Airlines

[TxRover]

6 hours ago, Molotov said:

Planning a trip to USA next year to visit 3 cities San Diego-San Fran-Las Vegas...

Happy to hear from the P&B massive as to what your preference would be on USA international and domestic airlines they would use on such a trip. 

 

4 hours ago, MP_MFC said:

As for US carriers I’ve not personally used any other than AA who were fine but by all accounts jet blue and southwest are great, the legacy carriers are hit and miss and the likes of Spirit and Frontier should be considered worse than Ryanair. 

US Carriers are a mixed bag of confused fares.

First, as you are used to in Europe, look closely at what each fare covers…the introduction of what many of the legacy carriers (Delta, American, United) call “Basic Economy” allows a lower advertised price, but it include only one carry-on, and the charges for the first checked bag quickly eat up the difference when added to the fee to choose a seat between the Basic Economy and Main Cabin/Economy.

Note that all the major airlines have subsidiaries and affiliates that fly the smaller jets/props, and they often have less legroom and smaller carry-on capacity. On that note, also know that carry-on sizes are NOT a standard, and the more budget airlines sizes are often an inch or two smaller in most dimensions…and can be very strict.

Who is whom:

American, Delta and United are the old mainline carriers. Generally run a hub and spoke service around the country to major airports, so knowing who bases out of places you are going can reduce connections…on the California/West Coast area the hubs are American, Delta and United all at Los Angeles/LAX, American at Phoenix/PHX, Delta at Salt Lake City/SLC and Seattle/SEA and United at Denver/DEN and San Fransisco/SFO. Usually have decent leg room.

Southwest is the semi-mainline big carrier, with a more decentralized route network, focusing on cities like Oakland/OAK, Los Angeles/LAX, Las Vegas/LAS, Denver/DEN and Phoenix/PHX. No reserved seat, boarding based upon when you check-in, starting 24 hours before flight time, with an option to pay to check-in as easily as possible. Again, decent legroom.

Alaska and JetBlue are the midsized entrants that don’t focus heavily on costs, and a route network with focus versus hubs. Alaska is all over the West Coast, Seattle/SEA, Portland/PDX, San Francisco/SFO, San Jose/SJC, Los Angeles/LAX and San Diego/SAN. JetBlue is thin out west, with just Long Beach/LGB. Leg room tends to be similar to the other above.

Then you get to the budget airlines…

The upper portion is Frontier with Denver/DEN and Las Vegas/LAS. Cramped and fee laden.

Hell is Sun Country and Spirit. Terrible leg room, if they thought they could make you paid to use the bathroom, they”d charge you. Think EasyJet, with Scrooge doing the accounting and such. Both focus on Las Vegas/LAS.

 

Assuming you have large suitcases, I’d skip any of the budget airlines. Southwest allows a checked bag with all fares, and while their price advantage has eroded quite a bit, they are still not a bad experience after you get the hang of their check-in and boarding process…plus Southwest serves more of the secondary airports in areas that are sometimes easier to get into and out of. On the West Coast, always look at “nearby airport” options, because using Orange County/SNA or Burbank/BUR can be cheaper than LAX sometimes…and more convenient.

[O_Kahn]

9 hours ago, Molotov said:

Planning a trip to USA next year to visit 3 cities San Diego-San Fran-Las Vegas.

Departure airport will be Paisley International.

I’m more than happy to look at all options as I know I will need a connecting flight. So I don’t mind getting my transatlantic connections via Reykjavik, Amsterdam  Dublin, etc rather than London. 

I use Google Flights and other such tools to look at flights times and costs. 

I don’t bother with inflight meals or entertainment so that’s not a concern. 

Happy to hear from the P&B massive as to what your preference would be on USA international and domestic airlines they would use on such a trip. 

Thank You. 

