longer than it should, simply because the airline is limited in its connections.

Also, I hate the free seating policy on SW. I always get an aisle seat, usually on an exit row.

yeah i guess that's just personal preference... I personally hate assigned seating. I usually get there a tad earlier and snag the emergency exit row.

[Hartmann]

Impala, you are pointing out the distinct difference in how legacy carriers and low cost carriers do business. Legacy carriers rely on their hubs so that they can destinations that SW can't, such as Cattletsburg, KY, somewhere I have to go next week.

Lubbock is a poor choice to do your comparison shopping because it's basically a regional airport with only a few flights to anywhere but Texas destinations (ATA flies to HON out of LBB, btw).

I flew SW out of there simply because I didn't want to fly in the puddle jumper regional jets that CO and AA operate. You notice Delta and United both dropped out of Lubbock... It wasn't a profitable market. People weren't trying to go from Lubbock to Chicago or Lubbock to Atlanta. They were trying to go from Lubbock to Vegas and Lubbock to Albuquerque or Houston. SW is perfect for that situation.

A friend and I flew from Lubbock to Seattle on SW and it sucked. We connected in Las Vegas (after a 3 hour wait), then we lost two hours because of the time change. We could have just flown AA to DFW and got a quick connection to Seattle.

It's 6" one way, half a foot the other.

I think Austin is a better choice for doing price comparisons. You can do United, JetBlue, Frontier, AA, Delta, SW, and Continental out of there and some of them don't have connections.

Also, I'd like to point out that while most of my SW experiences have been good ones, there have been some pretty bad ones as well.

In other news, this is huge for people traveling to Europe: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/200...-approved_N.htm

[impala454]

Impala, you are pointing out the distinct difference in how legacy carriers and low cost carriers do business. Legacy carriers rely on their hubs so that they can destinations that SW can't, such as Cattletsburg, KY, somewhere I have to go next week.

Lubbock is a poor choice to do your comparison shopping because it's basically a regional airport with only a few flights to anywhere but Texas destinations (ATA flies to HON out of LBB, btw).

ok so lubbock is a bad choice, but Cattletsburg, KY is?

You notice Delta and United both dropped out of Lubbock... It wasn't a profitable market.

it wasn't profitable for them, because everybody flies SW

A friend and I flew from Lubbock to Seattle on SW and it sucked. We connected in Las Vegas (after a 3 hour wait), then we lost two hours because of the time change. We could have just flown AA to DFW and got a quick connection to Seattle.

so AA has some kind of magic device that eliminates the time change between lubbock and seattle? and you'd rather add two hours to your flight right up front by going to DFW on the way?

Also, I'd like to point out that while most of my SW experiences have been good ones, there have been some pretty bad ones as well.

well that's understandable, but your thread started with you bitching about CO

I personally have never had any bad experiences with SW. has there been delayed flights? of course, but any airline will have problems with weather and such. if there is a connection, the gates are usually very close together, the seats are bigger, and I can sit where I want. I've sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting for CO to fix the damn plane. with SW only using one plane, it seems to eliminate or shorten these problems. i think it's very smart business (which is pretty obvious by how well they're doing).

[False Dude]

i always fly continental out of lubbock. SW sucks and doesnt even fly to IAH in houston which is the big airport

[Hartmann]

ok so lubbock is a bad choice, but Cattletsburg, KY is?

No, but SW doesn't fly anywhere close except Columbus, USair, Delta, and Continental have directs to airports a lot closer.

it wasn't profitable for them, because everybody flies SW

No, Lubbock isn't a profitable air market, period. SW has a limited presence in Lubbock, it's only appears bigger because they fly one aircraft. I guarantee that if they had a smaller plane in their fleet, it'd be deployed to Lubbock. I've been on SW out of there that were completely empty. Fly out during off-peak times, you'll see what I mean.

so AA has some kind of magic device that eliminates the time change between lubbock and seattle? and you'd rather add two hours to your flight right up front by going to DFW on the way?

It's a 50 minute flight to DFW and the connection is 30 minutes later. So in an hour and 20 minutes, I am in the air on the way to Seattle instead of sitting in Albuquerque for 3 hours waiting. Though, going through Vegas allows you to gamble during your stop.

well that's understandable, but your thread started with you bitching about CO

I will continue to bitch about CO, though I did get an apology this afternoon, written and from a rep over the phone. CO is up and down for me. SW is just a bad choice for cross-country and most business traveling (in my view). If you like being herded for long haul flights, which by the way, usually have to stop in St. Louis or something, then SW is your airline.

