I don't know if this is appropriate for hangar chat, but I'm planning on going to San Francisco this summer from Boston. Which airline do you guys recommend I use? I'm leaning towards United because of their ATC feature but I'm not sure if they have IFE. So, what do I use?

Ummm... Cheapest ticket? If money is no object then I suggest chartering a jet. :) And what is an IFE, In-Flight Emergency? Surely you don't want one of those. Sorry, anyway, you can listen to ATC all day long on your computer if you'd like or get an aviation scanner. I'd pick the airline that let's you sit in the flight deck.Jeff

IFE = in-flight entertainmenti think your only shot for seatback IFE is jetBlue and maybe TED. may be wrong on this, but i think if you fly united or american you will just have an 'in-ceiling' movie where you will have to pay for a headphone rental.as far as united's channel 9 - you have no guarantee that the pilot will have the channel active; as it is up to her/him ... and some don't.--edit: typo--

I personally prefer American. Their non-stop BOS/SFO flights typically use the 757, which does have in-flight entertainment (monitors are ceiling based). They charge $2 for headsets if you do not have your own and the headsets are yours to keep. If you have your own headsets then there is no charge for the IFE.Of course as others have said, price will be a factor as well.

United doesn't have seatback IFE but I prefer the ATC as well. United tends to be a bit pricier. They just announced that they are going to start charging domestic passengers $25/checked bag after the first one. That is unless you're a member of their frequent flyer program.They've been in the nickle and dime mode for years now. Of all, I think JetBlue treats their customers better and their planes are nice but they have a smaller fleet so options may be limited. They tend to be substantially cheaper than the others if you book more than a month out. American has always been very professional. That said, KSFO is a United Hub so may have more options with them. Though, I think American has a larger presence in BOS. At least they did when I was working at Logan (many years ago).Regards,Jeff

Who has the most legroom? That's the one you should choose.

Jeroen was it? Wow you're back, where the heck did you go, I've missed your no nonsense up front and honest posts.Jeff

Fly United or American because Jetblue doesn't have a union.

Thanks for the feedback guys. It looks like I'll be flying JetBlue. I'm not part of any Frequent Flyer Clubs or anything. Alright, so jetBlue it is.

Find a good Virtual Airline. Sneak into the hanger late at night and paint JetBlue's fleet in the virtual airline's livery. Find all the good pilots in the virtual airline and get them to fly the planes.That's my advice.

>Fly United or American because Jetblue doesn't have a union.To me that would mean a MAJOR plus for Jetblue. You're not at the mercy of union politics, served by free staff working for themselves instead of the union leadership.

>>Fly United or American because Jetblue doesn't have a>union.>>To me that would mean a MAJOR plus for Jetblue. >You're not at the mercy of union politics, served by free>staff working for themselves instead of the union leadership.I need to paint an open field. Tell me jwenting, where can I find a brush that is as wide as the one you have.

>>>Fly United or American because Jetblue doesn't have a>>union.>>>>To me that would mean a MAJOR plus for Jetblue. >>You're not at the mercy of union politics, served by free>>staff working for themselves instead of the union>leadership.>>I need to paint an open field. Tell me jwenting, where can I>find a brush that is as wide as the one you have.Actually, jwenting' assertion is fundamentally correct. And this is 20+ years with the majors and 3 as a business owner providing services in the industry talking.Regards,Jeff

>>Actually, jwenting' assertion is fundamentally correct. And>this is 20+ years with the majors and 3 as a business owner>providing services in the industry talking.>>Regards,>Jeff>The fundamental function of the union is to provide me, as an individual working pilot, the insulation from management pressure to take actions that keep the company profitable but put myself and my plane and passengers at physical risk. Think about that the next time you board a plane and hope that your pilot's union is stronger than the one that Captain Langford had.http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-0...nalsafety_N.htm

Thanks Kevin. People don't understand the protection of a union is really needed in our type of profession.