There are already a few outfits that rank airline performance so why are yours different?

I use a proprietary model that assigns numbers to 20 different factors of airline experience. These numbers make up a total score.

Planereality’s rankings compare apples to apples by using categories: i.e. comparing international business class to international business class. Comparing Delta domestic coach class to Singapore Airlines International Business class will tell you very little.

The person ranking the airlines, me, has experienced the airlines first-hand. These rankings are not a combination of tens of thousands traveler opinions

Only airlines I have flown are included in these rankings.

TOTAL SCORES: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CLASS
total possible score: 100
name of each airline links to its location on Planereality.com

1. Qatar Airways 92
2. Singapore Airlines 87
2. Emirates 87
3. All Nippon Airways 84
4. Cathay Pacific 83
4. Asiana 83
5. Malaysia Airlines 81
6. Swiss Airlines 78
6. Lufthansa 78
6. Delta Airlines 78
7. Korean Air 77
8. Virgin Atlantic 76
9. Thai 75
10. Air France 72
11. American 71
12. United 69

20 factors that make up score (last 3 are purely quantitative)
leg room
food quality
food quantity
service
schedule
value
frequent flyer program
reservation ease
check-in ease
entertainment
seat comfort
privacy
lounge
clean aircraft
beverage selection
boarding
amenity kit
average age of fleet
load- lighter the loads, better the score. based on 2009 & 2010 average
safety- based on number of fatal accidents

The contrast between flying a few foreign airlines and then returning to the United States to take 1 more flight to get home is always amusing. In this case, I bestowed the “last flight” honor on United Airlines. I received a complimentary upgrade which I was quite appreciative of. Was it a terrible experience? Absolutely not, but (no news here) not in the same league as many foreign airlines.

I knew where I was as soon as I was seated. The lead FA was shouting through the PA system telling boarding passengers to hurry up and sit down so we could leave on time. All the while UA deliberately delayed boarding because 1 crew member was M.I.A.

The meal was decent, but have had better on United. The sausage had the consistency of steak, but tasted like dinner sausage (?)
The indecipherable over-head monitor and bat phone are not disappointing, more comical than anything. The pilot was in the First Class cabin during boarding. I asked him if he would be broadcasting Channel 9. He replied that he would be happy to. To be fair, I took these pictures with my blackberry as opposed to my “good” camera.

the blue dot is our location at LAX; courtesy of the ipad

pre-departure beverage

breakfast

If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you may never find this airline lounge. It is in, what seemed like, a remote part of the airport and there was some remodeling taking place. Specifically the United Airlines Red Carpet Club is located on the 2nd floor above gates 9 and 10. The lounge is roughly a 10 minute walk through the open-air concourse. Be prepared to sweat.

A welcoming foyer leads to several seating areas, each with a flat screen television. The lounge was very relaxing and definitely felt island-like. I parked my bags and went to fetch a drink. There was a charge for some drinks such as those containing top-shelf liquor while others were complimentary. This policy makes no sense to me and I find it annoying and tacky.   Just make it a cash bar or give it away.
The snacks were free and plenttiful: cheese & crackers, vegetables and dip, trail mix, snack mix.
The bathrooms are not really as appealing as the lounge itself, but are they ever?

re-modeling

work area

Meant to post these a while back.  Various airlines in random locations.  Enjoy

united airlines departure from LHR to LAX

moving map on monitor- inside lufthansa a380- FRA-NRT

windy BOS landing on jet blue

united regional jet leaving albany, ny

delta 747 departing manila; shot from upper deck

These photos are from a flight from San Francisco to Denver.  This flight, preceded my flight from Denver to Chicago.  What stood out more than anything was the breakfast.  It appeared to be a continental and hot breakfast rolled into one.  I was impressed with the quality and quantity.  The choices for breakfast were “fruit plate” or “scrambled eggs” …seems like an understatement as I was served both.  Great stuff in the pipeline, stay tuned.

UA 0756 – Depart: SFO 5:45AM – Arrive: DEN 9:20AM -763

waiting for pushback

the gate across from ours

United is in the process of replacing the First Class Seats on their international 777 fleet.  They have already done so on their 767′s and 747′s.  I flew from Denver to Chicago on a 777 equipped with the “old” seats.  But that’s not an international route Mangi!  No it’s not, but the flight was to Amsterdam with a stop at ORD.  That’s not why United flew this aircraft from DEN to ORD though.  More than likely they were re-positioning the aircraft for some other flight because a change of aircraft was required for those travelling onward to Amsterdam.