I personally have never had any bad experiences with SW. has there been delayed flights? of course, but any airline will have problems with weather and such. if there is a connection, the gates are usually very close together, the seats are bigger, and I can sit where I want. I've sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting for CO to fix the damn plane. with SW only using one plane, it seems to eliminate or shorten these problems. i think it's very smart business (which is pretty obvious by how well they're doing).

SW has its own problems with being late. Oddly enough, CO's main plane is the same as SW, the 737-500. I have sat waiting for a part at Lubbock before too... We waited so long the next flight leaving took off before ours. No company is without problems or mechanical failures and when you fly a wide variety of airlines you realize that.

I disagree about SW's connections, but that's just me.

[Seeker]

let's quit arguing and just agree that all airlines suck because they're run by incompetent boobs

[impala454]

No, Lubbock isn't a profitable air market, period. SW has a limited presence in Lubbock, it's only appears bigger because they fly one aircraft. I guarantee that if they had a smaller plane in their fleet, it'd be deployed to Lubbock. I've been on SW out of there that were completely empty. Fly out during off-peak times, you'll see what I mean.

well no shit lubbock isn't a profitable air market, but the other carriers did pull out because they were less profitable than SW out of lubbock.

It's a 50 minute flight to DFW and the connection is 30 minutes later. So in an hour and 20 minutes, I am in the air on the way to Seattle instead of sitting in Albuquerque for 3 hours waiting.

ok so an hour and 20 minutes later, you're still 50 minutes further to the east . you forgot to include that. and i seriously doubt every single SW flight that direction sits in alb for 3 hours.

you like being herded for long haul flights, which by the way, usually have to stop in St. Louis or something,

wrong again my friend... there's plenty of flights all the way across the country non-stop on SW. from both large and small cities.
check em out here: http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/rou...tml?ref=wwf_fgn
honestly I was surprised by it.. i think SW really is expanding their service nationwide.

SW has its own problems with being late. Oddly enough, CO's main plane is the same as SW, the 737-500. I have sat waiting for a part at Lubbock before too... We waited so long the next flight leaving took off before ours. No company is without problems or mechanical failures and when you fly a wide variety of airlines you realize that.

well flights being late due to mechanical problems vs weather are two different things. i have never sat on the tarmac on a SW flight for more than 10 minutes. i've only flown continental about 8 times, and sat on the tarmac for over 30 minutes at least on half of those flights. maybe it's simply a side effect of SW flying to the smaller airports i dunno.

and as far as flying out of houston, i'd rather fly out of hobby any day. it's much closer to me, and not nearly as crowded.

let's quit arguing and just agree that all airlines suck because they're run by incompetent boobs

ya want more drama ya want less drama... shit man make up your mind

[Mommy]

This is absolutely ridiculous. I think the only reason Chuck (Impala) is arguing with Stephan is because Stephan uses a Mac. Problem solved.

[Seeker]

cue the mac vs. windows debate

MORE DRAMA!!

[Hartmann]

well no shit lubbock isn't a profitable air market, but the other carriers did pull out because they were less profitable than SW out of lubbock.

I would put money on SW not being very profitable out of Lubbock. The catch is that the other airlines weren't profitable to their destinations. If Delta flew to Vegas from Lubbock they'd probably do alright.

ok so an hour and 20 minutes later, you're still 50 minutes further to the east . you forgot to include that. and i seriously doubt every single SW flight that direction sits in alb for 3 hours.

Well when you're finally boarding your plane, I'll be an hour away from Seattle

wrong again my friend... there's plenty of flights all the way across the country non-stop on SW. from both large and small cities.
check em out here: http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/rou...tml?ref=wwf_fgn
honestly I was surprised by it.. i think SW really is expanding their service nationwide.

There are very few non-stop cross country flights from that map... LAX-BWI only two flights are nonstop. Those are 5 hour flights that cross mealtime. Better bring your food on board.

well flights being late due to mechanical problems vs weather are two different things. i have never sat on the tarmac on a SW flight for more than 10 minutes. i've only flown continental about 8 times, and sat on the tarmac for over 30 minutes at least on half of those flights. maybe it's simply a side effect of SW flying to the smaller airports i dunno.

I have been on a lot of airlines and sat on the tarmac with all of them at one time or another. Like I said, I was on a SW flight that left after the next flight out did because of mechanical issues. My girlfriend left HOU late because the flight was late getting in (on SW) just last week.

and as far as flying out of houston, i'd rather fly out of hobby any day. it's much closer to me, and not nearly as crowded.

Hobby is convenient, but if you are anywhere but in the Southwest area, it's dirty and smells awful.

