Who do you think has the best first class domestic flights and why?

[Zach1213]

Yes you have and enjoy flying first class because the company definitely should send you first class. Happy flying and sailing.

 

I wish they sent me first class! Alas, only business. But it's still nice!

[lovevacadays]

These days, every job has its pros and cons. Sometimes I like to travel, but most of the time it's a pain. 30+ off the clock, missing out on family and friends events, and sitting in conference rooms where it doesn't matter if it's Melbourne, Cape Town or Wichita.

 

I'm 28 and started my job at 22, with my first international business trip at 23. It was great...now, it's just part of the job. I just booked a ticket yesterday for a project in a few weeks in Melbourne. I'm excited to go, sure, but it's over 30 hours door to door each way, 95% of which are off the clock, and I'm doing about 65 hours total travel roundtrip for 145 hours in country. But it's a good job that pays well, so I do it.

 

One perk I get is that they send me business class. It's the least they could do. As a result, I have great frequent flier status, get domestic upgrades almost every flight, and get my honeymoon in Thailand next year for $0 in flight and hotel cost (aside from some taxes and fees). Again...I've earned that.

 

Zach, I really don't travel for business as much as you by any stretch of the imagination. Or to the places you are going. Mine is all US travel. But, I do relate to the fact that business travel does include so much time off the clock. A necessary part of the job but not always fun. I'm with you in that I have a good job that pays well so i can't complain at all.

 

Lucky you in that they send you business class. I would say from what you have posted that you do, indeed, deserve it. The only time my company flew me first class was when I was back in our corporate office in Wisconsin and I received a call that my mom was going to pass within a day or possibly two. My company couldn't find a standard fare that would get me home and on my way to my mom in a very short time so they booked me on a first class flight. When I get frustrated with the company I work for, I try and remember that they do have a heart as they got me to my mom in great time and had to pay for a first class ticket to do so. BTW, I loved flying first class. First and only time I've done it so now I want to fly first class whenever I can.

 

Zach, curious - what do you do for a living?

[Zach1213]

Zach, curious - what do you do for a living?

 

I work in aerospace engineering. Mostly training related. Civil and military.

[room010]

Any flight in any class on any airline is only as good as the flight attendants and their attitude IMO. Our best experience was in coach on a busy United commuter flight from DC to Orlando full of extremely rude and cranky passengers but the most immaculately turned out, polite, smiling, cheerful FAs for whom nothing was too much trouble. It was a pleasure to fly United on that occasion.

 

The worst was a recent "first class" (ha!) United flight from San Francisco to Anchorage in a decrepit, dirty (I wont even begin to describe the WC :eek:) old 737 with broken seats, lousy food and drink, no entertainment system and scruffy, snarling, eye rolling FAs who could barely conceal their contempt and impatience. The flight was due to continue to Chicago afterwards and I pity the poor souls who were unlucky enough to be on it.

[kenish]

I work in aerospace engineering. Mostly training related. Civil and military.

 

If it's a major avionics company, Olathe pretty much narrows it down to 2. :D

[6rugrats]

The worst was a recent "first class" (ha!) United flight from San Francisco to Anchorage in a decrepit, dirty (I wont even begin to describe the WC :eek:) old 737 with broken seats, lousy food and drink, no entertainment system and scruffy, snarling, eye rolling FAs who could barely conceal their contempt and impatience. The flight was due to continue to Chicago afterwards and I pity the poor souls who were unlucky enough to be on it.

This was an old CO plane and crew.

[Zach1213]

If it's a major avionics company, Olathe pretty much narrows it down to 2. :D

 

Shhhhhhhhhhh

 

:p

[ducklite]

This was an old CO plane and crew.

 

I had an equally surly FA on UA 20-some years ago. She was the straw that broke the camels back after multiple incidents with them and I haven't flown them since.

 

CO got scratched off my list the night that I was told to "just take my seat" with a 400 pound lady taking half of it for me." I was told that there was nothing the FA's could do about it because "Continental doesn't discriminate against persons of size." Um then they discriminate against skinny people. Either way, when i called HQ to complain the next day they had an equally bad attitude. I donated about 80K FF miles to Make A Wish and haven't stepped foot on one of their decrepit heaps since then. That was about seven years ago.

 

Maybe they don't care about losing one passenger, but considering I've put ~500K miles BIS on US metal since 2006, perhaps they should.

[room010]

This was an old CO plane and crew.

 

I wasn't going to include the crew in my "decrepit" description but now you mention it........ :D

[SkystheLimit]

I wasn't going to include the crew in my "decrepit" description but now you mention it........ :D

 

That old decrepit crew may save your life one day. Don't discount age and life experience.

[kenish]

I was told that there was nothing the FA's could do about it because "Continental doesn't discriminate against persons of size." Um then they discriminate against skinny people.

 

On a related note, the FAA has banned seat belt extenders that are not provided by the airline and certified for use on the model of aircraft. This makes total sense; I was always amazed that "bring your own" were allowed.

 

Airlines will have to carry more extenders, provide them at the gate for free or for a fee, or bump oversize passengers if there aren't enough extenders.

[ducklite]

That old decrepit crew may save your life one day. Don't discount age and life experience.

 

I think the reference was to the equipment, not the FA. At least that's how I read it.

[ducklite]

On a related note, the FAA has banned seat belt extenders that are not provided by the airline and certified for use on the model of aircraft. This makes total sense; I was always amazed that "bring your own" were allowed.

