Iberia, Altalia or AA

[vacationhappy]

Hi -

 

I have begun looking at airfares from the US to europe next July. July is the only time we can travel due to our hectic schedules so I kow we will pay a premium but it is our only option for the forseeable future.

 

It seems that Iberia, Altalia and American are the three airlines right now trying to sell seats - their prices are below all of their comeptitiors by a couple of hundred dollars.

 

All three are having problems (as well as many other airlines). We have not flown any of these in the last 4 or five years so we don'thave any recent experience. Does anyone have an opinion on whether we should book flights on any pf these airlines or should I sit tight and see what the fares do in the fall? Is one better than the other? The fares are still over $1200 per seat so I don't think they are a "deal" yet. BTW - I am not sure there are any deals...

[Philob]

Altalia filed for bankruptsy protection last week if that is a concern.

[Keith1010]

I use American Airlines often. While I am not thrilled with USA airlines these days I would book with them over the other two you menioned. And, I would use them over many other USA airlines including ones such as Delta and United. In my opinion, American will still be around in the long term.

 

Keith

[operafan]

I use American Airlines often. While I am not thrilled with USA airlines these days I would book with them over the other two you menioned. And, I would use them over many other USA airlines including ones such as Delta and United. In my opinion, American will still be around in the long term.

 

Keith

 

I agree completely. We've flown to Europe many times and AA has been much better than any of the other airlines we've taken. You might check their partner, British Airways. We've also had a good experience with them .......

[Globaliser]

Altalia filed for bankruptsy protection last week if that is a concern.

Yes - Alitalia's future shape and direction are very much anyone's guess at the moment. For more information, see the main Alitalia thread here.

[SelectSys]

... It seems that Iberia, Altalia and American are the three airlines right now trying to sell seats - their prices are below all of their comeptitiors by a couple of hundred dollars.

... Does anyone have an opinion on whether we should book flights on any pf these airlines or should I sit tight and see what the fares do in the fall? Is one better than the other? ...

 

My only direct experience is with AA and all things considered still view them as a reasonable option for coach travel. The seat pitch is reasonably good for coach 32"+. The 777's have OK IFE for people other than "gamers" and the 767's (no individual IFE in coach) are fairly small which makes it easy to get on and off the plane. You'll also need to spend $6 to buy each alcoholic drink.

 

Depending on where you are going, especially Spain, it could be that the AA flight will be code shared with Iberia as AA and IB are both OneWorld partners.

 

In terms of timing, it seems that oil prices are stabalizing for the near to mid term with more down side market potential. This may keep airfares from rising further and perhaps they might fall some so you can probably wait a bit and see what happens. Note that any sales this fall will most likely be for fall/winter travel.