To me this isn't drama, it's the question of flying preference. I can argue timing all day simply because I've tried to book on SW at convenient times and can't get the right connections or the connections take too long. If SW let me choose my connections, I may be happier.

Their (SW) rewards program kind of sucks too... The free liquor coupons are a nice touch.

[Mommy]

cue the mac vs. windows debate

MORE DRAMA!!

[FORSAKENR320]

cue the mac vs. windows debate

MORE DRAMA!!

jessica is a genius


mac users are coffee drinking self-rightious-self-absorbed-ass-hippy-trendy-fucks... with their 1 mouse button bullshit

[impala454]

I would put money on SW not being very profitable out of Lubbock.

i still don't think you caught what i said. i never said any airline in lubbock is profitable. i said the other ones probably dropped lubbock because they were LESS profitable than SW.

Well when you're finally boarding your plane, I'll be an hour away from Seattle

i don't know where the hell you're getting this...

lubbock -> seattle:
best flight time (straight off their websites)
SW: 5:55 (1 stop LAS)
CO: 7:28 (1 stop IAH) (so I can see why you say you need a meal on CO)

There are very few non-stop cross country flights from that map...

LA->philly
LA->baltimore
LA->chicago
LA->nashville
houston->oakland
houston->philly
houston->baltimore
oakland->philly
oakland->baltimore
vegas->pretty much everywhere
phoenix->pretty much everywhere
need i keep listing? maybe you didnt understand the map.

Those are 5 hour flights that cross mealtime. Better bring your food on board.

so let me get this straight.. you can't go 5 hours without eating a full meal? so you eat lunch at noon, you're starving of malnutrition by 5:15 or so? or the 4 or so bags of peanuts they'll give you can't hold you over? geez i'd hate to be on a road trip with you.

I have been on a lot of airlines and sat on the tarmac with all of them at one time or another. Like I said, I was on a SW flight that left after the next flight out did because of mechanical issues. My girlfriend left HOU late because the flight was late getting in (on SW) just last week.

well great then it's a moot point for you, as far as your concerned, all airlines are the same as far as maintinence problems.

Hobby is convenient, but if you are anywhere but in the Southwest area, it's dirty and smells awful.

the airport smells??? not sure what you're talkin about here

To me this isn't drama, it's the question of flying preference. I can argue timing all day simply because I've tried to book on SW at convenient times and can't get the right connections or the connections take too long. If SW let me choose my connections, I may be happier.

or have no connections at all?

Their (SW) rewards program kind of sucks too... The free liquor coupons are a nice touch.

perhaps paying less for every flight is nicer?

[Mommy]

********SNORE*********

For those who travel OFTEN for business, anyone will agree that Southwest is not going to be their first choice.

I like Southwest because I can get somewhere for cheap. I feel like cattle being herded on and off their flights, but its cheap. For now, Ill stick with that because 1) I have a limited income...2) I dont travel often.

[impala454]

For those who travel OFTEN for business, anyone will agree that Southwest is not going to be their first choice.

well that's exactly the notion I'm debating here... i don't get it. would you not want a shorter flight and cheaper ticket if you were on business? obviously you can't go everywhere on SW but if it's available I don't understand why not.

[Seussninja]

My brother travels probably 3 weeks on every month on average on American, He's already Super Uber Ultra Awesome Platinum with them and can basically get First Class on every flight for free I don't know why I stated this but Southwest would be hell to ride business as often as he does with as cramped as they are and as shitty as those DC-10s are

[Hartmann]

i still don't think you caught what i said. i never said any airline in lubbock is profitable. i said the other ones probably dropped lubbock because they were LESS profitable than SW.

You're saying that SW is more profitable, and while I am agreeing I am stating that they are profitable for the simple reason that they are a Texas airline, I wasn't arguing.

i don't know where the hell you're getting this...

lubbock -> seattle:
best flight time (straight off their websites)
SW: 5:55 (1 stop LAS)
CO: 7:28 (1 stop IAH) (so I can see why you say you need a meal on CO)

AA gets me there in 6. LAS has delay problems which adds time onto the SW flight (though DFW lately isn't much better). Again, I am not trying to argue that CO is a better airline, they pissed me off. I was just stating why I don't fly SW that much (and why a lot of corporate people don't). I cannot fly into major business hubs without stopping or sitting next to a 3 yr. old who gets his peanuts all over me. To put it simply, SW is the Wal-Mart of airlines, they just treat their employees better. This doesn't mean SW isn't great in some situations, it just isn't great for all of them.

