How To Choose An Airline

When trying to choose which airline to fly on and with all the recent fare wars, bankruptcy filings and job actions it can appear to be a complicated decision. If ticket price is the most important factor then that’s easy. Go with the cheapest fare. However, other considerations need to be taken into consideration such as destinations, flight frequency and customer services.

To help you make that decision here are a few points to keep in mind.

1. Experiment. Before settling with one favorite airline, try several different ones. Just because they have a frequent flyer program doesn’t mean that you have to choose them every time.
   
2. Try call them. Call each airline’s customer service line and see if you can get through promptly. If you keep getting busy signals or are left on hold, think about how you would feel if you really need some help.
   
3. Check in. If there is only one check-in agent for a full flight be suspicious. This is probably a sign that manpower is stretched probably on the aircraft, in customer service and possible on the maintenance crew as well.
   
4. Check loads. It’s always nice to have an empty seat beside you to stretch out. However if there are too many empty seats you should wonder about the airline’s profitability. That extra room may not last too long.
   
5. Check extras. When onboard, check all the amenities like reading lights, the entertainment system and lavatories. If they are not all in good working condition chances are the engines and electronics have not been well maintained also.
   
6. Employee attitude. Times are lean for just about everyone in the airline industry, and often there is little to smile about if you are overworked. If you encounter pleasant smiling employees, then chances are the airline is treating them in a fair and equitable manner. Happy employees bodes well for the airlines long-term stability.
   
7. Pay extra sometimes. If you are presented with a choice of airlines and the fare difference is small, then don’t be cheap. Go with the one that has served you best in the past.
   
8. Collect points. If the airline you are flying on has a frequent flyer program then join it. It may take time to collect enough for a free flight but other rewards such as upgrades and other benefits are usually available.
   
9. Voted best airline. By who? Sometimes these awards are more generated by the media than necessarily the flying public. Better yet, ask the airline for numbers such as on-time rates, flight frequency and profitability.
   
10. Safety first always. One of the most important considerations in selecting an airline is it’s safety record and the age of their fleet. Quite often these are factors that the public overlook. Safety records for most airlines is public knowledge and their records can be available online

Keep in mind that most of the big airlines are in fact quite similar. When one introduces a new perk and it is popular the others will follow. Even the best airlines have both good and bad flights with good and bad crews. In the end it really all comes down to your own personal needs and expectations based on your experiences. Don’t always take the cheapest flight, compare carefully and in the end hopefully you will be a happy flyer.