We flew Icelandair for our trip to the US 10 years ago.  They were fine, but bear in mind almost all their planes are still Boeing 757s, and fairly old (due to be replaced in next 3 years).  Some people find 8 or 9 hours on a narrow-body plane a bit much, even if you're not fussed by meals and seat back TVs.  

Southwest and Delta were fine for us domestically, suspect United and American would be similar, as long as you watch the hold baggage restrictions.  As mentioned, I would avoid Frontier/Spirit unless you are saving a daft amount of money.

Other tip - don't do a day trip to Yosemite from SF, it's too rushed.  Muir Woods and Sausalito was more fun.

 

[O_Kahn]

19 hours ago, Flybhoy said:

Anyone on here flown with Air France before?
I'm off to Madrid with them on Monday and wondered if you are crammed in like Ryanair/EasyJet, being relatively tall/big I tend to boom extra leg room seats with them, what are AF like for legroom/space ?

Yes, similar to BA, 31 or 32".  

Watch your connection at T2 in Paris, can occasionally be a ballache if not within the same part.

[Flybhoy]

7 hours ago, O_Kahn said:

Yes, similar to BA, 31 or 32".  

Watch your connection at T2 in Paris, can occasionally be a ballache if not within the same part.

I have a 4 and a half hour stopover on the way out, land at terminal 2f and depart from 2e..... should be fine but only 90 minutes between flights and the same terminals at CDG on Thursday coming home so that might be tight but, reading there is a train every ten minutes which takes 8 minutes or something?

[O_Kahn]

22 hours ago, Flybhoy said:

I have a 4 and a half hour stopover on the way out, land at terminal 2f and depart from 2e..... should be fine but only 90 minutes between flights and the same terminals at CDG on Thursday coming home so that might be tight but, reading there is a train every ten minutes which takes 8 minutes or 

2E and F are fine. 90 mins should be no bother all being well. 

 

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

On 03/11/2023 at 06:29, Molotov said:

Planning a trip to USA next year to visit 3 cities San Diego-San Fran-Las Vegas.

Departure airport will be Paisley International.

I’m more than happy to look at all options as I know I will need a connecting flight. So I don’t mind getting my transatlantic connections via Reykjavik, Amsterdam  Dublin, etc rather than London. 

I use Google Flights and other such tools to look at flights times and costs. 

I don’t bother with inflight meals or entertainment so that’s not a concern. 

Happy to hear from the P&B massive as to what your preference would be on USA international and domestic airlines they would use on such a trip. 

Thank You. 

Try and fly in and out of San Diego or Las Vegas. SD is a smaller airport but still has plenty options in terms of connecting through, southwest has the best fares in terms of value and includes checked luggage mostly. Try and avoid LAX, immigration queues are mental. Either that or go with Aer Lingus and pre clear customs in Dublin. Im not a big fan of the US carriers transatlantic, Virgin, Aer Lingus or BA are actually better, avoid KLM. San Diego was my favourite city in the states but we went again in June and were quite shocked at how run down its become and actually felt unsafe walking about, same with downtown LA, you’re fine in Beverly Hills/ North Hollywood. 

[Molotov]

10 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Try and fly in and out of San Diego or Las Vegas. SD is a smaller airport but still has plenty options in terms of connecting through, southwest has the best fares in terms of value and includes checked luggage mostly. Try and avoid LAX, immigration queues are mental. Either that or go with Aer Lingus and pre clear customs in Dublin. Im not a big fan of the US carriers transatlantic, Virgin, Aer Lingus or BA are actually better, avoid KLM. San Diego was my favourite city in the states but we went again in June and were quite shocked at how run down its become and actually felt unsafe walking about, same with downtown LA, you’re fine in Beverly Hills/ North Hollywood. 

Wow.
It was due to previous feedback on here that I was quite keen to visit San Diego rather than some of the other more famous locations around there. Thank you for sharing. 

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

Just now, Molotov said:

Wow.
It was due to previous feedback on here that I was quite keen to visit San Diego rather than some of the other more famous locations around there. Thank you for sharing. 