LA->philly
LA->baltimore
LA->chicago
LA->nashville
houston->oakland
houston->philly
houston->baltimore
oakland->philly
oakland->baltimore
vegas->pretty much everywhere
phoenix->pretty much everywhere
need i keep listing? maybe you didnt understand the map.

Well, considering the only ones on your list that are transcon flights are la-philly (barely), and oakland-baltimore and philly, no not really. The rest of those flights are considered mid-con. They have no SFO-NY area flights direct (important), they have no SEA-BWI flights (somewhat important), and LAX-BOS or LAX-MIA (another important one). Those are transcon flights. Anything that takes off in the middle of the country usually takes 3-4 hours to get anywhere else. So, like I said, they do not have a lot of options to a lot of places that other airlines do. Which brings up another point, SW does not have redeyes.

so let me get this straight.. you can't go 5 hours without eating a full meal? so you eat lunch at noon, you're starving of malnutrition by 5:15 or so? or the 4 or so bags of peanuts they'll give you can't hold you over? geez i'd hate to be on a road trip with you.

I get hungry yes, and a bag of peanuts doesn't hold anyone over. On roadtrips, I bring food, so you wouldn't have to worry about it. I used to drive from Lubbock to Houston only stopping to get gas one time.

well great then it's a moot point for you, as far as your concerned, all airlines are the same as far as maintinence problems.

I was simply making it clear that SW isn't this righteous airline that doesn't have maintenance problems.

the airport smells??? not sure what you're talkin about here

Yes, smells. Go hang out in that food court. I was sitting there on saturday and could barely finish my beer because of the smell of the place. The SW area is nice but everything else is a dump. The parking situation kind of sucks as well.

or have no connections at all?
perhaps paying less for every flight is nicer?

Some flights are cheaper. A lot of flights aren't. I just looked up a HOU-BWI flight and it was more expensive than the AA options. I have watched SW fares increase slowly over the past few months... I am preparing myself for some low fares though as they try to blow Virgin America out of the water and keep them from being profitable.

[Hartmann]

well that's exactly the notion I'm debating here... i don't get it. would you not want a shorter flight and cheaper ticket if you were on business? obviously you can't go everywhere on SW but if it's available I don't understand why not.

No. I want flights that meet my schedule. When I am done on Friday at a client, I want to arrive at an airport, hang out in the lounge, check my e-mail, and relax. I don't want to stand in a 3 prong line hoping to get a decent seat.

[impala454]

Well, considering the only ones on your list that are transcon flights are la-philly (barely), and oakland-baltimore and philly, no not really. The rest of those flights are considered mid-con. They have no SFO-NY area flights direct (important), they have no SEA-BWI flights (somewhat important), and LAX-BOS or LAX-MIA (another important one). Those are transcon flights. Anything that takes off in the middle of the country usually takes 3-4 hours to get anywhere else. So, like I said, they do not have a lot of options to a lot of places that other airlines do. Which brings up another point, SW does not have redeyes.

ok first you said cross country, then you said trans-continental. i don't really see how you wouldn't consider oakland -> baltimore a trans-continental flight, but whatever. oakland->chicago is like 2000 miles, I'd consider that a pretty long flight with no stops. it's obvious that they don't have as many choices as the other airlines, but that's not what you said, you said there was very few, and there really is a lot.

I get hungry yes, and a bag of peanuts doesn't hold anyone over. On roadtrips, I bring food, so you wouldn't have to worry about it. I used to drive from Lubbock to Houston only stopping to get gas one time.

so, you couldn't eat something after you landed? i mean, seriously man you're really bein a puss. i've made that nasty lubbock to houston drive a lot too, same deal, stop in commanche for gas and drive through. that's 8 hrs though

I was simply making it clear that SW isn't this righteous airline that doesn't have maintenance problems.
Yes, smells. Go hang out in that food court. I was sitting there on saturday and could barely finish my beer because of the smell of the place. The SW area is nice but everything else is a dump. The parking situation kind of sucks as well.

ok but now we're getting into airports and not airlines. i've never really noticed any particular smell, but i guess i don't hang around the airport any longer than an hour either. as far as i'm concerned, the quality of the airport comes in a distant second to the location and convienence.

