United makes Air Canada look decent.

Used to fly Continental for pretty much everything.  They had decent enough prices and if you bothered to simply sign up for the frequent flyer program, you didn't have to pay to check luggage.  United farking nickle and dimes you for everything.  The last UAL flight I was on had pretty much the entire 'extra legroom' seats open.  The in flight sales crew would not let you move there unless you paid them.  Add all the extra charges they tack on and fark them.    My only remaining local choice is Delta.  Instead we have changed to driving and extra 30 minutes and paying about 50% more in parking so we can fly Southwest.

US Airways was the worst.

Living in Houston, Continental was more or less my "go-to" airline for any travel.   After they merged with United, I was actually excited.  I liked United's Asian routes and destinations, and I liked Continental's service.

The routes stayed, but the service went downhill.  To the point where I *used* to be the highest tier frequent flier with Continental, and now my business has moved over to Delta.

JohDHJ: The routes stayed, but the service went downhill.  To the point where I *used* to be the highest tier frequent flier with Continental, and now my business has moved over to Delta.

Yeah, UAL's farking around with the frequent flyer programs pissed me off, too. Really liked Continental's service out of Houston as well; nowadays, it seems like the merger sort of diluted any positive feelings from any of the flight staff or gate agents.

Not sure about Delta, though, at least out of IAH. The last three times I tried to fly them from there all had some major Delta screwup associated with the trip.

cashdaddy: Not sure about Delta, though, at least out of IAH. The last three times I tried to fly them from there all had some major Delta screwup associated with the trip.

So, full disclosure:  The ONLY reason why I chose to try Delta after United failed to live up to expectations was because I used to live near Detroit.  DTW is a huge hub for Delta.

That being said, every bad experience I've ever had with Delta was when I transited through either ATL or JFK.  Transit through MSP or DTW, and everything went smoothly.  And honestly, in terms of amenities and airport layout, DTW is one of the best.

...So what I'm trying to say, I guess, is that with Delta, the experience is more airport dependent than staff dependent, whereas with United, the experience is entirely staff dependent.

Star Alliance would be somewhat tolerable if they kicked out United. As it stands today, fark Star Alliance. If I wanted to fly with United, I wouldn't have bought a ticket for Lufthansa now would I?

Nothing is more of a buzzkill than getting to the airport and realizing your flight is "operated by" United.

United is the worst for short haul flights, they can't get the planes turned around quickly enough to meet their schedule. Anything running between LAX/SFO/SEA after 4pm on a weekday, guaranteed to be seriously late.