Anyway, I told myself this post would be United First Class Seats in photos only and I have already written 106 words.   The First Class seats were more than adequate for a 2 hour flight BUT they are worn out and being replaced with this.  Here are the seats (and lunch) in pictures. Denver to Chicago on “Spirit of United” N225UA

good chicken sandwich (everything is good with that much cheese)

warm cookie

Delta Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines each offer an upgraded cabin and  special amenities on flights from JFK to San Francisco and Los Angles. These routes are travelled heavily by business travellers which make them highly competitive for the airlines as business travellers often pay more for air travel than the average consumer.
United & American, on paper, do not offer complimentary upgrades on these routes. The exception is American whose policy states that Executive Platinum members will receive an upgrade on any published fare.

Delta’s policy does not specify whether their trans-continental flights (JFK-LAX/SFO) are eligible for complimentary upgrades for elite status members, but I am about to find out.

Within 24 hours I am taking a trans-continental flight on Delta Airlines. My upgrade status is listed at “requested” and there are plenty of seats available in the first class cabin. Typically, on “normal” flights, Delta will process an Elite upgrade 3 to 5 days before the flight, based upon availability. I am nearly certain these upgrades (if there are any) will be processed at the gate.

Whether I am upgraded or not, it seems that Delta is the only airline of the 3 offering true (no full fares or miles involved) complimentary upgrades on JFK-SFO/LAX routes (I have not tried on AA or UA

Any American or United fliers care to comment on their experience on these routes? Did you receive a complimentary upgrade?

It’s that time of year.  The time to think about what happened in 2010, both the planned and the unexpected, and to ponder what might take place in the upcoming 365 days.  I don’t stand a chance of telling you about the latter, but I will share some insight into the former as it relates to Planereality.com

You may have noticed that I am not and expert at writing or photography.   Or blogging for that matter.  I don’t even know what blogging really means.   Anyway, there are 101 statistics that are supposed to help one evaluate whether their blog is doing what it is intended to do.

As a summation of 2010, I thought I would share one of Planereality’s statistics: Which posts are people reading and, of course, which posts are not read very much. Why? Because you may have missed a topic you are interested in. (And to generate more traffic!)

A friend once said to me: “I can’t wait until 2009″
I said: “Why?”
He said: “Odd numbered years are always better for me”

Whatever your strategy or thoughts are today,  I wish you a happy, healthy and properous 2011.  Thank you for coming by Planereality. Happy New Year!
Cheers.

posts that recieved the most traffic in 2010

Delta’s Lie Flat (Not Angled) Seats

The Lufthansa A380 trip to Tokyo

Delta’s Angled Lie Flat Seats

United’s “Old” 777 Business Class

United 747 Business Class Seating

posts not read as much

Asiana Airlines Business Class: Taipei to Seoul

Air France A380 Innagural Back to Paris

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class: Kingston to London

ANA Business Class: Tokyo to JFK

Etihad Economy Class to Manila

The good news?  Any passenger holding Premiere or greater status within United’s Mileage Plus program is able to book an Economy Plus Seat at no additional cost above what the regular coach fare price is for a particular flight.  The mediocre news is that United’s Economy Plus cabin resembles a coach cabin (physically and in amenities) more than anything.

The boarding area was terribly crowded with what looked like a plane’s worth of passengers lined up.  Having no idea what line to get into, I slid my way to a boarding lane that had no passengers.  Luckily, when I reached the front of the line, the gate agent called for Premiere Executive’s to board.  There was still a long line of Business Class passengers waiting to board when I blew through the jet-bridge.  I was greeted and quickly took my seat, 24C, on the Boeing 777 (reg: N779UA)  I was impressed with the cushy feel of the seat and cleanliness of the airplane.

If you choose one of the aisle seats in the middle section of seats (2-5-2), expect nearly every single person that boards the plane to run into you.  I took a few elbows, a hip, a knee, a foot and a roll-aboard to the side.  Despite selecting an entirely empty row to sit in, the morning of my flight, 90% of the Economy Plus section was full.  The FA announced that E+ seats would be available for purchase after takeoff for $97.

I found the noise reducing headphones in my seat back pocket, but unfortunately the captain was not transmitting Channel 9: Air Traffic Control.  More disappointing was that only one side of my headphones worked and it only woked if I applied constant pressure to the plug that connected to the audio jack.  Guess I would not be watching any movies.

