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Does it matter what airline you travel with?

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Thanks for these. Just been reading some of the PIA reviews and some people have ticked not to recommend just for things like bad food haha. To be honest I'm not bothered about food and stuff. I just want to feel safe and for it to be on time.

Prices are coming up as around £300 single to NY yet if I check with somewhere well known like Virgin it's £1000 single! Insane difference :frown:

Very little difference between the airlines tbh, especially on those factors you state, and especially on long haul flights where the standards tend to be universally pretty good. One thing i would say though is to check reviews beforehand (goes for everything not just flights), and watch out for dodgy tour operators selling you tickets for different airlines (this will be clearly visible when you book it, but just don't assume that because you're flying Emirates that you're getting the same customer service etc as you would expect from Emirates if you book via someone else).

Additionally, i'd advise a) looking into booking 2 returns rather than 3 single flights - can be 3, 4, 5x cheaper sometimes and b) whilst you're ok with flight connections for cheaper prices, still consider the value you place on your time: staying in an airport for 10 hours to save £10 is NOT worth it.

Reply 21

Noble.

Original post by cel93

Am sure that crash was pilot error and had nothing to do with equipment failure.

No, there was a major technical problem, but ultimately it crashed due to pilot error - the technical issues didn't render the aircraft unairworthy.

Reply 22

Schleigg

Original post by mrmotivator2014

So does this flight we're talking about not have pilots? :biggrin:

I'd rather a BA pilot than a TSR pilot myself.

I'm better than most BA pilots, just saying :wink:

Reply 23

Alfissti

Original post by Airfairy

PIA is coming up a lot. Also Iberia and Finnair.

I'm not really bothered if they take longer as long as they are cheaper. I've made sure I've selected direct though so no stop overs.

You could always cross check it with Expedia as they would also more than likely list the flight you found on Sky Scanner.

All aircraft flying into EU and USA need to meet a minimum maintenance standard otherwise they are not allowed into the airspace.

PIA isn't a bad airline but won't be the airline I opt for. Prone to delays and quite often the flight tend to be full of people from South Asia, these bunch can be an annoying bunch to travel with.

Finnair is pretty good, if I'm not wrong it goes via Helsinki and sometimes you do get to do a free stopover. I've flown with them before and will be flying with them in 2 weeks time. Service levels aren't fantastic but I'd take it over PIA and Iberia.

Iberia, I won't recommend it as it is one the crappiest airline in all of EU.

Reply 24

fillydasilva

Don't go with PIA.

Finnair have stepped it up, try them.

Reply 25

Avispa

I agree with everyone else so far in terms of safety; basically, if an airline is deemed even remotely unsafe, it will be banned from flying into the EU. There`s a list of airlines currently banned from Europe, meaning airlines with poorer safety standards do exist, you just won`t be flying with any of them. I`ve seen Kuwait Airways with cheap tickets across the Atlantic, and Norwegian offer low cost flights to the US from the UK. I wouldn`t recommend Iberia either; poor food, rude staff etc, only look at them if their fares are below everyone else's, which they`re probably not.

Reply 26

Airfairy

Thanks for the great advice guys. I booked my flights today. Originally it looked like I was gonna go with Virgin and Blue Jet (or something) but then because of time clashes and stuff I've ended up doing the whole thing with United Airlines. I've heard mixed stuff and their reviews are pretty average on that airline quality website, but I've heard of them before so I knew a bit more about them. It's the only one I could really book with in the end. Came to about £700 including the domestic U.S flight which I'm pretty happy with.

Thanks!

Reply 27

tehFrance

Original post by Airfairy

Does it really matter what airline you go with?

I know you've booked already but yes, it matters, if I were flying from the UK to NYC then on to LA and back, I'd fly with AA or BA both OW Airlines (AA earns miles on EY which is useful if you're part of EY's FFP). I see you're flying UA which isn't a bad airline but sometimes UA staff have attitude problems and the food is pretty bad, otherwise you'll have fun :h: