Airlines
 

There is probably a thread about this somewhere but I have noticed a few people who are really into air travel and think it would be a good discussion. There are probably people who are more expert than me on this and have more experience in air travel than I ever will. Also as someone who wants to book flights for my mother to come from Manchester in the not too distant future what airlines should I avoid at all costs? I personally like BA I think they do everything just a little bit better than the US based airlines and as such I would be willing to pay a bit more to fly with them, I also have a soft spot for Aer Lingus, but I haven't flown with them transatlantic yet but I have always been impressed with there customer service on the occasions I have flown with them. I am not a fan of United, they are OK in the Air but on the ground they aren't great.

Re: Airlines
 

Flying back home, I stick to BA and Virgin, with a preference for BA. There is quite a large thread about flying home elsewhere.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=815229

Re: Airlines
 

Honestly, a lot of it has to do with where you are and who you can fly direct with (if indeed you can). From Houston, my direct choices are pretty much BA/United. I used to like Continental but now will avoid United wherever possible.

For the most part, unless you're making a stop somewhere on one and not the other, I've found the prices to be fairly comparable.

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In my experience the best flights from Manchester have either been by BA changing in Heathrow or by US Airways changing in Phillie.

Re: Airlines
 

I personally am not to bothered by stops, at DFW the only two direct to Heathrow are BA or American then I get a connecting flight to Dublin (Belfast is Closer but Dublin is cheaper and just as handy to get too and from unless you like in Templepatrick or Antrim Town) so I would have a stop anyway. The only time I ever started a transatlantic flight flight from Belfast was the first one when I took the Continental flight to Newark and then connected to Nashville, I was young and inexperienced, nowadays if I was flying back home I would go via Dublin.

Re: Airlines
 

I will bare that in mind, though I am wondering is there any options from Liverpool available? She lives in St Helens so there isn't much difference either way.

Edit: Actually I just looked and the answer is no without it being very expensive and a load of stops

Re: Airlines
 

Manchester airport always seems to be full of Scousers in their full kit so I wouldn't have thought so anyway

Re: Airlines
 

Aer Lingus is putting on a new daily flight from Bristol airport to Shannon, with connecting flights to the USA. The beauty of connecting through Shannon is that there are US Immigration and Customs officers based there (similar to in Canadian airports), so passengers are pre-cleared before boarding the sector from Ireland to the US mainland ie. it's like arriving on a US domestic flight. My mum did it a few years ago from Birmingham UK/Shannon/Newark NJ but sadly they no longer fly from NJ:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/ar...t-cut-U-S.html

There are some Winter sale fares on right now with Aer Lingus for travel from Jan to March 2014:

http://www.aerlingus.com/en-US/home/index.jsp

(The last time I flew out of JFK Terminal 4 with either Virgin Atlantic or Singapore Airlines it was the same terminal as Aer Lingus.....it was *very* loud at the bar near the boarding gate with all the Irish passengers lol! :lol:

Re: Airlines
 

BA are nice, but not nice enough for the price difference - at least in cattle class. I'm a FF with Delta and have always had pleasant flights - although others despise them.

Ultimately whoever you go with your stuck in a metal tube for 10 hours.

Re: Airlines
 

We've flown Aer Lingus twice transatlantic. Nothing fancy about them, to me they're like the rest. My mil has flown over here several times now, she's used BA and different American carriers. I don't think she's ever said one was better than the other. She just climbs in her seat opens a book and doesn't look up till she's there. ;):D

Re: Airlines
 

I have been a big fan of Aer Lingus in the past but right now I'm in "never again" mode with them as they lost my bag when I flew back on Saturday and I won't be getting it until tomorrow morning (hopefully).

I fly with EI to use the US pre-clearance at DUB, but it occured to me on Saturday that as JFK has a dedicated immigration line for LPRs and I'm usually the only person in it, I might as well fly direct with BA. I really don't like Virgin Atlantic - a triumph of hype over substance if you ask me.

I would add that the only US airline that I've found tolerable is AA, but not from MAN with the nasty old, cramped 757s they have on that route.

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Yes - United is nowhere near as good as Continental was - it's a shame that they merged.

Re: Airlines
 

In the back of the bus they are all the same, at least to Europe. Now some of the Asian carriers are in a different class, but sadly not an option to UK.

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FIFY :D

Re: Airlines
 

Isn't that the truth! :D