Bottom line though… if you insist on buying cheap tickets, then you get what you pay for and complaining is really a ‘mute’ point! It;s you’re own fault

So, on two of those occasions, when I was wearing my suit during my flight, I was upgraded to first class, simply because I was a well-dressed guy, and because they had ample room in first class.

That happened to me two different times on American Airlines. It never happened on Delta, though. Then again, it never happened on United or Continental, either. Nor on Southwest, and I like Southwest.

All domestic flying in the U.S. sucks, with the exception of Southwest. Of course, I have never flown Alaska Air, Jet Blue, or some of the other small carriers.

I have flown Delta MANY times to Asia. I have also flown to Asia, and elsewhere internationally, on United, NWA, Continental, and American. American is the best for overseas flights, BY FAR, in my opinion. HOWEVER, that being said, American totally sucks compared to other international carriers, like Korean, Singapore, Malaysian, and Cathay Pacific.

Two months ago, I flew to Asia on Delta, flying on one of the old NWA airplanes. Delta bought NWA and never bothered to do ANYTHING to fix those dilapidated airplanes. I have never flown to Asia on a plane that did not have tv screens built into the headrests, nor with headrests that lacked the head-support adjustable wings. The planes were dirty, with wall panels and other cabin pieces breaking loose all over the place, the bathrooms were filthy and not stocked with paper towels, my armrest was broken, making the 14-hour trip that much more uncomfortable, the video signal on the screen was blurry at best, my headphone jack didn’t work, my wife’s remote didn’t work, so she couldn’t hear anything and could not change channels or turn on her light, etc. The plane was visibly falling apart throughout the cabin. It was totally embarrassing to be an American, on a U.S. plane full of Asians, and having the most out-of-date, dilapidated airplanes on the international airline circuit. Philippines Airlines is rated one of the worst airlines in the world, and their planes are in far better shape, and they are terrible in comparison to other international Asian carriers.

I honestly cannot imagine anyone consistently experiencing good service and a quality flying experience on Delta. Like Tim, my stats are terrible with Delta, and I have flown them dozens of times over the years. It has been one bad experience after another.

They also used to have a terrible web site (and it still may be. It’s been a long time since I last used it.), and until recently, their automated phone system for checking departures and arrivals was absolutely horrific. They have recently fixed it, but before they did, it was the worst of them all, among the big three U.S. carriers. That is one of the areas where AA really shines. Their automated phone system for checking flights is the best of them all.

As disappointing as AA is much of the time, I still think they are the best of the big three U.S. carriers (AA, Delta, United). I am really glad I live in Dallas for that reason. I can get direct flights to almost anywhere in the U.S., as well as to half of the world, and AA is substantially better than Delta and United in virtually every category, and they still suck!

I wish Cathay would open a domestic branch in the U.S. Wouldn’t that be great? Or Malaysian, perhaps. They have fantastic food and great-looking stewardesses. So does Korean. Hmmmmmm . . . . What a great idea. One of those companies should come over here and compete directly with the U.S.’s domestic carriers. That might just shock them into competence. Of course, it is probably illegal for a foreign airline to come here and do that, and if so, that would be TOO BAD. Competition is the great equalizer and corrector of markets and industries. That is the fundamental problem among the U.S. airlines, in my opinion. More competition is clearly needed.