If I didn’t love loyalty programs so much…

I was so used to flying transpacs that coming back to the US to fly a legacy domestic leg just kills me. For the longest time I flew JB and VX whenever possible in the US, even though that meant hell as far as points/miles were concerned...

I have some friends now that no longer remember free snacks and meals on domestic flights, and when they flew over to HK, was surprised to get free meals, drinks, and alcohol, even in economy! Such a sad state we're in now...

That much said, I second your point on treating crew nicely. A little "please" and "thank you" goes a very long way...

Totally agree - I love JetBlue. They aren't convenient for me anymore, but it is a better flying experience than coach on the legacies - especially when you don't have status.

My first recent experience with SouthWest was more than a pleasant surprise. It won't be long before longtime legacy flyers start flying B6, Virgin, and SW. Ha. Who'd a thought.

Jet blue is great. Try Virgin though!!

Economy comfort on Delta's 737s are nice. They come with TV AND wifi with 4 extra inches of legroom so plenty of space. Granted TV id not on every flight but wifi iS which I prefer. And I'll take biscoffs anyday over blue chips.

Good to see JetBlue's product. Can't really fly them out of ATL so thanks for sharing.

We flew JetBlue roundtrip SFO to LGB and loved it. Like you, we are always polite with FA's and service was spectacular. Not only that, but the FA's were trying to force extra snacks on all the passengers. The DirectTV was down on the way home, and they announced at the gate that we'd all get $15 off coupons. The next day the coupons arrived via email. Very impressed with JetBlue.

I love Virgin but I vastly prefer how JetBlue handles the extra legroom thing. Personally, all I want is 36+ of legroom so I can sit without bumping my knees against the seat and work on my laptop without being chopped in half by the tray table. Virgin bundles the space together with drinks and free movies and early boarding and charges 3x - 10x the price of coach for it. While I'd happily pay $40-$100 each way for the legroom, I won't pay $400 each way for legroom + cocktails.

Moved to SoCal and travel up Te PAC NW often for business but not enough to realy get more than base level status. As such, JB out of Log Beach has become my favorite thing in the world. You just can't beat the seats, entertainment and snacks. Dont forget the free piece of checked luggage if needed. F9 was like them for awhile bit now more like spirit but without the cheap prices.

I have been addicted to 'miles' for a long time and most of them are with legacy carriers.....but I'll take a flight on JetBlue or Virgin America any day of the week, if they happen to be serving the destination I need.

I have status with Delta (GM&KM) but JetBlue is my alternate Airline. Their regular coach seats are more than fine and their crews are almost without exception excellent. I haven't flown Virgin America but so far JetBlue is, in my estimation, the best domestic coach experience.

At almost 6'3", I actually find JetBlue's normal seat pitch of 34" quite adequate, even for the transcons.

I'm so glad you wrote about this! I have a DCA-SJU trip coming up at the end of October and am deciding between flying JetBlue (never flown them before) or AA. JetBlue costs a little more, but AA requires a stop in Miami (an airport I've never been to). I'm only Gold with AA, so assuming I don't get the upgrade I'd be in economy seats for both. Which would you recommend?

I live in a city of well over a million folks but still no sign of JetBlue. When dealing with flight attendants I usually make a point of invoking every available pleasantry but that doesn't seem to make much of a difference in the coach cabin of most airlines. Maybe it keeps the staff from throwing the drink in my face, in which case I suppose it's working after all.

@ Tracy -- That's a toughie, and I guess it depends on what your travel goals are. I'm still "all in" for the legacies, because at the end of the day their generous frequent flyer programs and lackluster product allow me to experience products like Cathay Pacific first class. Furthermore the fact that American has wifi on most of their fleet means I'm more productive on them. So I guess it all depends what you're looking for.