Some flights are cheaper. A lot of flights aren't. I just looked up a HOU-BWI flight and it was more expensive than the AA options. I have watched SW fares increase slowly over the past few months... I am preparing myself for some low fares though as they try to blow Virgin America out of the water and keep them from being profitable.

hmm... i don't know where you're looking, but i just priced one for tomorrow:
SW: $334, non stop, 3:00
AA (shortest flight): $773, 1 stop DFW, 4:35
AA (cheapest flight): $343, 1 stop DFW, 5:05 (obviously worth the insane price difference)

[impala454]

No. I want flights that meet my schedule. When I am done on Friday at a client, I want to arrive at an airport, hang out in the lounge, check my e-mail, and relax. I don't want to stand in a 3 prong line hoping to get a decent seat.

well i guess that's where we differ. i'd rather wait a few extra minutes in a line because i thought ahead well enough to get an A boarding pass, and get a good seat for the next 1-4 hours i'll be on the plane. rather than have some assigned seat that takes nothing into account (i.e. you could end up with a 120 lb 5' 20 year old girl sitting next to you, or a 400 lbs 85 year old grandma that stinks to high heaven). kinda like pot luck roommates imo.

[Hartmann]

well i guess that's where we differ. i'd rather wait a few extra minutes in a line because i thought ahead well enough to get an A boarding pass, and get a good seat for the next 1-4 hours i'll be on the plane. rather than have some assigned seat that takes nothing into account (i.e. you could end up with a 120 lb 5' 20 year old girl sitting next to you, or a 400 lbs 85 year old grandma that stinks to high heaven). kinda like pot luck roommates imo.

But I thought you wanted time to eat... That means you have to take your food to the line with you because if you don't get there an hour before the flight is set to push back you'll be at the back of the "A" line.

My assigned seat does take things into account. On CO I am guaranteed a seat at the front or at an exit row on the aisle. On AA I am pretty much guaranteed First Class or Business. So yeah...

I'll read your other post when I get home. I don't know where you were looking but I just found a roundtrip flight to BWI from IAH for $283 and from HOU for $338, granted from HOU it's a puddle jumper.

[impala454]

I was inferring eating before you go to the airport in the first place. Or eating after you get home. Is it really that difficult?

Ok instead of keeping on saying "i dunno where you're looking" I got the two prices off their actual websites, for a flight on 3/23. I did not see a single flight that was non stop, and I did not look up BWI->HOU, I only looked up HOU->BWI (one way).

I go to http://www.aa.com, leave the default dates (usually the next day it seems), type in HOU to BWI, and click "GO". then I go to http://www.southwest.com and click "book a flight", then choose HOU -> BWI and enter the same dates that were used on the aa.com site. then choose the flight and click next, so it adds in the taxes and crap.

and unless I'm completely blind, I don't see any direct flights from AA, they all go through dallas, or any flights cheaper than SW. it also seems like the further in advance you schedule the flight, the bigger the gap gets between the two prices (w/SW being a lower price).

I'm sorry dude, but unless you get some jollies out of going to DFW, you can't tell me you'd rather pay more, and be in the air for a minimum of 1.5 hrs longer.

[Mommy]

when I fly SW.... I dont ever wait in line for a seat. In fact, even when I have an A boarding pass, Ill sometimes still board with the C's cuz I dont like sitting on a crowded plane waiting for people to get on. I like to spend as little time on the plane as possible. People hate sitting in the middle seat. I dont mind...as long as Im toward the front of the plane so that I can be one of the first off the plane. I always get a seat up front...even when Im one of the last ones to board.

[Hartmann]

I was inferring eating before you go to the airport in the first place. Or eating after you get home. Is it really that difficult?

Ok instead of keeping on saying "i dunno where you're looking" I got the two prices off their actual websites, for a flight on 3/23. I did not see a single flight that was non stop, and I did not look up BWI->HOU, I only looked up HOU->BWI (one way).

I go to http://www.aa.com, leave the default dates (usually the next day it seems), type in HOU to BWI, and click "GO". then I go to http://www.southwest.com and click "book a flight", then choose HOU -> BWI and enter the same dates that were used on the aa.com site. then choose the flight and click next, so it adds in the taxes and crap.

and unless I'm completely blind, I don't see any direct flights from AA, they all go through dallas, or any flights cheaper than SW. it also seems like the further in advance you schedule the flight, the bigger the gap gets between the two prices (w/SW being a lower price).

I'm sorry dude, but unless you get some jollies out of going to DFW, you can't tell me you'd rather pay more, and be in the air for a minimum of 1.5 hrs longer.

Out of HOU yes, it sucks. Out of IAH, it's better. But you are right, the price is better, though the time difference is arguable (I'll leave it at that). And yes, I do get my jollies out of going through DFW. More miles at double the value. At the rate I am going, I will have 4 free international flights by October. And when it's not me paying, I don't care. I want to get there, I want to be treated well, I want my AAdvantage line that has no one in it, I want the AAdvantage and CO Elite security lines that are basically empty, and I want first class.

