The worst airline — ever

[rpannier]

Pick through the slag heap of the nation's big network carriers and it's easy to find the worst of the worst: United Airlines.

Just 29 months removed from the longest, costliest, and least-effective bankruptcy in aviation history, the nation's second-largest airline is once again facing a financial abyss. United's first-quarter net loss of $537 million was more than its two main competitors combined. Last month it paid a huge premium to avoid a default on its loan covenants. Its 4 percent decline in passenger traffic in May was twice as steep as that of any of its competitors. Last week's announcement that it would ground 100 aircraft, reduce capacity by 10 percent, and shed thousands more workers was startling given the huge contraction it already experienced while in bankruptcy. A 19-month search for a merger partner resulted in rejections from Continental Airlines and US Airways, a carrier that was desperate to sell itself to United just eight years ago. The airline's shares slid into single digits last week from a 52-week high north of $50.

United's day-to-day operations have also deteriorated markedly. Its no-frills Ted sub-brand is being closed, the airline's second expensive failure in the low-cost arena this decade. Travelers are furious about service cuts—the airline has eliminated some meals and some luxurious perks—on United's high-priced P.S. (for premium service), which runs in the high-profile Transcon Triangle between New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. And in April, United's overall on-time performance slumped to 72.7 percent, five points below the industry average and 18th among the 19 carriers tracked by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25083833/

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. agreed

[1]

2. please... pick an airline. they all suck...

your worst airline experience is the next airline you book a flight on.

blerge...

[Occam Bandage]

3. Singapore is fantastic. So is JAL. I've heard good things about Qantas and Emirates, too.

[JI7]

6. Singapore is ok, but i think unless one can afford first class

long flights will suck no matter what.

[rpannier]

4. Gotta agree with you on that point

Except in the instance of some international carriers.

I live overseas and I try to never fly any American Commercial carrier unless I absolutely have to. Even when US airlines are providing international service their service still sux.
These companies motto used to be "Thanks for flying_______ Airline."

Now it seems like their motto is "You should feel f**king licky that we let you on our plane!"

In the article I posted it discusses how United has cut everything for their employess and their passengers, but the corporate heads continue to rake in big bucks.

Please, let me lose 54 million dollars or more in 3 months and then give me a salary of millions with stock options.

The crappy service alone pisses me off.

I've flown Korean Air, Singapore, JAL and Vietnam Air. All government owned airlines and their service rocks.

It sickens me the way private airlines act.

[Tesha]

8. Jet Blue hasn't sucked the last several times I was on it (transcon). (NT)

[Speck Tater]

5. Learn to live without the airlines. They are ALL going away soon.

The cost of fuel will be too high for any of them to survive in their present form.

Smaller airports will close, and flying will become something reserved for the very wealthy. The rest of us will travel by bus and rail.

In 20 years most adults won't even remember the day when ordinary people could fly coast to coast, or even across the ocean. That will be a dim memory of times long past.

Welcome to the decline and fall of western civilization.

[Selatius]

7. We, the taxpayers, should NOT BAIL OUT United Airlines.

If forced into a choice between a bail-out and letting them sink, I say let them sink to the bottom of the ocean.

[JCMach1]

9. Name an American carrier that doesn't suck

-crickets-

[RB TexLa]

10. If we were to extend open skys, we could have options for domestic air travel.

[Carnea]

11. Jet Blue has always been top notch

I have a hard time believing there is a worse airline than Northwest.