You're Favorites and Why

[T-Bird76]

So after last weeks heated debate on why Delta sucks (settle down Chris :wink: ) I wanted to start a thread on you're favorite company's to travel with and why. The key is why, don't just list them but give us reasons. The list can include Airlines, hotels, cruise lines, car rental companies, resorts, just about anything travel related. I'll start, and no this isn't a thread to bash other people's choices.

Airlines

American
Why....
-Huge route network.
-Good access from NYC Airports.
-DFW hub.
-Excellent over the phone customer service.
-Easy to navigate website with many useful features.
-AAdvantage program is generous with miles and easy to earn elite status.
-Elite status offers generous promotions and privileges.
-Most of the fleet has new cabins and extra large overheads.
-Domestic F class still offers hot meals on short flights.
-Coach has new comfortable seats with adjustable headrests.
-Powerports on all planes.
-Good codeshare alliance.

Southwest
Why...
-Low fares
-Simple, efficient operation.
-Close to home (ISP).
-You earn free tickets very quickly with Rapid Rewards.
-Free drinks with every Rapid Reward ticket.
-Easy website to navigate one's account.
-Great customer service.
-Great on time record.
-Good domestic route network.
-Good FFP partners.

United
Why…
-Star Alliance network
-Eco Plus
-Great buy on board meal program
-PS Service
-DEN Hub

Horizon
Why...
-Fantastic customer service.
-Speedy baggage handling.
-Free beer and wine on all flights.
-Comfortable new planes.
-Good legroom on the props.

Hotels

Hilton's
Why...
-Huge network of brands
-HGI (Hilton Garden Inn) offers the same level of service as a full serve Hilton.
-Hampton Inn's are all the same worldwide, never a surprise.
-Free high speed Internet.
-Free cooked to order breakfast.
-Gold and Diamond status gets me free upgrades to suites.
-Exclusive Diamond telephone line.
-Generally good rates.
-Consistently good customer service over the entire brand.
-GREAT BEDS.
-Double Dip in the Honors program for Hilton points and airline miles.
-Diamond and Gold members get 25% and 50% more bonus points per stay.
-My way preferences for my hotel stay.
-Online check in and room selection.

Car Rentals

Avis
Why...
-Preferred service means I don't wait on line.
-Avis First program earns me free weekend rentals for my personal use.
-Avis First programs upgrades me to an SUV or a luxury car when I rent an intermediate.
-Airline miles with each rental.
-Avis First phone number.
-Drop off and go, never have to wait for the car to be checked back in.

[mirrodie]

American
Why....
-Routes suit my needs.
-Great access from NYC Airports.
-Easy to navigate website with many useful features.
-Most of the fleet has new cabins and extra large overheads.
-Domestic F class
-Powerports on all planes.(depnds on seat)
-AAdvantage Program and One World Alliance.

[PhilDernerJr]

Airlines:

Southwest:

- Leather seats are comfy
- Beer
- I don't feel guilty sitting in the front row in t-shirt and jeans with my foot on the bulkhead 5 feet up.
- ATA Codeshare

ATA:

- Gorgeous planes
- Comfy leather seats
- Fair-priced Business upgrades with decent service
- WN Codeshare

Midwest:

- Great Business class service
- 717s are SO quiet
- Cookies

US Airways:

- Has BOS shuttle service/agreeable schedule
- Nice Business Class service
- Ryan Spellman
- Matt Celmer
- Ron Peel

Hotels:

Sheraton:

- Great beds
- Consistently modern and clean looking

Doubletree:

- Dark wood decorations
- Friendly employees
- Cookies

[T-Bird76]

Oh I forgot Midwest! I only fly them to MKE but they are great! Oh Phil, Double Tree is a Hilton owned hotel...glad you like ;) I think I know what to get you for X-mas this year..."cookies." LOLOL

[nwafan20]

Airlines:

NORTHWEST:
-Best route network out of DTW (duh, DTW=largest hub)
-Always good, conistant service
-Brand new awesome McNamara terminal
-no lost luggage yet
-Friendly Flight attendants
-fairly cheap fares out of DTW
-WorldPerks a good program
-Skyteam
-The good ol' DC-9!