That may not matter to you, but it does to me because I am in an airplane at ~18 hours a week. Yes, 18. Three abreast seating doesn't cut it when you fly that much. I do not want to have to stand in line an hour before the flight hoping to get a good seat, then ride a train an hour because the airport that I landed at isn't actually in the city I want to go, nor do I want to listen to "funny" flight attendants.

One thing about being fed on planes. One reason that airlines do this that may not be that obvious is time change. On transcon flights they will feed you so that you subconsciously adjust to the time change. Like I said before, I do not have time to grab food on the way to the airport and I am not usually coming from home. I am usually coming from work or from a client and I am at the 1.5 hour threshold of making or missing a flight, so I just want to get to the airport and relax (I think that's the third time I've said that).

And I'd like to go back to the transcon stuff. I said cross-country, which is usually, across the country, not halfway. Chicago and Dallas are middle grounds, not cross-country. Transcon flights are usually serviced by bigger jets (767s and A300s) while midcon flights are serviced by smaller aircraft. I have never flown SW cross-country, but now I might have to, I'm interested to see what a 5-6/7 hour flight is like on them.

All of this said, you and I travel differently because of circumstances. I travel for a specific reason, not for a weekend trip home or to Dallas.

[Hartmann]

I am trying to get a flight from LAX-D.C. Area and the only direct flight is to BWI, but the price is nice, $383 on SW. I can fly from LAX-IAD for $270 on AA, non-stop on a widebody and be closer to D.C.

Since SW doesn't fly from LAX-NY Area non-stop, I can't compare there...

[impala454]

well no shit sherlock. of course you're gonna ride AA first class if your company pays for it. but here's a clue: not everyone has their flights paid for. you can't compare two airlines on the basis that the fuckin tickets are free. geezus. and maybe you wouldn't spend 18 hours in an airplane a week if you traded off your yuppy first class and got a southwest flight that was 1/3 shorter flight.

you see, they've done a great job of making you think you're getting all this great treatment, when the service they provide is second class. oh, here sir, let me treat you like a grown up businessman, and since you feel all tingly inside, that'll make up for the fact that we suck as an airline and can't get you to your destination any faster. give that some thought while you're sipping your beer in DFW and the people on SW are half way to baltimore already.

It's akin to the losers driving around in their 20 year old el dorado with $4,000 worth of wheels.

if you really want to compare airlines, don't come on here and give your first class seats as a reason to use the airline, and then give me an economy price. come on you're smarter than that.

[Mommy]

dear god, Impala. Please stop. You dont know where and when Stephan travels...sounds to me like he makes multiple trips a week so he would probably spend ~18 hours on a plane no matter what airline he choses. Im sure his company wants to get him there and back in the timeliest fashion with the most comfort and convenience for him...which is why a lot of high-paying companies have their employees use American and Continental. JESUS H CHRIST

[Mommy]

if you really want to compare airlines, don't come on here and give your first class seats as a reason to use the airline, and then give me an economy price. come on you're smarter than that.

why wounldnt he compare economy with economy? of course his first-class seats are going to be more expensive. you are saying sw is cheaper....well, uhhh in some cases it isnt. I found super cheap airfare with AA from Dallas to San Fran...about $100 cheaper than SW.

[Hartmann]

well no shit sherlock. of course you're gonna ride AA first class if your company pays for it. but here's a clue: not everyone has their flights paid for. you can't compare two airlines on the basis that the fuckin tickets are free. geezus. and maybe you wouldn't spend 18 hours in an airplane a week if you traded off your yuppy first class and got a southwest flight that was 1/3 shorter flight.

you see, they've done a great job of making you think you're getting all this great treatment, when the service they provide is second class. oh, here sir, let me treat you like a grown up businessman, and since you feel all tingly inside, that'll make up for the fact that we suck as an airline and can't get you to your destination any faster. give that some thought while you're sipping your beer in DFW and the people on SW are half way to baltimore already.

It's akin to the losers driving around in their 20 year old el dorado with $4,000 worth of wheels.

if you really want to compare airlines, don't come on here and give your first class seats as a reason to use the airline, and then give me an economy price. come on you're smarter than that.

Well, let's see, since I have to fly places that SW doesn't fly, I'd be sitting in a car for 20 hours just to get one place instead of using that time to work and bill it. Now, if SW wants to start direct flights to Vancouver or JFK out of the Houston area, I'll fly them, but until they do, I'll stick with the direct ones.