 

Airlines will have to carry more extenders, provide them at the gate for free or for a fee, or bump oversize passengers if there aren't enough extenders.

 

I can't wait to hear the howling. What they should do is have a tick box at the point of booking for those who will need an extender. Those who don't bother to check it will be the ones IDB, as they will be able to plan ahead for the others.

 

I suspect that there will extras stored near the gate area for the rare time that they might need more than one.

[nobog]

Google Seinfeld episode 2292

 

Jerry is in first class and Elaine is in coach.

 

Now, FC might not be exactly that but coach is not that far off.

 

Great episode.

 

JK

[personnext]

You could ask 50 people this question, and you would get 50 different answers for 50 different reasons.

 

Times are pretty tough in the airline business, everything is getting cut back. This has led to a tremondous amount of griping amongst frequent flyers and First Class Flyers. Just go over to FlyerTalk for some juicy examples.

 

Disagree. Amongst domestic carriers, most people will tell you AA has the best domestic first class. It has cut back far less on first amenities than the others and maintains the most generous meal sizes and meal windows - with flights even slightly less than two hours still being served a full, hot meal.

 

It's funny though, because most people would probably tell you AA is at the bottom of the pile for its coach service and amenities.

[CruiserBruce]

Disagree. Amongst domestic carriers, most people will tell you AA has the best domestic first class. It has cut back far less on first amenities than the others and maintains the most generous meal sizes and meal windows - with flights even slightly less than two hours still being served a full, hot meal.

 

It's funny though, because most people would probably tell you AA is at the bottom of the pile for its coach service and amenities.

 

And you think, in bankruptcy, AA will maintain these these benefits?

 

Have flown extensively for many years. Have never heard a strong consistent statement that AA is the best. As implied in my post, yes, have heard some good things about AA. But not a dominant statement. Personally, haven't flown AA in awhile.

[Zach1213]

Anyone who thinks United, Delta and American are all that different in coach is crazy. They're all the same.

[Jetdriver787]

Of course "domestic" happens outside of the US as well. ;)

[personnext]

And you think, in bankruptcy, AA will maintain these these benefits?

 

Have flown extensively for many years. Have never heard a strong consistent statement that AA is the best. As implied in my post, yes, have heard some good things about AA. But not a dominant statement. Personally, haven't flown AA in awhile.

 

AA will absolutely maintain them. AA has actually been improvung service since BK began. In addition to keeping its higher than average meal standards, it is launching a brand-new domestic coach and first product early next year with new seats and in-seat TVs.

[waterbug123]

Disagree. Amongst domestic carriers, most people will tell you AA has the best domestic first class. .

 

Hmmm, I'm not aware of any across-the-board opinion that AA is best for domestic first......what is your source for "most people?"

[PaulMCO]

United (ex- CO metal) has been flying their 757's with Lie Flats in FC on domestic routes from EWR and IAH. They are NICE!!!

[Fattony]

I found it varies widely by plane. For example, MD-80 with AA has no in-flight entertainment, while UA 737 had Direct TV . We've flown Delta, AA, UA and US first class domestically, though not extensively. Not a great deal of difference, and one was anywhere near as good as international bis or international bis-first class. In our experience.

[ducklite]

And you think, in bankruptcy, AA will maintain these these benefits?

 

Have flown extensively for many years. Have never heard a strong consistent statement that AA is the best. As implied in my post, yes, have heard some good things about AA. But not a dominant statement. Personally, haven't flown AA in awhile.

 

American is going to end up owned by US Airways and those perks will be gone.

[ducklite]

United (ex- CO metal) has been flying their 757's with Lie Flats in FC on domestic routes from EWR and IAH. They are NICE!!!

 

Are they teh 180 degree lie flats or the 165-170 degree lie flats? Big difference.

[Gardyloo]

And you think, in bankruptcy, AA will maintain these these benefits?

 

Have flown extensively for many years. Have never heard a strong consistent statement that AA is the best. As implied in my post, yes, have heard some good things about AA. But not a dominant statement. Personally, haven't flown AA in awhile.

 

AA needs to remain as competitive as possible.

 

As I stated earlier in the thread, this is really a "how long is a piece of string" argument. Airlines' first class products vary hugely across their aircraft types, specific routes flown (and competition on those routes,) the time of day, etc. I fly ~100,000 miles a year (most years) and have had either Platinum or Executive Platinum elite status on AA for the past decade. I wouldn't say AA's FC is the best on any of the runs I frequent, because I don't know what the others offer.

 

As I said before, for seat comfort and IFE on domestic mid-haul and short-haul flights, Virgin America is my personal favorite hands down. But their routes are not extensive, so that's not an option for many city pairs.

 

AA's MD-80s are relics (though not as long in the tooth as the DC-9s that Delta got from NW) but are being phased out rapidly, as are AA's old "SlAAveship" 757s. But even aside from the lack of IFE, the FC seats on the Mad Dogs are pretty comfy, and service is often very good on those AA flights, so I wouldn't generalize.

 

None of US Airways domestic narrow-bodies have IFE of any kind either, but I'd choose AA's planes over those any day.

 

But that's on routes that I fly. If I were a LAX-JFK commuter I'd have a lot wider choice, with lots more amenities, because that route is the preeminent transcon for several airlines, who have to compete with one another.

 

American is going to end up owned by US Airways and those perks will be gone.

Did you buy your crystal ball at Costco? I'd probably look at the warranty.