Southwest:
-Cheap fares
- Friendly service
- (used to have) best boarding policy
- open seating
- fairly generous on snacks


Rental cars:

Hertz:
-Good prices
-little waiting for a car
-able to choose the specific car you want online
-good discounts
-"quick drop off" just pull into one of the lanes and leave the car w/ the keys and leave

[SoPictureThis]

Airline:

Royal Jet
- comfy leather couches
- pre-flight lamb shawarma appetizer
- flight attendants sometimes show a little ankle


Hotel:

Ritz Carlton
- many locations across the globe
- suits seem very spacious, particularly when you are the only guest occupying the top floor
- spAAAAA


Car:

chauffeur
- Mercedes S series gold plated limousine
- never really have to wait
- stylish hat accompanies driver's uniform!




- jMay

[N790SW]

Airline:

Royal Jet
- comfy leather seats
- pre-flight lamb shwarama appetizer
- flight attendants sometimes show a little ankle


Hotel:

Ritz Carlton
- many locations across the globe
- suits seem very spacious, particularly when you are the only guest occupying the top floor
- spAAAAA


Car:

chauffeur
- Mercedes S series gold plated limousine
- never really have to wait
- stylish hat accompanies driver's uniform!




- jMay


Josh You forgot to list why you luv WN =P

Southwest Airlines

Just look at my signature and my avatar and my user name and that says it all!!!!


I AM THE SPIRIT OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES!!!! :D

[Alex T]

Airlines:

American Airlines
-One of the largest network out of STL
-2nd easiest to redeem using miles
-MD80's!!!
-DFW Hub is one of my favorites to connect through
-intl, a nice alliance, domestically, could be a bit stronger
-The Credit Card makes it so easy to gain miles on pretty much everything
-Fairly easy to upgrade with

Southwest Airlines-
-Best customer service I have experienced
-Great in flight service in coach
-efficient and very informative
-best airline and easiest to redeem your award for
-free alcohol with every free flight (award tickets)
-Boeing 737-700!
-Excellent Interior

Hotel-
Hyatt
-EXCELLENT BEDS
-great room service
-clean pool
-excellent meal choices

Alex

[Nycfly75]

Airlines:

Alitalia:
Mamma AZ has brought me back and forth to Italy for 32 years and has NEVER failed me.
Flying Magnifica Class
Speaking Italian brings me extra care and attention.
Skyteam
The rush of honor and Italian pride I feel knowing I am on an Alitalia aircraft.


Delta:

Expanding Route Network Serves My Domestic and Certain International Needs
Skymiles (47K and counting!)
New AVOD being rolled out on a increasingly younger fleet
They will be king at JFK soon with a great new home ;)
Skyteam
Chris Weyer

[Nonstop2AUH]

Josh that is hilarious, esp. the shawerma, are you sure you aren't one of my old friends from Abu Dhabi because you pretty much summed up their tastes right there....

[adam613]

Josh that is hilarious, esp. the shawerma, are you sure you aren't one of my old friends from Abu Dhabi because you pretty much summed up their tastes right there....

If you want good shwarma, boy do I know a place...it's not too far from LGA...it's kosher though, so it isn't open on Saturday...

[mirrodie]

Hotel:

The W Hotel and Sheraton Hotels of SPG.
-Comfy beds and great rooms
-Beautiful decor esp. with the W hotels.

Car:

Just about any will do.

[kc2aqg]

This is a really interesting thread Tommy! It's great to read other people's opinions, especially fellow business travellers.