On the basis that tickets are free, the company does not pay for a first class ticket, they pay for economy... I get free upgrades to first class on the basis of how many miles I've freaking flown. So don't try to belittle me and make it sound like I am being haughty. I am stating that I prefer the first class upgrades to the cattle-herding.

[woody]

Fuck this shit...

I'm gonna jump on a forum and argue the living fuck out of airline destination/stops

[Hartmann]

Fuck this shit...

I'm gonna jump on a forum and argue the living fuck out of airline destination/stops

Sweet. I wasn't trying to argue... I originally came here to bitch but somehow that got turned into this...

[impala454]

I am trying to get a flight from LAX-D.C. Area and the only direct flight is to BWI, but the price is nice, $383 on SW. I can fly from LAX-IAD for $270 on AA, non-stop on a widebody and be closer to D.C.

Since SW doesn't fly from LAX-NY Area non-stop, I can't compare there...

are you looking at their websites?

SW: 3/24 LAX->BWI one way = $349.40
2 non stop flights available: starting at 7:50 AM 4:50 travel time

AA: 3/24 LAX->BWI one way = $749.40 economy seating
3 non stop flights available: starting at 9:10 AM 4:45 travel time

and, according to google maps:
IAD -> dead center D.C. = 30.8 miles
BWI -> dead center D.C. = 33.1 miles

[Mommy]

Well, let's see, since I have to fly places that SW doesn't fly, I'd be sitting in a car for 20 hours just to get one place instead of using that time to work and bill it. Now, if SW wants to start direct flights to Vancouver or JFK out of the Houston area, I'll fly them, but until they do, I'll stick with the direct ones.

On the basis that tickets are free, the company does not pay for a first class ticket, they pay for economy... I get free upgrades to first class on the basis of how many miles I've freaking flown. So don't try to belittle me and make it sound like I am being haughty. I am stating that I prefer the first class upgrades to the cattle-herding.

OH SHIT OH SNAP.... Q: DOES THIS MEAN STEPHAN HAS JUST WON THE ARGUEMENT BECAUSE HE GETS A FIRST CLASS TICKET UPGRADE FOR AN ECONOMY PRICED TICKET THEREFORE DISPUITNG IMPALA'S "COME ON, I KNOW YOU ARE SMARTER THAN THAT" COMMENT



A: YES



yup, I can 100% see why he uses other airlines.

[impala454]

Sweet. I wasn't trying to argue... I originally came here to bitch but somehow that got turned into this...

give me a fucking break. you always say this shit when we argue "oh blah i wasn't tryin to argue". if you weren't tryin to argue you wouldn't have kept following it for the past day and a half.

OH SHIT OH SNAP.... Q: DOES THIS MEAN STEPHAN HAS JUST WON THE ARGUEMENT BECAUSE HE GETS A FIRST CLASS TICKET UPGRADE FOR AN ECONOMY PRICED TICKET

too bad he had to fly a shitload of more expensive flights to get it

[Hartmann]

give me a fucking break. you always say this shit when we argue "oh blah i wasn't tryin to argue". if you weren't tryin to argue you wouldn't have kept following it for the past day and a half.
too bad he had to fly a shitload of more expensive flights to get it

No, again, don't say things you don't know. I flew flat economy (cheap tickets) for a ton flights to get the status I have with AA.

[impala454]

yeah and the economy AA is more expensive than the SW

[Hartmann]

are you looking at their websites?

SW: 3/24 LAX->BWI one way = $349.40
2 non stop flights available: starting at 7:50 AM 4:50 travel time

AA: 3/24 LAX->BWI one way = $749.40 economy seating
3 non stop flights available: starting at 9:10 AM 4:45 travel time

and, according to google maps:
IAD -> dead center D.C. = 30.8 miles
BWI -> dead center D.C. = 33.1 miles

Again, I said I could fly into IAD direct, it's closer...

Oh, and if 2.3 miles isn't a big deal to you, look up the train system from BWI to DC vs. IAD to DC. There's a difference. And you must have uber-Google that adds mileage, because according to my map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&...0.6427&om=1 it's only 27.4 miles to D.C. proper from IAD.

The train from BWI is nicer than the system from IAD but IAD is quicker.

[impala454]

well considering i'll get there 1.5 hrs earlier for $400 less, I'd think the difference is minimal.

[impala454]

And you must have uber-Google that adds mileage, because according to my map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&...0.6427&om=1 it's only 27.4 miles to D.C. proper from IAD.

and you must have some backwards ass brain or something because, when I touch down and get off the plane, I start at the airport and go to D.C. not the other way around.

