Ranking of Airlines from Those with Knowledge and/or Experience with Them [SYD to LA]

Flanders on 15/10/2018 - 17:37
Last edited 15/10/2018 - 18:24 by 1 other user

Hello, I have never flown with any airlines before before..
I was just looking at a flight from Sydney to LA.
Virgin was cheapest,
American Airlines was $7 more.
Qantas was an extra $1.

What do people rank a few of the major airlines as , say 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th preference etc, when the price is only a couple of $ difference. Preferably people with experience with a few difference airlines, but any input would be much appreciated.

Note: I am 6'4 and with back injury, so being cramped up is not the best, so less cramped for tall person the better. Also will need to get up and walk around at least every hour, probably every 20-30 minutes. Flight centre told me that should be fine and they should accommodate a need to stretch and move around occasionally, especially given my injury and back pain from sitting too long.

Not too fussed about food onboard, I wouldn't expect anything great and restaurant standard in plane anyway.

I have heard of some airlines cancelling flights on people and them being stuck out of pocket as a result of extra accommodation costs etc, so if certain airlines are more prone to cancellations, that would be info I would be interested in.

Travel

Comments

  • 87percent on 15/10/2018 - 18:04
    +2
    1. Virgin
    2. Everyone else

    If you're 6"4, you better hope for an exit row seat or maybe just pay the extra for premium economy

    Virgin food and service is good, and I hate most airplane food. Another plus is they fly direct to LAX. I've also flown Fiji, who weren't bad. Got an old plane though, but service was good

    • toristo on 15/10/2018 - 20:35
      +1

      Agree. Always love Virgin service. Qantas makes you feel like you should say thank you for the privilege of being on their plane.

      If you're 6'4", at least pay the extra for an emergency exit row for leg room.

      • Flanders on 16/10/2018 - 00:01

        pay the extra for an emergency exit row for leg room.

        How does that work with the fares I found on iwantthatflight ?? Do I find the cheapest/best-value fare, then add the exit row as an extra premium… or do I have to do a whole different method of search.
        I have just been clicking Iwantthatflight links from posts here, then adjusting to dates I want.

        • dane45 on 16/10/2018 - 11:28
          +1

          You should be able to just book an economy fare with whatever OTA, then select an "Economy X" seat in Virgin's Manage Booking page and pay the extra.

          Never done this personally though so you should confirm with Virgin

  • nandystam on 15/10/2018 - 18:10
    +3

    Not sure what #1 is, but it's definitely not Qantas. Most of the cabin crew would rather be somewhere else on many of the flights I've taken.

    Sounds like you might want to pay extra for an exit row seat? I'm not 6ft 4 but I can imagine it being very uncomfortable for someone of that height in a normal economy seat.

  • Seraphin7 on 15/10/2018 - 18:17
    +1

    Of the ones you've listed I'd take (1) Qantas, (2) Virgin, (3) daylight, (4) American.

    In terms of accommodating your request, "good luck". You might get lucky, but the last time I looked at this (which was some time ago), you needed to be 6'6" to qualify for special consideration. Be careful how much you play up your back condition or you might be deemed unfit to fly.

    If I were you, I'd consider springing extra for a exit row seat (on the aisle) and go from there. Don't let on about your back injury though or they'll move you out of the exit row because you'll be deemed unsuitable for the responsibilities of the exit row.

    • dave999 on 15/10/2018 - 18:48
      +1

      Almost everyone says American is crap, but actually flew Sydney - LA with them. Plane was brand spanking new, everything worked perfectly, service was good and food was as good as economy food gets - they keep it simple instead of some horrible, weird, attempted gourmet meal on airlines like Qantas. Personally it was a million times better than Qantas.

      It might be American Airlines in America is crap - or it was just a lucky flight.

    • Flanders on 16/10/2018 - 00:12

      Thanks Seraphin7,
      Most here seem to dislike qantas over other carriers.
      I'm really interested as to what the possitive things about qantas are for you ?

      Qantas don't usually come up in the cheapest flight search I do, so I figured there must be something that kind of justifies their higher flight cost.

      • Seraphin7 on 16/10/2018 - 13:50
        +1

        To be honest, I'm not that big a fan of air travel regardless of the carrier.

        My experiences with Qantas have been that there is some attempt made to have an orderly flight that makes the best of a bad situation.

        My last international flight with Virgin was a dog's breakfast with the food/drinks cart simply anchored somewhere near the middle of the cabin for an extended period of time with the staff shuttling food/drink orders to and fro. All the while, people are waiting to get past to use/come back from the toilet. Ridiculous and never again.

        Been a while since I've flown American, and to be fair it's only been domestic, but this is truly where the phrase "cattle class" comes from.

  • dylo on 15/10/2018 - 18:22
    +1

    Virgin, always the most consistent service.

  • Froot Loops on 15/10/2018 - 19:05
    +2

    Haven't flown to L.A. but Singapore Airlines is top notch. My 2nd choice is generally Virgin. Service isn't as good, but they know what there doing. Other suggestion is just google it. The list of the best airlines is pretty much the same every year. Goodluck

    • djkelly69 on 15/10/2018 - 19:46
      +1

      Get the feeling OP is looking for direct flights, which I don't think Singapore do (excluding perhaps codeshare with VA).

    • Randxyz123 on 15/10/2018 - 20:47
      +2

      Screw going to LA via Singapore. It would be an extra 10 or so hours.

      OP,

      I'd go with Qantas.

      Book an exit row seat if you are tall or at the VERY least an aisle seat. Nothing worse than being "that person" who keeps making people move every 20 minutes.

      Flight centre told me that should be fine and they should accommodate a need to stretch and move around occasionally, especially given my injury and back pain from sitting too long.

      They don't care about you moving (though they will if the seatbelt sign is on). It is YOUR responsibility to select an appropriate seat.

      • Flanders on 16/10/2018 - 00:17

        Thanks for the tip. I hadn't thought of that. I guess people sleep on 13 hour flights, so I certainly would not want to be impolite in waking person next to me when I have to get up move round.
        Is 'exit row' a seat with much more room than the isle seat ?

        • Randxyz123 on 16/10/2018 - 09:56
          +1

          Yes. It’s a extra leg room seat. Call your travel agent and ask them to sort it for you. It’ll be an extra $50-80 each way.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/10/2018 - 21:03
    +2

    Much of a muchness. I would choose the most obscure hour/day in the hope of an empty plane. American Airlines is probably worst, but passenger numbers are less.

    • Flanders on 16/10/2018 - 00:18

      Good point. Would be great if ended up with empty enough plane to have spare seats next to me to kind of stretch out a bit.

  • Illian on 16/10/2018 - 16:39
    +1

    My husband swears by Cathay Pacific, generally won't fly anything else internationally. I've never flown overseas so I couldn't comment.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join