Airlines:
Delta
- Good routes out of JFK and can get anywhere with one connection in ATL, CVG, SLC, or LAX
- Comfortable aircraft with one of the best PTV IFE systems (in my opinion)
- They have always taken care of me in bad situations (i.e. delayed flights, cancelled flights, screwed up itineraries)
- I have a buddy in reservations who fixes my skymiles account whenever it is broken
- I have elite status with them and +50K miles
- Skyteam has a great bunch of carriers, meaning if Delta can't taken me where I want to go, someone else can and I can still earn miles (unlike BA/AA now to London...)

jetBlue
- No RJ's to upstate NY (come to think of it, no RJ's at all!)
- Extremely friendly crews (not had a bad one yet)
- Very comfortable aircraft and PTV's are a plus
- Reliable service - I can count on their commitment to safety and customer service
- David Neeleman is one of my few business idols
- David Neeleman was extremely kind to my grandmother and I several years ago

Hotels
Marriott
- Consistent product across their different brands & locations
- Friendly, customer-focused service
- Concierge lounge
- Marriott rewards program earns a lot of points when you're an elite, and you can use them for a lot of reward stays
- Platinum status

Hilton
- Excellent bedding
- Very friendly service
- Rewards program lets you "double-dip" hotel points and airline miles
- You can earn status based on number of nights, number of stays, OR number of points (any of the three categories that meet their minimum for elite status will qualify you, which means it's easier to earn status than in other programs)

Cars
Hertz
- Good selection of different vehicle models
- Good customer service (a "how can I help you?" attitude)
- Good points program

[Nonstop2AUH]

I don't travel as much as I used to, but I find that it's extremely difficult to generalize about airlines and hotel chains because in both cases, they are not 'standardized' in the way that, say, retail chains or fast food restaurants are. This is why brand loyalty has to be fostered largely through the mechanics of the mileage/points programs. In my experience, I've found there are just too many different factors and variables to say that in terms of quality, any one brand is definitively the 'best' or 'worst.' In fact, I've had good and bad experiences with every single airline and hotel chain I've ever dealt with, so I've concluded that my favorites (at any given time) are the ones where my good experiences have outweighed the bad. I am quite sure, however, that more people have at some point in their travels muttered "this is the worst airline ever" than they have thought "this is the best!"

[jakbar]

Hotel:

The W Hotel and Sheraton Hotels of SPG.
-Comfy beds and great rooms
-Beautiful decor esp. with the W hotels.

I recently had the occasion to stay at the W in Chicago (the one near the Sears Tower, not Lakefront), and that was an awesome hotel. You're right about the decor...it was unlike anywhere I've stayed before. Their "Whatever, Whenever" service was also really good.

I also really enjoy the Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton on business travel. The service at those hotels, particularly the Four Seasons, is truly second to none.

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

Airline:
AirTran Airways
-Flies to airport nearest my house.
-Uses only full sized Jets to all airports they serve.
-Easy/Easier to Connect in ATL.
-Lower fares.
-Frequent flier program.

[hiss srq]

Airline
USAirways
-Hometown carrier
-Fly for free
-Service to SRQ
-Service to SJU
-Fun crew members
-Envoy Class


Delta
-Florida service
-Great service
-Pay almost nothing to fly with them
-Good crews
-Always get first class when available
-They serve Fresca!
-Excellent snack selection
-Mile High Mojito's!!!!!!!


Hotel
Hilton
-I can claim I spent a night in Hilton and maybe even in Paris
-points
-Great employees

Crusie Lines
Carnival
-Always a party
-Foods pretty good
-The girls that work on those ships and magnificent and from eastern Europe

Royal Carribean
-My former classmate Mike from Jamaica's dad is a captain with them
-Above has gained me some sweet discounts on cruises
-Girls!