I would have been one of the people raving about it. SF and SD have quite a big homeless population now, now im not being a snob, not sneering at people, but to explain why i found it unsafe is due to the fact you’ll be walking down the street and getting hassled by people quite aggressively asking for money and the fact that many people with profound mental health problems are left on the streets, often in crisis and some behaving in a paranoid manner, so it can feel a bit unsafe in that regard. I get its not these individuals faults they find themselves there. Places like Torrey Pines, Encinitas, Carlsbad and the kinda ‘trendy’ neighbourhoods in South Park etc in San Diego are fine, and honestly really cool places to walk about but id genuinely avoid downtown unless you were dropping off in an Uber and getting picked up after, which is a genuine shame cos the Little Italy district is fantastic. I’d not say dont go at all, just know its not like anything you’ll have seen anywhere else.
 

We were with our 5 year old so i cant speak for the late night feel of the place. I love vegas, i challenge anyone to say they cant find something they enjoy there, go for a decent hotel. 

[MONKMAN]

I did Vegas to San Francisco last summer. Flew to Vegas via Heathrow on BA and have no complaints. Hired a mustang and drove to San Francisco via Death Valley. Stopped off at June lake in Sierra Nevada mountains for a night, then Yosemite for 4 nights camping on the valley floor. Incredible place. 
 

Flew from San Francisco to Toronto on AA to visit my mate, then eventually back to Glasgow via Heathrow on BA. All flights were booked through BA as multi city trip. 

[TxRover]

6 hours ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

I would have been one of the people raving about it. SF and SD have quite a big homeless population now, now im not being a snob, not sneering at people, but to explain why i found it unsafe is due to the fact you’ll be walking down the street and getting hassled by people quite aggressively asking for money and the fact that many people with profound mental health problems are left on the streets, often in crisis and some behaving in a paranoid manner, so it can feel a bit unsafe in that regard. I get its not these individuals faults they find themselves there. Places like Torrey Pines, Encinitas, Carlsbad and the kinda ‘trendy’ neighbourhoods in South Park etc in San Diego are fine, and honestly really cool places to walk about but id genuinely avoid downtown unless you were dropping off in an Uber and getting picked up after, which is a genuine shame cos the Little Italy district is fantastic. I’d not say dont go at all, just know its not like anything you’ll have seen anywhere else. 

Not to be cynical, but nearly any U.S. downtown is described pretty well by that summary. Some are better than others, but the hollowing out of the Urban areas has continued, despite attempts to gentrify and reoccupy with condos in the towers. Depending on the time of year and time of day, your experience can vary greatly…and it also varies depending on tourist attractions. The local police almost always patrol heavily the touristy spots, reducing confrontations there…but for a European used to walking a bit, going a couple of blocks from that area will put you outside the police presence and you’ll see a lot more of what ICR reports. In the U.S., a car point to point is what is “expected”, and should generally be what you do., unlike most of Europe. The walks from the parking lots to the attractions tend to be patrolled, often by private security.

Spots like downtown Vegas and NYC tend to have a larger patrolled area and less hassle, so walking around more is viable. That being said, it’s not that there’s a massively elevated danger, it’s just that the touristy looking folks WILL be targeted by those homeless and those with mental issues as easier marks to get some cash from.

The hot spots for problems right now are Portland and San Francisco…with immigrant issues developing in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. San Diego has both issues, in varying quantities.

[welshbairn]

Loganair stopping flights from Inverness to Birmingham and Dublin which is annoying. Hopefully it's not a sign of more trouble ahead.

[Hawk89]

Have to say I was quite impressed with the hard product on offer from Delta (both international and domestic) this time around. They are still running their ageing 767-300s into Edinburgh which are slated to be retired in 2025. Some airlines (looking at you BA) would let aircraft like this age and just carry out reactive maintenance. Delta however, have refurbed them all over the past couple of years to ensure the product is still fairly fresh and modern. You can see a marked difference between the speed of the IFE systems on the 767 and their 737MAX aircraft, but it still comes with all the same features (bar Live TV).

