My Three Favorite Airlines

My three favorite airlines are harder to determine these days, as they all seem to be competing for bottom spots. I used to like United allot, but they have been a disappointment for some time. When I was growing up in Atlanta, I thought Delta was the real airline, Eastern was second rate (turns out that was an understatement), and everyone else didn't even count. When I lived in Charlotte in the late '80's, Piedmont was great. Then it because USAir, then USAirways, then a struggling airline like many others.

In full disclosure, in addition to the above, and not counting the baby carriers (Delta Connection, etc.), I have flown American, Continental, Jet Blue, Midwest, Air Tran, ATA, Alaska Air, Southwest, Northwest, Air Canada, Aero Mexico, Mexicana, LOT, TAP Air Portugal, SAS, ANA, Qantas, Porter, Lufthansa, LuxAir, VRG, BMI, Aer Lingus, Virgin Airways, Air France, Swiss Air, British Airways, KLM, and I'm sure a few others I am forgetting right now. I have had elite status at some point on Piedmont, USAirways, United, American, and British Airways. This doesn't take into account defunct airlines like TWA, Eastern, Pan AM, etc.

Now for the top three.

Number three is American. They have generally clean planes, they tend to nickel dime you a bit less than United, and have good routes. They generally are competitive with their pricing. The flight crews, as you would expect with any large airline, are all over the map (no pun intended!). That said, they are generally better rather than worse, as are their gate agents. Their loyalty program is fair, and they seem to somewhat truly value their loyal travelers. I don't get terribly excited about American, but I don't feel the need to change either. They are my default airline for US domestic travel. That said, they may get international travel better than some (like United or USAirways), but there are others they don't match, such as BA or ANA or Qantas.

Number two is Porter Airlines. If you don't travel to Toronto from a Porter location, then there would really be no reason to know them. If you do, then there is no reason not to know them, or fly them. They have a unique deal going. They fly all new, roughly 80 person prop jets. They are smooth, clean, and comfortable, Their flight crews are better than most buy a long shot. But the killer is that they fly in to Billy Bishop ("Island") Airport instead of Pearson. Flying into Pearson is tedious, not to mention remote. Island Airport is located in the bay next to downtown Toronto. You literally take a ferry about 100 yards to get from the airport to the ground access point. I fly between Chicago and Toronto all the time, and it's great.

Number one, British Airways. I love BA. I have been a gold card holder for 10 years, and with all of their hierarchical recognition (royalty and all), that seems to mean more with them than elite status on many other airlines. They really get international travel. Really. The flight crews are almost always fantastic. Not always, but almost. The planes are generally outfitted better than most. Business Class ("Club World") sets the standard in my books for what business class should be. True 180 sleepers. Superb service. Excellent food. The arrival and departure lounges are the real deal. The lounges, especially the main lounge in Terminal 5 at Heathrow, are spectacular. And to make this personal, the ground staff in Chicago, my real window into BA, sets the standard for ANY travel industry participant, not just airlines. They are great, but the true embodiment of service is through two of their top people on the ground, Marcia Curtis and especially Judy Way. I love them both. When we sold my last company and I drastically slowed my trips between Chicago and London, I was probably more disappointed about not seeing Marcia and Judy more than most of the people I worked with. Judy is the best I have ever known. On the down side, BA tends to be more expensive. In my role with a small company, I have to be very, very judicious about where I draw the lines. I mostly fly coach (and I will take BA coach over others as well). When the price is within striking distance, I always opt for BA, believing that the extra money is justified by the better flight and the importance of that, once on the ground in terms of productivity. And yes, I really believe that. After millions of miles, some things start to sink in.

Honorable mentions go to Jet Blue, ANA, and Qantas.

Safe travels.

Monday Morning at Midway

I fly out of Midway in Chicago when going to Toronto because I like Porter Airlines and the fact that they fly into Island Airport in downtown Toronto as opposed to Pearson, which is pretty far out. I feel going out of Midway instead of O'Hare is a small price to pay. Here is the exception: flying out on an early flight on a Monday morning during Spring Break. Today it was by far the worst I had ever seen. The security line went, literally, out into the parking deck and curved back inside. The escalators going down to the security line were shut down. It was a nightmare, and I have no doubt that many people missed their flights. For people on non-refundable spring break flights with their family in tow, that's so bad. It's not like it's great for anyone. Since I almost always get to the airport early, I actually made my flight, but barely. So if you are going out of Midway on any Monday morning, go early. If it's during Spring Break, you might want to camp out the night before.

Safe travels.

My first flight on Alaska Air

There are very few airlines i have not flown, so when I fly one that is new to me, it's always interesting. Lat week I flew Alaska Air from Chicago to Seattle. For starters, the flight was completely full. Good for them. The first thing I did was to look at the airline magazine in pocket in front of me to see if they would a show a movie on this 740 pm, almost 5 hour flight. Good news, you can actually watch a movie. Bad news, it is available via the $12 rental of their "digiplayer". To quote their own magazine, "this little handheld marvel had the ability to keep you entertained the whole flight with new release movies, sports, great tv, destination information and more". In other words, it's what you get on most airlines for free, on a device that you pay $12 to use. Put one in the negative column for Alaska.

They boarded the flight early. Good for punctuality. Not so good for people like me, who got there early, then went to the bar to watch my kids friends on TV playing in the state championship hockey game. They said it would board at 710. By 709, they had already called all passengers. So much for the schedule, although I generally like prompt boarding.

Still, aside from what's noted above, they were pretty good. The flight crew was nice. The plane was clean. I got there in one piece. And as far as the "digiplayer", anyone who flies allot on business probably has an iPad anyway, right?

What exactly is this blog and why am I writing it?

I consider myself an experienced business traveller. I'm not sure what really qualifies, but I have been traveling extensively for the better part of the last 30 years. I've seen so many planes, so many hotels, and thankfully, a few less rental cars. That said, cabs, trains, and the New York Subway and the London Tube are also part of my native habitat.

I started a travel blog because I travel nonstop and thought I could add something. I was torn because part of me wanted to write about the hilarious things I saw, mostly nonsensical, about how crazy travel can be. Then again, part of me wanted to write about travel tips, like the little things about which lane to get in or where to have the taxi drop you off at Heathrow. And part of me wanted to comment on the travel industry at large - the macro trends that suggested that the bad behavior and humiliating experiences of today might just be paradise compared to the expectations of tomorrow, or something like that.

My son Patrick, whom I view as a (truly) accomplished and well trained writer, suggested that my blog had no real focus or direction. While what I posted might have a faintly amusing tone - on occasion - there was no real ethos of what I was doing. He's right. I was rambling, and confused about what I wanted to write. And not because I lacked ideas, but because I lacked structure and focus. As a parent I can only say it is both exhilarating and annoying when this type of thing happens. Damn kids.

So here is my plan. I still travel nonstop. I feel I have something, while hardly profound, to comment on about business travel. I do it all the time, and am not completely stupid or clinically dead, therefore am bound to pick up a thing or two along the way. I am going to write this blog from here forward as if I were a business traveller reading the blog. I will post more frequently, with shorter blogs, mostly tips, and a comment or two thrown in about good or bad service from this or that airline or hotel or rental agency.

Sorry it took a while to figure this out, and thanks Patrick for your honest and astute observations about my blog. I love you, but wait a week before coming for dinner.

Safe travels