Vehicles
-Range Rover
It is a British SUV
-My first experince behind the wheel was in one (thanks dad)
-Comfort


Cities
-SXM self explanitory

-SJU GIRLS!
-SRQ Home and friends plus the beach is killer
-SGU lived there for a time
Close to Vegas
HOT chicks/Downside- most are married
-DCA Nations capitol

[Iberia A340-600]

Airline:

Air France

- Multiple flights from JFK with convenient departure and arrival times.
- Large network around the globe.
- Relativity cheap fares to connecting destinations in Europe for example Madrid.
- Great customer service.
- Very nice facilities at Charles De Gaulle.
- Great in-flight service, food, entertainment system.
- New and comfortable aircraft.
- A bookable upper deck on the 747-400.

Continental

- Large network from New York.
- Great millage program.
- Serves good meals on domestic flights.
- Comfortable seats.
- Nice terminal at Newark.
- Relatively new fleet.

[AAGold]

Interesting read. Noting those that have commented, from today's road warrior to the infrequent flier, and the preferences they have indicated. Having spent over thirty years on the road as a frequent traveler I definitely have my opinions and they are ...

Domestic Air - American Airlines
I was probably one of the first customers to earn elite status with AA. It was back in 1981 (I think) when the AAdvantage program was only about a year old. I have been an AAdvantage Gold member ever since, and (for the most part) it hasn't disappointed me throughout the years. One of the benies of being elite were the frequent upgrades to First Class, in fact, I flew First Class almost all the time. In the early years the upgrades were automatic. If there was a seat available and you were elite status they'd announce your name and bump you up automatically. That alone made it worthwhile. And, being First Class the service was top notch and quite different from coach. I qualified for AAdvantage Gold year after year and when they changed the program to introduce the new Platinum levels they acknowledged the amount of travel I did by making me a Lifetime AAdvantage Gold member. So I never have to worry about qualifying each year. That's great since I stopped my business travel several years ago, but I still enjoy the benefits.

International Air - Singapore Airlines

What can I say? When Anne and I flew them they were wonderful.

Hotels - Marriott

If it has the Marriott name that's generally where I am. Whether it's a Courtyard, Residence Inn, Marriott or JW Marriott, the service and amenities are superior to most other chains.

Cars - Hertz or Avis

The service is excellent and the cars are generally in good shape.

Art

[Smartass Flyboy]

Hotels:

MGM Grand - LAS
The pools, love the pool complex
Love the atmosphere
Club Embarcadero Pacifico - PVR
The entertainment and activities staff
The location, right on the Marina you have the best of both worlds.
Hilton Brands
Always seem to have a brnad that suits my needs in the location I need. Whether it's the Hampton Inn in New Albany just across the bridge from Louiseville and a short drive from Caesars Indiana, The Hamton Inn attached to the Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs (hey is anyone noticing a pattern here?), the Doubletree in Key West just around the bend from the joint with the great Cuban sandwiches, or the Hilton right on Tumon Bay with great pools and well secluded hot tubs (just ask some DTW based NW crews) on Guam they always have just the level of property I want in the location I need.

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

The only time I flew International was on Delta, they weren't horrible. ATL-YVR/YVR-ATL

[stuart schechter]

Airline


Hotel
Hilton
-I can claim I spent a night in Hilton and maybe even in Paris
-points
-Great employees


God, that is so wrong!!!!

[Delta777LR]

My Favorate airlines are

Delta: because they are the biggest airline in the USA that flies to most of europe and destinations to Africa, Middle East and Asia from JFK and Atlanta and yes most of the International flights are from JFK. I like the New Colors, but the widget is my all time favorate.. And My first collectable model when i was 10 years old was a Delta MD-11

Lufthansa: is my 2nd favorate airline because they have a nice mix of widebody planes and my father got me into that airline from when he flew to Frankfurt on that airline alot.

korean Air: is my 3rd favorate mostly bacause of the wonderful sky blue color with the blue whit and red ying yang on the fin. I showed my friends pictures of Korean Air and they think of it as a Pepsi plane because of the ying yang lol