[Hartmann]

and you must have some backwards ass brain or something because, when I touch down and get off the plane, I start at the airport and go to D.C. not the other way around.

Zoom in the map... It starts you before the entrance if you do IAD-D.C. ugh

[Mommy]

*DOH*

god damn this is dumb

[impala454]

Zoom in the map... It starts you before the entrance if you do IAD-D.C. ugh

no, it has you going down a one way street from down town when you go d.c. -> iad which apparently shaves off 3 miles. fuckin a man.

[Mommy]

so we are wasting time arguing about wasting time, right?

[impala454]

hey its my last day at work, i got all the time in the world to waste time

i'll be back for more later

[Hartmann]

One thing before I reply to anything else...

I just looked on AA.com and there is no non-stop flights from LAX to BWI but you list three.

Use May 1 as the travel date. That's better pricing since I don't usually book tickets the day before I fly.

And that brings up another point. We use Expedia Corporate to book travel, which is cheaper than booking through the airlines. SW isn't in Expedia for some reason... Neither is JetBlue...

[Mommy]

hey its my last day at work, i got all the time in the world to waste time

fair enough. im bored here at work. nothing to do except a shit ton of data entry that I have been putting off since Feb 28th. Maybe I should do that?

[Hartmann]

no, it has you going down a one way street from down town when you go d.c. -> iad which apparently shaves off 3 miles. fuckin a man.

Either way, it doesn't matter because the train(s) go under the freaking city...

[Mommy]

One thing before I reply to anything else...

I just looked on AA.com and there is no non-stop flights from LAX to BWI but you list three.

Use May 1 as the travel date. That's better pricing since I don't usually book tickets the day before I fly.

And that brings up another point. We use Expedia Corporate to book travel, which is cheaper than booking through the airlines. SW isn't in Expedia for some reason... Neither is JetBlue...

yup, expedia is where i got my nifty cheap American Airlines flight to San Fran

Either way, it doesn't matter because the train(s) go under the freaking city...

*giggle*

[impala454]

Either way, it doesn't matter because the train(s) go under the freaking city...

the point is, it's giving an approximate distance from the airport to the city, which you're claiming is soooo much closer

[impala454]

I just looked on AA.com and there is no non-stop flights from LAX to BWI but you list three.

ah, yeah I screwed up. which is funny, because it actually makes AA look even worse. the LAX->BWI on SW was correct, I accidentally listed the AA flight from HOU->BWI instead of LAX->BWI. here's the correct data:

so if you needed to get from LA to Baltimore/DC area tomorrow morning:
SW: 3/24 LAX->BWI one way = $349.40
2 non stop flights available: 4:50 travel time
AA: 3/24 LAX->BWI one way = $989.80
no non stop flights available, shortest flight is 6:35 travel time

Use May 1 as the travel date. That's better pricing since I don't usually book tickets the day before I fly.

oh, so business people don't need flights on short notice ever?

ok, May 1st, 5/1 LAX->BWI one way
SW: $193.40 non stop flight 4:50 travel time
AA: $203.80 1 stop in DFW 6:15 travel time
US Airways(Expedia): $173 1 stop in charlotte 6:55 travel time
AirTrain(Expedia): $184 1 stop in atlanta 6:33
AA (Expedia): $208 1 stop in DFW 6:15 travel (lawlz same flight from the AA site for $5 more)
United (Expedia): $213 1 stop in Chicago 6:54

And that brings up another point. We use Expedia Corporate to book travel, which is cheaper than booking through the airlines. SW isn't in Expedia for some reason... Neither is JetBlue...

so, do you not think that if you had a similiar corporate account through southwest that you'd get good deals as well? I mean, you say "well I found a better deal through our corporate blah blah blah than the southwest general website". That much is obvious, and doesn't lead to a good comparison of price.

[Mommy]

so, do you not think that if you had a similiar corporate account through southwest that you'd get good deals as well? I mean, you say "well I found a better deal through our corporate blah blah blah than the southwest general website". That much is obvious, and doesn't lead to a good comparison of price.

yeah, but expedia also includes cheap hotel for a package price.



now, I know that Southwest has a travel planner thing, but when I was using Southwest vacation package pricing vs. Expedia.... Expedia came out way cheaper.

[woody]

jessica,


weren't you just saying how dumb this argument was....

now your joining in....

[Mommy]

WOODY, SHUT YOUR EL PASO ASS UP



Im bored. it is stupid.

[The Fanatic]

This debate is worthless

OPINIONS AND PREFERENCES, END OF STORY!

[GOB]