For 6hrs between EDI-JFK the product is absolutely fine and the flights seem to leave/arrive early most days. I reckon if we are doing America again (before 2025) we'd look to book this route over what would normally be my preferred option of KLM from Glasgow as the seat config on this aircraft type is also great if travelling as a couple (2-3-2). They'll likely replace this route with an A321NEO or 787 which means you'll always be stuck in a 3 sadly. The only downside of the flight times on the way home is that it leaves JFK just after 10pm, they then run a full meal service for about 90 minutes before dimming the cabin lights, they bring the lights back up again about 90 minutes before landing to serve breakfast. On a 6hr flight you don't get alot of rest. 

On the domestic leg between Tampa-JFK the 737Max had the added benefit of live TV (there were about 15-20 channels) so it was great being able to watch some college football on the way South and basketball on the homeward leg. Inflight service on both legs was brilliant and the crews very attentive. Inflight Wifi is free for messaging services (text only, no images or gifs etc), and like most carriers you'll need a mortgage if you want one of their paid packages. 

[TxRover]

Heathrow T5 coming in from Edinburgh on BA, will that likely be an A Gate, and how’s the travel time to T3 for an AA flight.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

Need about 1 hour if cases are booked through. Closer to 2 if need to rebook cases. 

[2426255]

On 06/11/2023 at 18:36, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

SF and SD have quite a big homeless population now, now im not being a snob, not sneering at people, but to explain why i found it unsafe is due to the fact you’ll be walking down the street and getting hassled by people quite aggressively asking for money and the fact that many people with profound mental health problems are left on the streets, often in crisis and some behaving in a paranoid manner, so it can feel a bit unsafe in that regard.

I wasn't expecting that when I visited San Diego, but I'd have to agree. I had the unfortunate experience of being approached by a drug dealer trying to aggressively sell to me in a public place, on the corner of a random street no-less - just like in the films.

Looking back on it now, the place where I went had a gentrified feel to it - think Finnieston.  

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

Was looking for a holiday for October, prices in the BA sales were shite £2400 for 3 to get from Gla-MCO/TPA, managed to get the flights Edi-MCO with Delta much cheaper, doing a connection in Boston so be interesting to see how that goes never flown Delta transatlantic or international before. 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Inanimate Carbon Rod

[TxRover]

2 hours ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Was looking for a holiday for October, prices in the BA sales were shite £2400 for 3 to get from Gla-MCO/TPA, managed to get the flights Edi-MCO with Delta much cheaper, doing a connection in Boston so be interesting to see how that goes never flown Delta transatlantic or international before. 

Most of the blogs talking about such seem to rate Delta pretty well. I just hate them for losing luggage a long time ago. On that note, given recent luggage fiascos in the U.S., I’d strongly recommend something such as air tags in your checked baggage for the trip.

At Boston Logan, beware the walkway from Terminal E (International Arrivals) and Terminal A (Delta Domestic), as it’s outside security…and Logan’s security can be slow to get through. Delta offers an airside shuttle from A to E, keeping you inside security…but its times are limited and they are apparently only now trialing the E to A option…it may or may not be an option. I hope you have a decent connection time.

Also, if you are a “returning Visa Waiver Program traveler with approved ESTA” you can download and use the MPV (Mobile Passport Control app) that might help streamline your entry.

[O_Kahn]

It won't be of interest to everyone, but Ryanair have now started selling "official" package holidays via Loveholidays.  https://www.loveholidays.com/holidays/ryanair.html

Third party sellers (like on the Beach) have previously sold them but without Ryanair's agreement, which sometimes led to issues if Ryanair changed their schedule and managing the flight booking.  The baggage/ancillary fees through some of these websites also seemed to sometimes be even more extortionate than it would have been through Ryanair directly.

The example below is Aberdeen-Faro next month.