What airline do you prefer from a customer service basis out of Austin? (Atlanta: credit, to buy)

[blameyourself]

I've had too many issues recently with the big 3 no frills airlines in Austin and have decided I need to stop worrying about cost and just find a reliable airline.

My last two trips involved lost luggage (still no reimbursement for the toiletries and clothes they told us to buy while we waited to get our luggage back) and flight cancellations. I realize the latter can happen with any of the airlines, but how they take care of their customers when they have these type of experiences is more important to me. As many problems as Southwest has had lately, they were always good about offering a fair compensation when issues arose. I can't say the same for some of the no frills that will give you 'flight credit' only to find out that the $50 gift certificate they gave you is really only worth $9 after passenger fees and tax (I never had that type of nonsense with other airlines).

I typically fly westward so preference to any airlines going along those routes.

[Need4Camaro]

I personally don't fly very often but from heresay, most Airlines customer service seems to be quite crap when they need to reimburse you. I have heard some horror storries regarding Southwest 2022 Meltdown where customers lost luggage, had their flights canceled and did not get reimbursed for either experience. Same for Delta's canceled flights when Covid hit.

I personally restrict myself to a carry-on and just stuff as much as I can into it when I fly. But I realize thats not an option for everyone.

[1200RT]

I find austin to be a tough airport. Heavy Southwest and AA routes (not ideal airlines IMO).

[Need4Camaro]

I thought I remember reading that Delta was supposed to increase their presence in Austin.

[Trainwreck20]

Depends on what you mean by customer service. SWA has always been (in my experience) much more pleasant on the phone, more helpful at the gates, and much easier to change flights w/o random fees. No idea whether they screw up more or less than any airline, but when they do I have never run into anyone rude or been 'offered' an expensive fix.

[Austin97]

i typically fly american and they are fine. Nothing spectacular, but nothing really terrible either.

Ill usually fly the cheapest flight that is non stop that isnt one of the sketchy airlines.

I dont really like southwest because I like assigned seats.

[DMChicago]

The worst airline is the one who’s plane you just stepped off of.

We fly American because my wife travels weekly on AA so we have lots of points.

They take pretty good care of her with upgrades to FC, etc.

We just booked free flights an hour ago for a vacation next month.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I thought I remember reading that Delta was supposed to increase their presence in Austin.

American Airlines interfered with those plans. They weren’t having it.

[CarnivalGal]

They all suck, to be honest. I tend to prefer Delta, but usually end up flying American just because they have more options. I also usually am flying to Philadelphia (Go Birds), and they have a direct flight at a decent time that I like.

I stopped flying Southwest years ago - long before their meltdown. First, they are not the least expensive anymore or even close, even when you account for the free checked bags. Second, their communication is horrible. The last straw was when the family was flying back after a trip. We had a layover in Atlanta. Our flight was delayed by 6 hours. The website, boards, everything all said our flight was on time, even though it was supposed to leave 3 hours earlier. The SWA workers were every bit as in the dark as we were. They ended up blaming it on weather, even though there were absolutely no other flights delayed. Last time I flew SWA.

I also have always hated that SWA doesn't interface with other airlines. So if your flight is cancelled, and the next available flight isn't for 2 days, you're just out of luck. If an American/Delta/United flight is cancelled, they will book you with a flight on a different airline, if there is an available seat sooner.

I have flown Frontier as a budget flight before, and it was fine. But by the time you add up all the fees for taking anything bigger than a shoebox with you, it really doesn't save much or any money. And again, I hate that they don't interface with other airlines.

[blakely]

I've been pleased with Jet Blue, but they don't have as big of a presence as some of the others.

One time I was at the airport gate and my Jet Blue flight was delayed quite a bit. I had an important event that I needed to attend on the other end and realized I might miss it due to the delay. So I found another flight leaving, booked it, then walked back to the Jet Blue counter and asked if they would refund my ticket. I was sort of expecting that the best I'd get was a flight credit since it was an economy fare and their flight wasn't cancelled- just delayed quite a bit. But they refunded it on the spot, with a great attitude.

In general I've found Jet Blue to run on time. They also have more standard legroom, include free wifi, a screen on each seat with free movies & TV, and a nice assortment of free snack offerings.