I know that a lot of frequent fliers groan at the thought of flying Southwest Airlines, and when it comes to services and award redemptions I agree there's nothing to get excited about. However one thing that Southwest does better than anyone else are nonstop and (actual) direct flights. I can't tell you how many times I've flown Southwest just to make my trip faster. Three hours on Southwest versus six hours on a legacy connecting through some oversized fortress hub? I'll take the three hour flight almost every time.

Lounge or no lounge I've long since lost any interest in spending extra time at stateside airports. I feel like I've flown from, to, or through nearly all of the larger ones at one time or another, and they're all pretty dull in my view. I'm not sure why US airports are almost universally bland and boring, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. My vacations are generally pretty short in duration, so the less time I have to spend at the airport the better. For me it's hard to argue with the "luxury" of a much quicker trip versus a much longer trip with access to a basic no-frills lounge.

@lucky

also remember that when you fly jetBlue you can collect AA miles on certain routes to/from JFK and BOS. TPA is not one of them but SRQ is if you're willing to drive... AA miles are always handy! 😉

The owner of JetBlue started up Azul ( Blue ) in Brazil 4 years ago. They are a huge success and the product looks very similar to JetBlue ( seats, IFE, snacks )

They fly Embraer 190/195 and ATR´s 72 on shorter routes and in 4 years got around 10% market share of domestic Brazilian flights.

They are based out of VCP ( Campinas), 90 kms northwest of S. Paulo.

They announced a merger with TRIP Linhas Aereas that is subject to approval.

Like you I generally do not fly LCC's except Frontier once in a while. But I did fly my mother from ORD to LGB even though it is farther away from where I live (near Carlsbad). The staff in LGB went the extra mile to assist her with boarding as she is older and quite frail. They were all wonderful. I'm booking her trip for next month and am bummed to find out they do not serve the route any longer. Definitely worth paying a premium price for the great service.

Flew American Airlines Los Angeles to New York JFK on 767 this week. Smooth flight, "Brave" available on overhead bin monitors for free. Flight attendants handed out earphones. Regular drink service in economy class.

I sat in aisle seat on middle 3-seat section in back third of plane.AA flight attendant made gate number arrival and gate numbers for connecting flights announcements when we were arriving in Newark.

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Flew United Airlines Newark to San Francisco today. "Free earphones, take one" prominent signage as passengers walk on 737 plane.

Video monitor on each economy seatback. Credit card swiper also on seatback. Free earphones, but fee video.

I sat in aisle seat on plane with two 3-seat sections and center aisle 737. Passenger in middle seat. Woman in window seat pays for video.

First half hour of 6-hour flight there is complete shutdown of video. Announcement by flight attendant rattles off a web address to get a refund.

Never during the remaining 5 1/2 hours of flight to San Francisco does does any staff offer any kind of print version of the web address for the refund nor any other compensation for passengers who paid for video and received no service. The web address was mentioned once and I did not hear it repeated.

As a teacher I give these flights
American Airlines 767 LAX-JFK A-
United Airlines 737 EWR-SFO D+

Apparently I have not flown United since the Continental merger. I could not get my frequent flyer account credited at the airport when I realized the PR agency that bought the ticket did not have my frequet flyer account on the reservation (SPG AMEX Star sponsored flight to New York for US Open). I had my UA frequent flyer account for over 20 years and the consolidation with Continental apparently means the airport agents can't correlate my 20+ years Mileage Plus account with the 2012 Mileage Plus account.

I sure hope this does not mean I have to send in my boarding passes to receive frequent flyer miles. With the crappy paper they use these days the United Airlines staff probably can't read the Boarding Pass print after 9 hours in my pockets.

As a United 1K for several years about ten years ago, I was astounded how different my travel experience today was from my earlier travels as a consumer familiar with United for more than 20 years.

The seats aren't wider - the aisle is. More leg room also gives the appearance of more room generally.

That said, both B6 and WN have fantastic products for Y. Like you, I would fly them religiously if I didn't have top level status on a legacy.