While we were taxiing, a large plastic light fixture fell from the ceiling a few rows ahead of me.  Some people looked annoyed, others were laughing.  One passenger, probably the one who got smacked in the head with it, promptly grabbed the 3 foot piece and tossed it into the aisle.

Once we reached our cruise altitude, beverage service started in the Economy Plus Cabin.  I was surprised that no complimentary alcoholic beverages were available.  All adult beverages were for purchase,  How could this be?  Delta offers complimentary beer and wine throughout international flights in economy, nevermind E+.  More on this later.

For dinner, we were given a choice of vegetable pasta or chicken.  I chose the chicken which had some type of curry sauce and while it tasted alright,the chicken was quite fatty. I didn’t bit into any tendons though so  what more can a guy ask for?  The salad was was the best part; plentiful and fresh.  The roll was hard a rock.  I asked again if beer and wine were complimentary with dinner as I saw the FA in the other aisle handing out splits of wine left and right and she did not collect payment.  The FA paused, thought about my question and then replied: “no”
Still not sure I understand the policy.

I looked through the movie selections even though my audio was a bust.  “Kick-Ass” was the “editors pick.”  Some other movies: “Cop Out”, “Clash of the Titans” and “Daybreakers.”  I was able to keep myself busy trying to determine if anyone else had to pay for alcohol except me, playing solitaire and reading.

Some positives to look forward to in United Economy+ are the extra leg room and good service.  At 6′ tall, my knees did not jam into the seat in front me.  I felt the service was friendly and efficient, but I am sure one should/could expect this in each of United’s travel classes.

economy plus cabin

row 24 economy plus cabin

you can see the light fixture that fell in the aisle

cocktail, snack & stuart woods

dinner

economy plus cabin

breakfast: banana bread with the consistency of sawdust and yogurt

The Red Carpet Club, next to gate C16 at ORD, was the first stop on my 22,000 mile trip last week. A non-distinct entrance placed me directly in front of 2 cheery United desk agents. I first clarified with the agent whether I even had access to the club on my Economy+ (and Star Alliance Gold status) ticket. The agent happily confirmed without making me feel like a jackass for asking. Always a pleasant trait of a customer service oriented employee.

While I have been to a few Red Carpet Club’s, I am always taken back by being provided drink tickets. 2 to be exact. I feel like a little kid trying to determine what kind of junk I’m going to buy with the tickets I won playing skee ball. Naturally, my first stop was the bar, where I was equally disturbed to learn that a liquor drink would relive me of both of my tickets. For some reason, the bartender was extra-unfriendly and didn’t say one word to me except: “two”

While the Delta SkyClub blows away the Red Carpet Club in the cocktail department, the Red Carpet Club (this one at least) may edge the SkyClub in the food department. There were some fresh vegetables with salad dressing, plenty of cheese and crackers, trail mix, snack mix and yogurt covered something or other. The Red Carpet Club also provided me with free Wi-Fi access, although I didn’t have enough time to log on.

There were plenty of comfortable chairs and space to spread out in the rest of lounge. I also found that the Red Carpet Club at ORD provides some very good views of the apron. After 30 minutes in the RCC, I had to hustle to grab a bottle of water and get to gate C16 for my 2:33 (14:33) flight to Frankfurt. Here are the pictures:

A few quick notes from the return portion of my flight to London with United Airlines. The bulk of my commentary is here, but below are the highlights of the LHR-LAX leg. The service was better despite many of the crew being the same as on the outbound flight. They all seemed to be more visible throughout the flight; going to the first class cabin to find beer that was requested and actually offering the mid-flight snacks that were on the menu. Overall, food was better, but I question the choices for pre-arrival meal: tea sandwiches or cheese with fruit (?) BUT the warm, soft scones were impressive.

As I mentioned, a real power souce would be nice. The FA gave me an adapter (pictured below) to use although the device got disturbingly hot and the power flickered on and off when my laptop was plugged in.

The streaming movies were different going West. I attempted to watch Sherlock Holmes, but just did not gte into it-rather listen to Channel 9!

A very special shout out to my seat mate James who takes the concept of Ryan Bingham to a another level. We had great conversation, kept the FA’s on their toes and poked fun at everything air travel. I will leave you with the quote James emailed me last week:

“Thus, the task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees.”
-Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

takeoff video

power adapter

rear galley

economy class